I also have Sonic Frontiers preamp (SFL2). I use Mark Levinson 36s DAC and a 37 transport. The sound is great. I would highly recommend them. I am working on 2000 CDs. I dont think I will ever sell neither my CDs nor my Mark Levinson gear. I thought I would when SACDs first came out. But I soon realized I never would sell all of my CDs and buy in the new format. You can not find it all, it is a hassle and I dont want to spend the time on it. Some of the CDs have a special place in history for me due to autographs and gifts that can never be replaced. If there are new technologies bring them on. I never sold my record collection either. So I would not limit money for CD technology buy what sounds great with what you have now, enjoy the music. |
The Audio Aero Prima would be my first choice in your price range. I own a Capitole MKII, and after over a year, I'm still thrilled with it. I've had the chance to listen to the Prima, and I was really impressed by how much of the Capitole's sound it had at a fraction of the price. |
if you stick to a brand and model that is known to be reliable, you should be fine.
In my opinion, there is plenty of information on these forums to help you arrive at a conclusion about which players are reliable and which ones aren't. All you got to do is search |
Great advice drlou.
Cheers |
I would think twice before spending $2K on a "used" CD Player. A CD Player is an electro-mechanical device and is by design the most likely component in your system to a) arrive DOA or b) develop problems down the line.
I would strongly recommend buying this particular component new with a warranty. There are many good deals to be had on Demo. units with Full Warranty from the Dealers + you'll get to audition it before you buy or maybe even try it at Home in your system. Sound Advice/Tweeter for example offers Customers a 30-days at Home trail.
Yes, it is true that Digital Source components will depreciate faster and deeper over time than any other component in your system, but in the 20+ yrs that I have been in this hobby, I have never had a Pre-Amp., Amp. or Speaker failure, but have had quite a few problems with CD and DVD Players (some very expensive ones too). Check the Digital Forum on this site and you will see what I mean. Remember, the Source Component is "the music maker" in your system, everything else comes after it, so don't skimp on your Source and don't believe that "all Digital Sources sound the same" because they don't. |
Out of the ones I heard:
Musical Fidelity A5 new or used
Meredian 508.24 used(way cheaper than $2500)
Audio Research CD3
Audio Research CD2 cheaper than $2500
A used Cary 303/300 or 303/200 |
electrocompaniet emc 1up 24/192 cdp. used. killer player.. |
Shanling CDt-200 with parts connexion mods level 1 or 2 if you can get it cheap. |
thks Pardales,i think i will go used and hit the brakes at 2k.that sounds like a smart thing?! |
What I mean is that digital innovation happens quickly. Get something that you will be able to sell and get most of your money out of when you upgrade, minimizing your loss. I think $1500 (maybe 2K) is all you need to spend to get very good digital playback, and not lose your shirt on upgrade. One other caveat, I am talking about $1500-2K used. |
thks all,this is what i was thinkin',for 2250.00 used--Ayre CX7,RA Opus 21,Cary 303/300,and 1000.00 more a Wadia 861.also the modded Sony 999 gets recommended lots.anything jump out???? |
2bigears no doubt the the BonModSonyModwrigth DVP9000es.
You cant go wrong on this player.Dan is also a very
nice person to deal with. |
Go with a DAC, its a far better investment and then try anything from a 99.00 DVD player to a 2000.00 transport and make a decision.. I will say this the Dac-Ah's for little money, which are also an Audiomirror DAC being a 16 bit filterless NON-OS is excellent... The definitions sound good with tubes in line like you have and a smooth front end, but definitions excell near perfect like no other speaker with Vinyl in front of them, they just seem the perfect design match being a full range driver with no crossover being in a completly analog system, so go for a resonably analog sounding player or DAC...
On the lower cost, Quad 99 used is not bad, REGA Planet sounded very good with definitions, fairly cheap as well... WADIA's are very dynamic and huge soundstage, but I agree Do not spend a bundle on todays Digital at lower cost things are somewhat and in some cases already caught up and surpased some of the super digital systems of 5 years ago. Oh and if you absolutley insist on 2500.00 Best player out there for that last word right now would be the Resolution audio Opus 21 coming highly recommended from most, and even Zu uses a Consonance Droplet player, which is the only other equal at the 2500.00 range, might be even a better more analog flavor for a high efficiency tube system. Good luck, audition for sure what you want before commiting. |
Talk to Doug at RAM and Ric at EVS and Steve at GNS,good luck,Bob |
Pardales,can you expand you thoughts a wee bit.1500 to 2000 is the most a person should spend???? i have a sonic frontier line2,vac 30/30 with zu definitions.i could use a good player for sure.thks |
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Given the rate of advancement in digital technology these days, I would recommend thinking twice about spending more than $1500 on a digital front end. |
CDP's all have different sonic signatures and I assume you have the equipment necessary to distinguish these differences or you would be checking out some of the good quality, inexpensive, units. That said, what are your sonic preferences, what kind of music do you like to listen to mostly, and what kind of electronics and speakers will this be coupled with? |
