2. digital
  3. 1176491809

Best CD player money can buy ? MBL, Nagra, Naim?

I onws a CDSE se and DC2 se, but I as I don´t have not one SACD disc, I want to buy one only CD player, I has heard Naim 555, very very good, also the same for MBL, but not heard new Nagra, and it seems that the Reimyo is not made more. I will be pleased to know which are your options if money is not object. Also I heard tha Horch from Germany is very good, but it´s imposible to hear. Thanks
newly
tbg
5,263 posts
 
711smilin, lots of luck. I use to say this, but now know that this is lifetime affliction.
mikelavigne
2,199 posts
 
Newly; just curious.....is there something about the EMM Labs SE gear that causes you to want something different? i understand the desire to have the best and am not being critical.

i've owned the CDSD SE and DAC6 SE for the last year or so and i have been very happy. i have found that every system tweak brings more and more detail and musical energy from the SE gear. particularly recently a few power grid tweaks really dramatized the advantage of SACD over redbook.

i have not heard every new piece of gear out there but my guess is that at the level of difference we are speaking here most of the stuff already mentioned above would be choosen based on system and taste context. digital gear with tubed outputs is typically at a disadvantage in an already neutral and natural system. ss output gear is many times at a disadvantage in a 'challenged' rooms and setups. then one's musical reference comes into the picture.

there are many excellent digital players......at least get some SACD's and enjoy what they bring before you go redbook only.

just my 2 cents.
t_bone
1,182 posts
 
I was going to suggest the same thing as I think Mikelavigne suggested. If you buy a selection of SACDs of music you enjoy, you might find that it is worthwhile keeping the emmlabs. My opinion is that at this level of digital playback, it is the other changes one makes in the system which matter more.
mikelavigne
2,199 posts
 
i would like to add for clarity; my EMM Labs SE redbook performance is better than any other i have heard.....in my system, to my tastes, to my ears. i have not heard everything out there and at the top of the heap the differences are not large.

YMMV.
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Sacds are an fly in most top-end players. They don't play them. I am going to have to have a separate sacd player. The new hard-drive systems such as the Memory Player will have no sacd capability, or at least all that I know of, lack the ability to play sacds. Since the EMM equipment converts redbook into dsd, it avoids this problem. Unfortunately for me I don't like redbook so converted on the EMM equipment.
More to discover