Is my dealer lying to me?

Musical Fidelity A3CD. I don't see how you can go wrong with this one. $995 new online (only place to buy it). I don't own one, but from what I've read I believe you should take a listen. Others here might agree. Most online stores have a good return policy.

I agree with the above posts that high end cd players are grossly overpriced and that your money is way better spent on speakers and amplification.

Like with all components there is a point of diminishing returns, where you have to expend significantly more to get a little bit better sound. With cd players this point seems to be around $500. To be sure there are differences between players in this price range and up to $2000, but they are minor.

What you are really paying for in a more expensive player is better construction (hopefully), hype (likely) and lack of efficiency (the smaller the company or production run the more it costs them to build the player). I've heard cheap dvd players from mainstream manufacturers sound better than "megabuck" cd players from small high end companies.

The most important thing is to satisfy yourself and not follow blindly what you read in the magazines or this or any other discussion forum. Therefore, it really should not matter what your dealer says, simply trust your ears. And if you are lucky you will not care about the minor difference in sound that a $2000 player will give you.

it's like the old lawyer joke. how can you tell when he's lyin'? his lips move. -cfb

Take home a couple CD players and hook them up to your receiver. Match the levels and get two or three copies of the same CDs (borrow from friends).

Then you can compare to your heart's content and decide for yourself. Who cares which CD player *I* (or anyone else) like? I'm not the one buying it.

I've done this in the past and I ended up saving a lot of money. More expensive doesn't mean better!

My impression is that Cambridge is well-regarded on this board as a line of affordable audio equipment. It's mentioned a lot for people who need CD player or integrated amp under $500.

For myself, I liked the Cambridge amps better than their CD players, which seemed "bright" to me. But this is a matter of taste, and if the dealer is willing to let you try in your home, it is worth working with him on this.

I ended up going a bit higher in price, spent about $1300 on electronics (amp and preamp), and am still waiting on the CD player!

You may do better to work on the speaker purchase first. If you don't have good speakers that you like (positioned correctly in your room), it will be hard to pick the CD player you like. Trying speakers in your home is even more important than trying CD players, since rooms vary so much in their "sound".

In the store, be sure to audition speakers with your music, and even bring in your receiver if they will let you. Also audition with an amp they suggest that you might be able to afford (you don't want to limit yourself to only speakers that sound good with your current gear, but you don't want to buy speakers that will never sound good with anything you can afford!).

If you can, listen to speakers at several stores. They really do vary, and stores in a given area generally are exclusive reps. That said, working with a helpful dealer can really be worthwhile (someone who spends a lot of time with you on a $400 CD player can be classed as helpful).

Best of luck!

- Eric