Thanks for the valuable info! Actually last night I auditioned the Arcam CD37. Asked the dealer to put in Pavarotti & Friends and Mahler Resurrection symphony CDs. Even it was switched on cold, at the loudest and most crowded passages, the player always keep the soundstage nicely organized. Pavarotti's voice and a fellow singer's voice were nicely separated, while the background instruments were kept at a distance from both voices. Even at the loudest part (both instruments and voices), the player never lost its composure and didn't got driven into brightness. However, you can hear every detail in the disc solidly positioned within the soundstage. It was a class-act for CD players in this price range.
As for the symphony, I was simply enjoying it. The depth (even height at the right moments) projected behind the speakers were on par with the Unico CDE I've heard, only the Unico is more diffused around the edges while the Arcam has more well-defined images.
For vocals, the gentle nature of the player continues. It has enough details and longer than usual trailing vibratto in voices that make them sound real, but you can hear the treble slightly rein in so as not to agitate the listener. Of course, in some cases hotter treble gives more excitement. But for me, a more gentle, civilized presentation only enhances enjoyment and let me hear more into the music.
Of course, I've heard better players (e.g. Ensemble Dirondo, Audio Analogue Maestro 192/24, the new MBL slot-loading player etc.) but they're way beyond the Arcam's price range.
As for the symphony, I was simply enjoying it. The depth (even height at the right moments) projected behind the speakers were on par with the Unico CDE I've heard, only the Unico is more diffused around the edges while the Arcam has more well-defined images.
For vocals, the gentle nature of the player continues. It has enough details and longer than usual trailing vibratto in voices that make them sound real, but you can hear the treble slightly rein in so as not to agitate the listener. Of course, in some cases hotter treble gives more excitement. But for me, a more gentle, civilized presentation only enhances enjoyment and let me hear more into the music.
Of course, I've heard better players (e.g. Ensemble Dirondo, Audio Analogue Maestro 192/24, the new MBL slot-loading player etc.) but they're way beyond the Arcam's price range.