New CDP vs. older used and more expensive player

This is a hard question and one I am very familiar with. I haev owned most of the above. My feeling is the newer ones (I have the Raysonic CD128) are simply better in terms of air and musicality. The older players tend to sound digital to my ears, although they all stink compared to real vinyl. I have had the Krell 20il (the one for like $20k) and I thought the bass and definition was awesome, but it lacked the detail and separation of the Raysonic. 'i can go on and on, but this is a hard one.

I've owned the Krell KAV-300 since 2002, purchased secondhand. It just gets better, the better the system gets.I tried newer designs from Arcam, Musical Fidelity(TriVista Dac) and Perpetual Tech among others, but always preferred the Krell. It's especially good with large-scale, complex and powerful orchestral works, but delicate and intimate enough for String Quartets and other small ensembles.But always try to hear anything in your own system before buying - and bear in mind that the KAV-300 sounds significantly better using XLR connections.

This is such a good question. Having the used market on Audiogon, you dont really loose that much if you buy a used piece of equipment. If you dont like it, you can turn around and usually get almost what you paid for.

I was just traveling down the same road as you. After hearing what the new players had to offer, i snatched up an older used Classe CDP-1. Really, i love my vinyl, but this sounds pretty darn good.

I am happy.

So, i guess, my two cents is to listen to as many as you can. If you dont have access to listening to them, just take a plunge on one with good reviews, if you hate it, get rid of it.

I went crazy for a while reading reviews, researching and then listeing over and over. Finally i just had to buy one!

Hi,
I bought a used krell 300cd and I really like it. If you buy it, try a good shunyata power cord, it makes a huge difference. I had a problem with the transport one year ago and a component had to be replaced. krell did it at no cost !
On the other hand be carefull with the rest of your system, I have read opinions saying it can sound very analytical, depending on the rest of the system. Good luck.