opinions on audio refinement cd complete

I auditioned one in my house in 1999, and thought it was the best of the three I tried. The other two were a Musical Fidelity (model escapes me) and the Rega Planet. I also heard the Arcam 8 but didn't bring it home to audition. I especially liked the Audio Refinement with the related integrated amp. A killer $2k combination. I didn't buy either, though, and upgraded my whole budget to go with Linn and Proceed. It is a very nice player, though; slightly sweet, with good detail and a strong separation of musical lines.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I listened to the complete with the matching integrated and JM Labs Electra 926's and really liked it. The two pieces work very well and as you said it is a killer 2k combo. Of course, the electra's were awsome too. The only other player I am considering is the Jolida JD100. Will look for a dealer to hear that player and make my final decision. I have also heard a lot of good things about that cdp.

I have had an Audio Refinement Complete CD player for about 9 months now and I have found it to be a very good player overall at its price point. It doesn't have a ton of detail compared to much more costly players but it is musical and very easy on the ears. I am currently using it as a transport as I experiment with different DACs.