Comparison Cary 306, Wadia 581, EMM Labs CDSA

I have had the 505 at home for couple of days. I did not really like it - it sounded too bright to my ears. In my system, I much preferred Accuphase DP-78 and ARC Ref CD-7, which I ended up buying. ARC is not SACD capable, so they would left you with DP-78, which also has digital inputs.

Other players that I have also tried (all in MY system !) are: Audio Aero Capitole (all 4 versions, both SE and non SE), MBL1531, Naim CD555, EMM DCC2/CDSD (both SE and non SE), Opus 21 and the latest Accuphase DP-700 (still have it at home). It was quite a quest for me !

Hi Elberoth, can you discuss the differences that cause you to prefer the Accuphase and ARC over some of the others? Curious 1531 owner here....

Arthur,

I will post my impressions in Reference DAC thread - it will be a longer writeup, which just takes time to write.

In short, MBL have had a certain forwardnes in the upper midrange/lower treble, which I did not notice at first, but made me sell the player eventually.

Both CD-7 and DP-78 also have much better resolution than 1531 (I'm talking about HF-air, delicacy and extension here) and deeper soundstage. Be warned though, that CD-7 takes awfully long to break in. I alsmost gave up on him. It really takes off after ~400h. Before that, it sounds like crap - muddy, diffused and grainy.

Thnaks, I look forward to reading your impressions!

Megan, Might wanna recheck your stats. Consumer response has been so bad for the CDSA that EMM will make ANYBODY a dealer, even you. Just to turn a unit. Let's forget about the recall of the ENTIRE first batch. Mr EMM is a SOTA guy, not too good at the price point thing. Yet. Tell me again how many Cary Pros you've seen listed? I can see by your feedback that you have tried them all! Keep your Civic and please stay out of the deep end. Z.