Abbingdon music research AMR cd-77 is how good?

Jmcgrogan2 & Photon46 you have points I agree with:

This is a VERY subjective hobby, each listner has their own perception of what qualities are good/bad and ultimately how a piece or group of peices sound. In my view I would rather audition personnelly before making a decison; however, the ability to auditon various pieces is not always possible and the consencious opinion of many users is helpful.

secondly, analoge is analoge and digital is digital. Whether one sounds close to another or better is subjective. I understand this.. Reading through the weeds of the gon & many reviews on components one can gain knowledge on an item which can't hurt..

Based on all reviews and comments from you and alike, the cd-77 is a very good player with sonic similarities to analoge. I and only I can determine if this is good for me. I do NOT believe the more $$ you spend the more you get or better you get. Just look at taxes, they go up but do we get better???????

One other point that would be paramount to me if I were looking at the AMR player and "value" questions is whether I preferred the sound of the AMR to a "better" value like Esoteric. When we were listening in the AMR room, we were rotating sources between a good analog source (forget what it was) and the AMR player. No doubt the AMR had a quite analog like quality to it. I've not heard the particular Esoteric players Bill prefers to sell, but if you don't care for their particular sound vs. the AMR, what's the point of seeking that kind of value? If you're thinking of spending the money it takes to buy at this level of product, time and money spent to attend an audio fair like RMAF or something like it is money well spent. Really helps put things in perspective IMO.

I own the AMR CDP-77.1. It is an outstanding player. My points of comparison were the Wadia CD-302, which was a Wadia entry player at 4500 USD, but considered the more organic of the Wadia players because it had a more holistic presentation without the extreme detail of the higher end Wadia players. That said, it is all about system synergy. The Wadia players are excellent, but that do not sound organic. Organic in this definition means that harmonic signiture of triodes that in the very best set ups imparts both tone and drive.

I have talked to other owners of the AMR CD-77 and they consider the CDP-77.1 a mind boggling upgrade in sonics.

I also had a 2400 USD Musical Fidelity TriVista DAC, which at the time in my system was more organic than the Wadia, but had underlying noise and lack of resolution. The AMR has so much internal power conditioning to stabilize it that the differenced between this and these two sources made me want to get a second one.

Around the same time I invested in about 5 k of Furman Flagship Power Conditioning and this completely changed my system. It took the lesser sources that had noise or grain and eliminated them.

The AMR CDP 77.1 is an outstanding component and is my Reference source. The discussion between Analog vs. Digital really comes down to getting the most out of a medium and presenting a restoration through tubes that imparts a recreation near to life and believabe for that very reason.

Is it over priced? Well I have heard Esoteric players and they sounded harsh to me...but, they were also playing though Musical Fidelity KW equipment and that stuff sounded nail driving to me. Again, all this equipment could sound amazing in other set ups. That part is about system synergy.

If you are looking at the AMR, it is because you are fascinated. If you are buying it, it is because you have made a decision to afford it and it should be combined with only the very best equipment to deliver what it can do.

One last thing. I have played with the various five settings for long periods of times depending on moods, but have come full circle to the Manufacturer's "Digital II" setting as the most natural and organic and best of them all in my system. That said, given system differences, the other processing options may be of assistance and are nice to know they are there if one makes changes.

No. I do not work for the Manufacturer or a dealer. I am simply a hobbiest. Good Luck to you and those of you that find this thread. The player is recommended for those, who choose to afford it. I cannot speak to its comparison to other Hi End players out there...other than to say...this is not for those on a budget. That said, I think you can do "well" also by spending a lot less money. Will it be equivalent? I doubt it. The main thing is that you slow down smell the roses and enjoy the music...whatever audio path you choose! Cheers!!!

the sound of the amr is capacitor and tube dependent. i almost bought one and asked for the mundorf cap and some soft sounding tubes. it was a couple of years ago, and at that time the price was around $8000 +. i think it should be compared to the 20 bit lector (about $4000), the first two chassis player, audio research cd7, zanden combo and perhaps some other tube units.

i decided against buying the amr because i felt and continue to feel that spending more than $5000 for a digital front end is intrinsically a foolish purchase.