Audio Research cd8 production date

Hey Nmf ... all's well that ends well.

It's been my fortunate experience that all of the ARC gear I've bought (pre-owned or refurbed) has been in pristine condition. But also, ARC gear just doesn't wear out (in the R&M sense) all that quickly. The bigger "risk" relates to "upgrade-itis." Without exception, every change-out has been a move up the ladder.

Nmf ..., I used to own a CD-7 with the upgraded power supply. I've read comments from folks who said they loved the CD-7. IMO, I think the CD-8 is a better all-around sounding unit.

I appreciate your frustration. On occasion, I see that a pre-owned CD-8 is up for sale on Audiogon. But since you're in the UK, the challenge is even harder because presumably you are looking for a 220 volt unit.

Wish I could tell you to grab the other CD-8 back, but I am not comfortable giving such advice. I place extremely high import on transparent trading. I'm not disputing your sense that the dealer was unaware of the age issue. Even though I don't think age per se is a big negative with ARC products, especially if well treated and loved (:o), the mere fact that there was a undisclosed wrinkle starting with the original seller gives me pause. How could you possibly know whether he or she sincerely loved the CD-8. LOL

I guess the good news is that there are many fine CDPs in the marketplace *with* terrific multi-media capabilities --which the CD-7/8 does *not* have.

Good luck!

BIF

Hey Nmf ... take a look at the link below -- CD-8 for sale from an ARC dealer in sunny California. This may not be of much help because it's a 110 volt player.

http://app.audiogon.com/listings/cd-sacd-players-audio-research-reference-cd-8-compact-disc-player-silver-finish-2013-11-08-digital-91724-covina-ca

Hi Bruce,
Thanks for the nice words, I live in The Netherlands so I'll stick with the 220V models...I know people who invested a lot in big 220-110v converters just to be able to purchase the gear in U.S. ...