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Which is the best cd player under $10k?

I am trying to find the best cd player under $10k (new or used) either a current or recent offering which has a warm, vinyl-like sound, wonderful holographic imagining, large soundstage, nice details & beautiful tonality without being hyper detailed, etched and which avoids the two extremes; cold and analytical to too warm and syrupy?

Choices so far have been Accuphase dp-500, Audio Research cd-8 (but lacks up to the minute digital inputs), Playback Designs MPS-5, EAR Acute & Luxman DU-80. Given the many choices, i'm pulling my hair out. Let me know your thoughts!
melbguy1
grateful's avatar
grateful
104 posts
 
I second Audio Note DACs + PS Audio PWT transport - most beautiful sound I have heard. Furthermore, I'm told the PS Audio DAC is quite a wolf-in-sheep-clothing.
robertbrown
151 posts
 
look at MSB TECH I own a platinum DAC III OR THE NEW IV
NOTHING OUT THERE CAN TOUCH IT YOU SPEND $30,000 AND FOR A DAC AND IT STILL WOULDN'T TOUCH YOU CAN PICK UP A DAC II FOR ROUND $2500 TO 3500 GET IT WITH THE 16X FILTER
TO START AND WORK YOUR WAY UP
ajackson1
156 posts
 
Cary 306 Pro SACD
irish65
170 posts
 
I would recommend either the Wadia 581 SE or Wadia 781i. Both can be purchased used for under ten grand and you get SACD as a bonus.
schipo
1,268 posts
 
questions like this really are so annoying that you can almost smell someone just being curious and fishing for an answer. If you have that kind of cash to burn I would think that you already read as much as you can on the Gon and elsewhere and have have a pretty good idea what units to listen to.
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