Law of Diminishing Returns - CD/SACD Players

Great question. Hope you get some answers from people in the know. I am in the same spot you are, wanting to upgrade from Unison Research, but to what?

don't discount the great 2-box (transport + dac) options as well. A modded (the $500 package by Alex Peychev) Sony X707ES transport for ~ $700-$800 used will set you back a total of less than $1,500 and you will have an amazing transport that will help any mid-level dac be its best, and you may have a system that will surprise you compared to the big boys (I am currently going this way for one of my systems). Good luck in the journey...

The point of diminishing returns is about $19.95. That would get you the cheapest portable or close-out throw away CD/DVP player from a big box store.

Past that, it is a matter of value, which is subjective. Some folks would possibly consider a good mid-tier player, like the Rotel 1072 or Rega Apollo to be about 50% or maybe 75% of the sound of the top-tier. Some folks might find it to be 95%. Some folks could possibly even prefer the less expensive player.

It is going to depend on your preferences, quality of recording you own, and the ability of your system to be tranparent enough to hear the difference in various different players.

It is also going to depend on the depth of your wallet! Personally, I do think that spending significant extra dollars on a player that I feel is superior is money well spent. Currently I own three players, an inexpensive Sony CD/DVD/SACD player, a Quad 99 CDP-2 and a Resolution Audio Opus 21. Each is a great value, but I have the resources to own the more expensive Opus 21 and I think it is a good value. Subjectively, I think it gives me about 95% of the sound quality of a cost-no-object player. Although I could afford a more expensive player, the Opus 21's price is the spot where I'm comfortable with the return on my sound expenditure. Also, I'm frugal and refuse to spend big bucks on an adequate pre-amp. I run the Opus 21 (or the Quad) direct to my power amps. This makes them an even better value to me.

Enjoy,

TIC

I've not owned any of the top tier players, but I've heard the Esoteric X-03 and DV-50; APL, Modwright, and Exemplar modified Denon 3910s; and the Audio Aero Capitole. I've auditioned numerous players below this price-point as well--Electrocompaniet EMC 1-Up, Cary 303/300, Ayre C7Xe, McIntosh MC-201, Audio Aero Prima, Lector 0.6T, Unison Unico CD, Sim Audio 5.3 and Equinox, BAT VK-D5, Modwright Sony 999ES, Music Hall Maverick, Audio Refinement Complete, and JoLida JD-100.

Performance is, as everyone says repeatedly, "system dependent." But I endorse, for qualities of clean and balanced sound, any of the modified Denon 3910 players. Also the Esoteric X-03, which may be better on SACD and on the level of the modded players on redbook. The APL Denon 3910 may be give the most transparent and uncolored window into the music. For smoothness and warmth, the Electrocompaniet and BAT VK-D5 are wonderful, with the BAT a shade more resolving and dynamic. Probably the most dynamic player I listened to was the Lector 0.6T, and it also has some refinement and responds very well to tube-rolling with quality NOS. Audio Aero Prima is refined, but a bit rolled-off in the highs for my taste. Sim Audio players are built like tanks and are highly resolving and dynamic-particularly exciting for rock and jazz. The Ayre C7Xe is a splendidly refined player, very well balanced throughout the frequencies, but I'd venture to say it's best suited to SS amps or more linear tube amps as it choked the midrange bloom of my Cary integrated SLI-80. The McIntosh MC-201 is a fine universal player that I think works best with other McIntosh equipment. The Unison Unico CD sounded somewhat like the Ayre and Prima players, with a bit more bloom and less refinement and resolution. I bought the Cary 303/300 for synergy, versatility (several upsampling DACS, both tube and SS output stages, balanced and RCA outs, variable output), relative warmth, and overall build-quality. The Audio Refinement Complete is a great, great bargain and a very musical SS player (I have one).

Finally, in terms of best bang for the buck, I'd recommend the JoLida JD-100--unmodified. It is an excellent player, particularly at its under $1K price point. Dynamic, smooth, harmonically rich, exciting. It lacks that last bit of extension and refinement, but it gets, I'd say, 85% of the music--of all kinds--extraordinarily well. I played rock, Ellington and 60s combo jazz, opera, orchestral symphonic, and choral music on it and it got EVERYTHING wonderfully except choral, where it fell short in resolution and transparency for massed treble voices at dynamic peaks.

Good luck.