Lector CDP 7 Mk I, II or III ?

I know of no cd player under $10k that is more natural sounding and involving , sure there are some players better in one area or another the Esoteric 03-SE comes to mind, or the new Cary pro, or Mcintosh. To buy the Lector MK-3 is a solid all around performer and at it's price under $5k a superb bargain ,with the upgrade from the BB-pcm63 dacs which are classic 20 bit to the 24 bit -BB pcm 1704 dac chipset it is just a little more accurate with better resolution. p.s whoever said there is no service for Lector products
does not know squat. there are over 6 repair facilitys in the U.S alone I have owned mine for a year with no problems at all , also Vintage tubes take this player to another level !

PS - I have owned a Lector CDP-0.6T since 2011 and it is great.  Nicest sounding player I've ever owned.  Warm and as analog sounding a digital source that I've heard - esp when played next to an Ayre Codex.   Probably should have saved an extra 6 mos. and purchased the CDP 7T but was told at the time that the less pricey model was 90% of the performance of the 7. I have upgraded power cords and bought NOS tubes and both those tweaks improved the performance.  I have owned Cary CD players  - was excellent for the time but could sound edgy and it's transport failed ultimately.  A REGA Apollo cd player was ok but didn't last long in my system. A little dull.  I thought i was having problems with the Lector player and i sent to their authorized service center in Connecticut and the issue was an NOS tube.  Cary on the other hand, did not want to service the older unit.  So much for their customer service.  Moral of the story, a Lector CD player is a good, safe purchase.  

Resuscitating and old thread here. Any of you guys still enjoying this CDP in 2023?

 

Happy Listening!

audioman58

 

PM sent.   Happy Listening!

I’ve owned the Lector CDP 0.6T for six years and the CDP 7TL MKII for over three years. They are definitely the most musical players I’ve encountered and aren’t going anywhere! the 7TL is in my main system, the 0.6 T in a living room setup.
I was lucky enough to get the CDP 0.6T via a Steve Hoffman Music Forums classified sale for just $550. To date I’ve had no issues with it. I currently have a pair of Amperex Orange Globes inside, previously I used RCA Blacktops.

When I found the 2005 CDP 7TL MKII in a listing by The Music Room around three years ago I knew I had to go for it, the player and PSU cost $1,499. About a year and a half in it started skipping on the final tracks of CDs, a sure sign that the drive was failing. I contacted Connecticut audio repair man Steven Lekrone (aka The Service Department), and got on his wait list which was going to nearly a year.

After more than a year had passed I learned of George Meyer AV right here in Los Angeles who were able to fix it and save me a lot in shipping costs. In went a NOS Philips mechanism, one capacitor and the PSU’s power chord was also replaced too. It was a pricey repair mainly due to George Meyer’s very high hourly rate not the parts. But it was well worth it to me, I feel lucky to have this player and look forward to enjoying it for years to come.

The 7TL came with Chalmer tubes which I understand to be rebranded UK military stock. They sound very good so I haven’t ever replaced them.

Both players sound so good, and their Redbook CD playback bests SACDs of the same mastering every time, highly recommended!

I also have the Lector VM200 power amp in another system at a second residence and am thinking about getting the matching ZOE preamp to go with it.