CD players for soundstage depth


Recommendations please!

What CD players give the best soundstage depth, and layering?

I listen mainly to classical, a lot of orchestral, and I like to hear that the brass and woodwind are sitting towards the back of the stage, *behind* the strings, not floating in air above them.

Thanks.
128x128twoleftears

Showing 2 responses by reubent

Twoleftears,

I'm in agreement with Sugarbrie. Any highly resolving CD player should provide the type of soundstage you seek if the rest of your system is already proven to have these qualities.

I was just at a friend's house to hear my CD player in his system. He has a highly resolving system and was demoing the JMLabs Micro Utopia BE speakers. His system produced a beautifully seamless soundstage that was both deep and wide. The speakers just diappeared leaving the sound of the venue where the recording was made. We used his analog rig and his Meridian 802.24 CD player. We then istalled my EVS Level 2 mod'd Oppo 970 univeral player into the mix and it was also excellent at producing a realistic soundstage.

BTW, the only players I've owned in recent history that did not produce a decent soundstage were Sony DVP-S7700ES, Sony DVP-S9000ES, Sony DVP-NS999ES and a moderately prices Sherwood Newcastle unit. All were OK players, but did not produce the soundstage width and depth that I've heard when using higher priced dedicated CD players or digital seperates in my system.

What's your budget for a new CD player? Based on your budget, maybe some folks can recommend players in that price range. Also, are you looking for new or used?

Enjoy,

TIC
In the $2K-$3K used price range, I like the Resolution Audio Opus 21. You might even be able to find a Great Northern Sound mod'd version for less than $3K. It is a great player backed by a great US based company. Although I haven't owned the highest end models, I think the Carys are also probably a good bet.

Enjoy,

TIC