Hi Lashman,
That's an interesting question indeed, and not just because of the considerable hype that every new kid on the block is getting by the specialized press. Are modern players really that much better than older ones, in that price segment?
I recently compared two very different CD players I had in my home: an old Technics SL-P320 (bought in the late 80s) amd a recent Musical Fidelity (A5), costing about 20 times more than the Technics. I had them both in different systems, so was curious to see what would happen if I put the Technics in my main system. To my surprise, the old Technics held its own very well: perhaps a bit more "round" sound, but not by a large margin.
I can't comment on the many cheap units out there, and I don't know your JVC, but I was quite surprised by how well the old cheap machine performed; maybe that particular Technics was an incredible bargain back then... There is, however, a much more decisive improvement between these two and my curent Spectral/Audio Note combo.
So, although I don't have a whole lot of experience (other units I heard in my system include Esoteric SA60, Bel Canto Player PL1-A, Shigaraki and Flatfish transports, Altmann Attraction and Audio Note 3.1x balanced DACs; all of which are higher priced than what you refer to) it's quite possible that, unless you get a real loser in the affordable category, you might not find very significant differences in modern units.
Joel
That's an interesting question indeed, and not just because of the considerable hype that every new kid on the block is getting by the specialized press. Are modern players really that much better than older ones, in that price segment?
I recently compared two very different CD players I had in my home: an old Technics SL-P320 (bought in the late 80s) amd a recent Musical Fidelity (A5), costing about 20 times more than the Technics. I had them both in different systems, so was curious to see what would happen if I put the Technics in my main system. To my surprise, the old Technics held its own very well: perhaps a bit more "round" sound, but not by a large margin.
I can't comment on the many cheap units out there, and I don't know your JVC, but I was quite surprised by how well the old cheap machine performed; maybe that particular Technics was an incredible bargain back then... There is, however, a much more decisive improvement between these two and my curent Spectral/Audio Note combo.
So, although I don't have a whole lot of experience (other units I heard in my system include Esoteric SA60, Bel Canto Player PL1-A, Shigaraki and Flatfish transports, Altmann Attraction and Audio Note 3.1x balanced DACs; all of which are higher priced than what you refer to) it's quite possible that, unless you get a real loser in the affordable category, you might not find very significant differences in modern units.
Joel