$5000 universal player ... am I a fool ?

OK, back to the thread at last. Some of you mis-read my post. I do not have a $5000 budget to spend. I bought a $5000 Lexicon for $800 off this forum .... and it is just that, a FABULOUS sounding cd player with probably the single best DVD picture that is non HD.
But it won't play Blu Ray. Soooo, do I keep the Lexicon as simply a CD player and then add a $500 Blu Ray player to it, or are relatively inexpensive Blu Ray players soooo much better at playing Redbook Cd's that I can just replace the Lexicon entirely ...
Players the Lexicon equals or betters ? Naim CDX, Naim CD5, Sony SCD-1 , Linn's $5000 player, Arcam FMJ 36 ? , Theta Miles w/ Theta Pro Gen 3a, and others I have owned.
Why don't I just get a great Pre-pro ? Because I already own a nice B&K AVR-307 that has better SQ than literally ANY big receiver I have ever heard, and I mean ANY of them. Much more musical and realistic than Sony, Yamaha, ect, ect. Having said that, I've never heard a Pre-pro that sounded as good as most good separate DACs do, unless they are REALLY expensive, and I just can't afford those anymore.

Jylee ... are you just plain mad, or did you NOT read all of my response ? I will quote again for you " Naim CDX, Naim CD5, Sony SCD-1 , Linn's $5000 player, Arcam FMJ 36 ? , Theta Miles w/ Theta Pro Gen 3a " ALL of these payers or trans/dac combos are in the $5000 to $10,000 range, save for the Arcam which still has a DCS Ring DAC in it. The Naim CDX is a $10,000 player.
But more to the point : I've onwed some of the most highly regarded CD players up to $10,000, and the Lexicon is up their with them ...

Tvad ... what exactly are you guys missing about what I said ? I HAVE OWNED all of the players I mentioned, and find the Lexicon as good or better in terms of dynamics, macro and micro, soundstaging, imaging, and naturalness. What exactly else do you expect me to say ? I'm not being paid to do a full review here. Feel free to contact me privately with any specific questions you have about the RT-20, and I'll gladly share my thoughts with you.
As far as why I'm using a B&K receiver with the Lexicon, times and fortunes change ... stock market changes ... I've owned systems costing as much as $150,000 in the past, now I do not. Do I really have to qualify myself to you to make my threads or posts relavant ? I'm just trying to enjoy my hobby ...

Oh yeah ... The Linn I owned was the Karik/Numerik combo, and I have also owned a Meridian 508.24
But here was the original intent of my question which started this thread ... Could a budget $500 Blu Ray player combined with a DAC like the $500 Cambridge MagicDAC for example, possibly equal the SQ I get from my Lexicon on Redbook CD's ? Simple as that.

Jylee ... Sorry, I mis spoke. The Theta DAC I owned was a Pro Gen V, and not a Gen 3. It's been a few years.

Tvad ... Read my post on this thread dated 4-28-09

Here it is copied and pasted :


Responses (1-23 of 23)
Click title to read one, or click date to read all below it.

04-26-09 Yes i believe so. Glory

04-26-09 I also bought an rt-20 on here new for about $1000. my thin ... Ddg123

04-26-09 Wait for the new oppo which will be a bluray universal forma ... Ckorody

04-26-09 Some reports say that it's still buggy on audio. bluray appe ... Metralla

04-26-09 Why compromise with a universal player that attempts to do e ... Cruz123

04-26-09 There's a used esoteric ux-3se available now under $5k. best ... Tvad

04-26-09 hello, i have heard some very nice high end units but end ... Sonicbob

04-26-09 If you're playing cds through your ht system, why are you wo ... Bob_reynolds

04-26-09 keep the lexicon and buy the oppo once they fully release i ... Blindjim

04-26-09 can you list some of those cdps and some comparison of sq? Jylee

04-27-09 I second the ayre c5xe as an excellent universal player with ... 4musica44107

04-27-09 Another option is denon will be releasing their new bluray l ... Theo

04-27-09 I use a spectral/mit system and the lexicon is a "remar ... Psacanli

04-27-09 Opinions will vary....buy what you can afford, and like. as ... Jaybo

04-28-09: Timtim
OK, back to the thread at last. Some of you mis-read my post. I do not have a $5000 budget to spend. I bought a $5000 Lexicon for $800 off this forum .... and it is just that, a FABULOUS sounding cd player with probably the single best DVD picture that is non HD.
But it won't play Blu Ray. Soooo, do I keep the Lexicon as simply a CD player and then add a $500 Blu Ray player to it, or are relatively inexpensive Blu Ray players soooo much better at playing Redbook Cd's that I can just replace the Lexicon entirely ...
Players the Lexicon equals or betters ? Naim CDX, Naim CD5, Sony SCD-1 , Linn's $5000 player, Arcam FMJ 36 ? , Theta Miles w/ Theta Pro Gen 3a, and others I have owned.
Why don't I just get a great Pre-pro ? Because I already own a nice B&K AVR-307 that has better SQ than literally ANY big receiver I have ever heard, and I mean ANY of them. Much more musical and realistic than Sony, Yamaha, ect, ect. Having said that, I've never heard a Pre-pro that sounded as good as most good separate DACs do, unless they are REALLY expensive, and I just can't afford those anymore.
Timtim (Threads | Answers)

Key words are "and others I have owned.
No big deal though ... chill pill taken :-)

Thanks to everyone who contributed their thoughts and advice. After looking at it and studying it closely, I have came to this decision: At this time there is NO Blu Ray universal player that can compete with my Lexicon at a reasonable price. I'm now looking at the Lexicon as a world class SACD and Redbook CD player, that may have the best DVD playback as well, and all for $800. I'll add a reasonably priced Blu Ray player to the mix and call it done. Thanks again