Shopping CD players: my big adventure


The Parasound 1000 was getting old and my new Kestrels were a big leap over the Superone's. Got an Msb III and that was a good upgrade but I was sure there was more. Read all the threads here and Audio Asylum and decided to take a drive; 75 miles to the closest dealer. Listened to the Audio Refinement Complete player through ARP integrated and JM Lab ($1700 model, didn't get name). Sounded like a boombox! I says to the guy, "guy, thats a metal tweeter, right?" Guy says yes. I says, "you got anything in silk or linen, or possibly taffeta?" We rotate 90 and face a pair of Maggie 1.6r, still the Complete integrated, etc. Now Baez (I like to use acoustic female vocal although her politics suck) sounds like Baez instead of Roseanne Rosannadanna. Trumpets on Capriccio Italien (Mercury re-issue) sound like trumpets. Maggies are NICE except for imaging....violins and cellos are playing roundball running up and down the court and I start yelling, FOUR CORNERS, FOUR CORNERS, where's Dean Smith when you need him? So I says to the guy, "guy, my humble system is better than this, what else you got?" So we retire to the REALLY BIG ROOM, Audio Research to port and Classe' to starboard. Classe' CDP is $1500 clams, a bi-valve, but it's mine for 13, let's listen. Only one problem: he won't take the player to the poor man's room. Got one of those telephone switchboard things with the garden hoses terminated with Neutriks for switching.So now Rimsky's spinning on the Classe' thru 5 grand of electronics into the lesser of the 2 vonSchwiekert's. (I'm not complaining, nobody else has ever let me into the REALLY BIG ROOM before, ever, I look like a guy who works with his hands.) Talk about blown away, talk about holographic imaging, talk about musical...you get the point. BUT WHAT DOES THE CD PLAYER SOUND LIKE? And this was a really nice guy who was trying to please! Any of you who make their living selling know what I mean when I say that I asked every buying question in the book, musta said 8 times "I wonder how it would sound in my system?" Did he offer a trial? No. Would I have given him $1300 to take either one home on trial? Of course. So why shouldn't we buy on the Net? Anybody got a CD player suggestion for me? I don't need to hear it. I'll take your word for it. Honest.
kitch29
Kthomas: I guess that I never looked at it that way. I used to patch in the multi disk player from the mini system for her, but we decided that the little seperate system would be better utilized in the spare bedroom/computer room. She misses the convenience of the multi play unit. I on the other hand need the exercise. LOL.
I know the "Upgrade Bug" is bad for us Audiophiles,....but there are alot of things changing in software right now. SACD and DVD-A promise to make CES and this year exciting. I would suggest you hold off and see what happens in the next few months. DVD/SACD players (Sony S9000ES) is at your budget. I know we all own alot of CDs but if SACD/DVD-A is as good as they say, you may be upgrading again in the near future. My advise, wait till after CES in Jan and audition the other 2 formats. Good Luck.....LR
LR, I agree with you and have been "holding off" to see how SACD develops in terms of products and titles. If it's going to blow up soon, CES will be the barometer. I have been wanting to add a second Resolution Quantum DAC (to run in dual mono) and Cesium transport but have been able to hold myself in check. I question whether SACD units will render our current digital front ends (especially better components)completely obslete, or will SACD excell only when it comes to playing SACD discs. I doubt that I'll run out and immediately replace every title I have with a new format, so this is an issue for me. Anyone have extensive listening experiences with SACD in both formats?
I think the last response you got is right on. I would wait Perpetual Tecnologies is rumored to be bringing out a DVD A, SACD CD unit for around $1500 after the first of the year & others are sure to follow.I have a pretty good system & it has been my experience that there are 2 price performance points & they are units up to 1.5k &5k I really haven't seen or heard anything betwen those two price points I would buy. Digital changes so fast that todays kilobuck unit can be quickly outperformed by tomorrows less expensive unit.