Audiolab 8200CDQ

There are a series of threads on the CDQ on Pink Fish Media to which John Westlake has contributed. His postings suggest that the CDQ is substantially better than his previous work.

Thanks Afranta. I've read those threads. I was actually hoping the OP would find them. John Westlake has gone on record to say that the Audiolab is the DAC he's been promising to make for ages, and that it sounds better than any other digital product he has designed. As far as he's concerned, he bested the Peachtree. I've never heard a Peachtree but I own the Audiolab and it was for sure a great deal compared to what I was using as a source for almost the same amount of money. I've barely tapped into it's potential.

I'm interested in your experience with the CDQ, Donjr. I just about went for one, but finally decided against it because the pfm threads suggested that updates were ongoing, which sounded like it might be a hassle. (I didn't like what I heard about a flimsy cd tray, either.) How would you rate the software stability and build quality of your machine?

So far I rate the build quality very high for the price point but the cd tray is average. My goal is to set up a network drive and stream with my laptop (slowly rip my cd's plus losless), The cd tray is certainly no worse than any other $1 - $2K CDP I've owned. It sounds a lot better than my Rotel RCD1520. It's rather heavy for its size and the controls are top quality. the user manual is very extensive as there's a LOT you can do with this unit. I have not had the chance to use the USB, which is where this unit is supposed to shine. Hopefully in about a week i will have experienced 24 bit. The way I look at this unit is that the engineering that went into it, along with the features, makes it the best in its price point by a long shot. John Westlake said it's his best so far and he engineered the DAC for Peachtree. If you're spending under 2 grand, I would seriously consider it.

Afranta - sorry I didn't fully answer your question. I will let you know about the software. As far as I know, that's all been worked out. I'm not too concerned about the transport. The technology that went into jitter control on this unit you could keep it on top of your washing machine. It took me awhile to figure out why this was reviewed so well and if all these reviewers were just pals with John Westlake. I think the real deal is that it's just a cutting edge machine at a great deal. For me, it's a 2 year gig in my system. I will not part with my Rogue or my Harbeths, but a source is something that's renting space in my home and it will always be that way.