What makes a Cd player a Great cd player

Heard this player at the Axpona Show in Florida a few months ago:

http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?anlgtabl&1280216981&/Continuum-Audio-Labs-Caliburn-+-Cobra-+

Awesome. It did not have dynamic swings relative to the material played but boy you could be tempted to sell all your toys for this one.

La45, you nailed it, dynamic swings !

I'm still keepin my digital front end, it gets close enough to satisfy (for now)

Ddan6815,

I haven't read all of the posted comments, so forgive me me if this has been touched upon.

There is a problem, as you said, that when going from a good CD Player to a better one, it does have a tendency to bring to light the difference in recordings.

I used to and still get down when listening to a CD that just doesn't sound as good as it used to. The saving grace is that the well recorded CD's now sound much better.

It is a trade-off, that's for sure. One solution is to keep the older one along with the more expensive one. But to me that would be a pain in the rear.

Chuck

Ddan6815,

"I actually find myself falling asleep listening"

I guess you mean your system is boring now and it puts you to sleep. All kidding aside, many audiophiles have the same problem as you with saxophone recordings whether on CD or vinyl, but it's a matter of taste because some people actually like the sound. I have the same problem with Doc Severinsen's trumpet, but it has nothing to do with CD or vinyl, it's the style of playing that I find offensive. On the other hand I can listen to Miles Davis all day.

To me, CD players are like turntables and cartidges. There is bound to be one out there that will float your boat, but it most likely won't be cheap. All of the CD players I have enjoyed over the years have been at the top of the class for quality and price.

"There is a problem, as you said, that when going from a good CD Player to a better one, it does have a tendency to bring to light the difference in recordings."

Recordings are what they are. Don't blame the CD player or system for them sounding different. That is the way it should be. If they all sound similar and not all that great to boot then you may have a problem worth addressing.

A good setup/player should bring to light the differences in recordings. Lesser recordings for the most parts should only sound that way because now the better recordings sound better or at least different.

Train yourself to accept what is in the recording rather than trying to make them something they are not. I find that 90%+ of CDs have something good to offer in regards to sound quality. Few do it all right in the same recording, but if you can cover all the bases by listening to a variety of recordings, then you are in very good shape!

As an extreme example, on my music server, a small % of the 10000+ tracks are cuts I digitally recorded off of old 78s playing on an old Admiral ceramic cartridge rim drive table I picked up for $10 at a yardsale for just this purpose. These tracks have some of the most captivating and lively unobstructed midrange there is. That is their strength. There is also a ton of background noise and not much else to brag about, including an unusual overall timbre, but they are what they are (90 year old early recordings that are easily identifiable as such), and are quite enjoyable to listen to as a result.