Shanling, Jolida, Cary, Tube, SS can anyone compar


Can anyone compare these CD players? Am looking to buy a new or used for $1500 or less. I know that the Jolida or the Shanling can be bought new in this range but have heard of reliabilty problems with Jolida. Maybe the new one is OK. I would be willing to go with tube if it sounds right but Cary's pricey ones are SS. People do rave about their sound and this is what I'm after. I still prefer the sound of vinyl but CD's are sounding better as I upgrade my system. Any incite would be appreciated. Thanks,
Bill
jbangelfish
I haven't heard the Cary or Shanling and I don't care to. Given the sterling performance of the Jolida, there is no incentive for me to shell out big bucks. I owned a Jolida 603 player and it was the best under $1500 dollar cd player you could get and it cost only $600 new. Despite sounding wonderful, it did have problems with it's transport and tracking.

The new JD 100 shares nothing with the old except tubes. This is a serious audiophile machine. The new transport works flawlessly. It tracks with the best. To get to the sound, well that depends on what tubes you choose. It's hard to go wrong with the favorites. I like 5751 tubes, but most opt for one of the finer 12AX7 tubes. Many have found the Jolida to be the best CDP there is. I can't imagine any better. There are two major reviews done on the Jolida using stock tubes; check them out, but bare in mind with better tubes the reviews would have been even more spectacular.
Muralman:
Thanks for your input, you've got me thinking about the Jolida again. I like the idea of tubes to soften the front end of my otherwise SS system. I was kind of scared off by reviews of earlier Jolidas with reliability being a problem. Maybe they have solved their mechanical problems. Some dealers are offering some pretty nice packages with these CDP's. One offers Svetlana or JAN? I think. I am new to tubes with my first component being delivered today, a Cary PH301 phono stage. Also am giving MC a try for the first time, I've heard them and been impressed, just never had anything but Shure V15's before. Now have a Sumiko Talisman Sapphire. Can't wait to hear some vinyl with my new toys. Thanks,
Bill
Disclaimer: I am a Xindak dealer.

Bill,

I have heard good things about the Jolida JD-100, but have not heard the unit personally (will do so at CES on Friday though).

Before you make a final decision, be sure to also check out the new Xindak SCD-2. You get stellar Redbook performance in addition to SACD capability for only $1695!

We used to be a dealer for Shanling, and as soon as we heard the Xindak, we dropped Shanling from our line. It is NO contest, IMHO.

Feel free to look at this thread for more info:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1041204909&read&3&4&

Also, don't hesitate to let me know if you have any specific questions.

Best Regards...Mike - Father & Son Audio
Mike:
Thanks for your response. You had to throw another in the mix. I can't find a single review for Xindak. Are they a new company? I went to a Xindak site but could not find much info. Showed the inside of the player but doesn't mean much to me. I couldn't build one with the manual in front of me. I just listen and have a pretty good ear. Can you explain SACD? I don't even think that I have any HDCD's yet but am always looking to improve my CD sound quality. Still like vinyl the best. Any info on this is appreciated. Thanks,
Bill