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Aqua 'La Diva' ($9k) or Gryphon 'Ethos' ($39k) versus. Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T ($3k)?

What sensible rationale is there for buying either of the two above-mentioned VERY COSTLY CD spinners (Aqua ’La Diva,’ a CD-only transport, and the Gryphon ’Ethos,’ a CD player with built-in DAC) when we can get the same pure Red-Book CD digital output from the Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T for FAR less money?

What is a potential buyer getting for their significantly increased expenditure other than fancy packaging and possibly a boost to their egos from ownership of a prestige brand-name item? The one component (and a crucially-significant one at that) which all three of these products have in common is the new Philips-based Stream Unlimited CD Pro 8 CD player mechanism. Aside than that, what one appears to get with the two far-higher-priced components is little more than pure window-dressing, not substantive gains in performance over the CD Box RS2 T.

It is little wonder that one reviewer of the RS2 T thinks of it as nothing less than a "giant killer," in that it makes it nearly impossible for any level-headed purchaser, even one with the means to spend lavishly, to rationalize spending thousands of dollars more on these two competing products (or on others like them) when one can get the same sonic results (which from most reports are splendid) from the humble little CD Box.

Any thoughts? Do we audiophiles finally have good reason to come to our buying senses? To me, Pro-Ject Audio Systems may have struck a true winning vein with their CD Box when prospecting for gold.

128x128erictal4075
erictal4075's avatar
erictal4075 OP
70 posts
 

@lalitk: Which CD Ripper did you get, and do you know what kind of CD-reading mechanism it uses? You describe your Ripper as being "high quality" - therefore you must be reasonably confident that the device inside your Ripper which reads the data off your CDs is trustworthy, and not merely some generic off-the-shelf Blue-Ray, CD-ROM or DVD-ROM mechanism.

If your Ripper uses the same transport mechanism found in the Pro-Ject CD BOX RS2 T, then you’re likely getting the best transfer currently possible of your CDs’ data into your SSD storage.

Is your CD-ripping machine a top-loader, or does it have an opening/closing tray which slides out the front of the unit to receive your CDs, or does it have a narrow slot into which you insert your CDs, which are then "swallowed" (drawn in) by your Ripper?

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lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,425 posts
 

@erictal4075 

I am using Aurender ACS100 to rip my CD’s. You can read up about this player here, https://aurender.com/acs100/

lordmelton's avatar
lordmelton
877 posts
 

Yes the Aurender ACS100 is a great CD ripper, used it to rip my whole collection after I found it better than my computer rips.

ghdprentice
6,949 posts
 

@lordmelton

This is a very interesting observation.

 

Question. You are comparing the same file format, one ripped on a PC and one ripped on the Aurender… and both played by streaming from the Aurender?

 

If true. To me it would imply differences between the file translation software between the two. Which would be very interesting.

 

I ripped all of my CDs as I acquired them over a couple decades to lossless files, using a PC… many different PCs.. I have an Aurender W20SE streamer and can directly compare a streamed version of a red book CD, one of my ripped CDs, and one playing on my CD player / DAC (you can see my system if you click on my ID). I have cannot detect a difference. This observation brings up some interesting questions to me.

 

 

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