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.

I HAVE COMPARED THE AUDIO REFINEMENT COMPLETE C WITH THE
JOLIDA JD-100. THE AUDIO REFINEMENT IS MUCH MORE DETAILED
WITH MORE BASS. THE AUDIO REFINEMENT MUCH EASER TO LIVE
WITH.

The ARC CDP is the lost puppy in their Integrated/Tuner/CDP trio, and with good reason, as it's a middling performer compared to its sisters. Fairly low rez, flat portrayal. For much less money the new NAD et al far outperform it.
But the Integrated and Tuner remain extremely good values.