Thanks to all so far. No one has yet weighed in the eclipse, so maybe there are better picks out there afterall. Per your suggestions, my local dealer has Cary and Naim, so I will check them out. The same dealer used to carry Audio Aero, which is when I heard the Prima and bought the Nova - they claim high failure rates and no longer offer this product, so my chance to hear the Capitole is lost - any comments on reliability issues? Re the Edge stuff, always like the amps, though have yet to put one in my system, Guy from Placette recommended Edge to me years ago, but again, finding a dealer is next to impossible, same with the 47labs - how does this stuff enter the marketplace??? The Reimyo is way out of my price range. And, I am thinking that the 861 will probably be too analytical for me... I really like the idea of toploading transports, which is part of my attraction to the eclipse, which is probably why I should consider the CEC gear as well.
Best CDP in the $4k to $8k range
I just sold my Simaudio Moon Nova and am in search of a replacement. At the moment, listening to CDs on an Arcam. I have listened to a bunch lately - notably the Simaudio Eclipse SE (which I thought was great, but might suffer from a slightly bright uppermid), the Esoteric DV50 (which lacked the openness and extension of the eclipse), Mark Levinson 390S (which seemed a tad dry and reportedly suffers from reliability issues). The Wadia 861b was suggested to me and I will find time to listen to it. The Audio Aero Capitole also might be a contender. The rest of my system consists of a Placette active preamp, CJ Premier 11a, Revel Gems and B15 sub, Shunyata PCs and Hydra, and Sistrum rack. Those familiar with these CDPs, please help! Thanks.