the best CD player between 6'000 - 10'000 $ ?

Mike Cary 306 pro is so much better then CD3, CD3 has metal sounding strings. I heard CD3 with AR preamp, Gamut monoblocks on Kharma CRM 3.2. First with expensive all silver cabling, then with all K-S Emotion cabling. With silver it was uninvolving, without life and pretty bad overall. Emotions gave life to the system, dynamics, base, midrange, highs everything was so much better. Then we switched CD3 to Metronome CD5i sig and system was extraordinary, metal strings were gone, soundstage was wider, deeper and higher...

11-10-08: Teddy_bear
Mike Cary 306 pro is so much better then CD3, CD3 has metal sounding strings. I heard CD3 with AR preamp, Gamut monoblocks on Kharma CRM 3.2.

Yes, the latest Cary 306 gets my vote too. I chose this over the Marantz SA7, Esoteric X-03, EMM CDSA, Ayre C-5XE.

I thought the AMR CD77 was so "woollen" that i expected it to go "bah!".

The DCS Puccini was also pretty impressive - though pricey.

In dCS Puccini category I would choose Metronome T2i sig or Spectral 4000. MBL Noble line separates are distant third

Kiwi_1282001, I'd be genuinely interested to know the rest of the system (and the condition of the room) you heard the AMR in. I have never traced any "wooliness" (which I interpret as closed in, fuzzy, damped and without dynamics) in my system. It only goes to show the importance of systemic match. I guess, any recommendation in this kind of thread can therefore only be interpreted as flagging the existence of a machine that might or might not fill the bill. Hearing is believing, but, hey, that is what makes this favourite pastime of ours so exciting, isn't it.

Audio Aero Capitol Reference SE

The most musical CD player i have ever ever heard