Which 3K CDP: Simaudio Nova, Ayre CX-7 Wadia 302


Unfortunately the market is saturated with many 'new' ~3K CD players, all of which are well reviewed. I have heard all 3, but do not have the opportunity to do A/B comparisons, as only the Simaudio is available where I live. It is tough to compare the 3 in your mind, when you have listened to all 3 in 3 different cities, using different electronics, speakers and in different rooms. All 3 sounded great, but without the possibility of direct comparison it is tough to choose among them.

I will likely be using them with Hovland HP200 pre vs. Simaudio P-5 pre, Simaudio LE W-5 amp, and speakers still undecided (JMlab Alto Be vs. Dynaudio Confidence C2 vs. Wilson Sophia)
thom_y

Showing 2 responses by dmitrydr

Right. And if you like Nova's kind of sound... it doesn't have much competition in its niche. I guess it would be the last thing I'll upgrade.
Cytocycle, that's interesting point. Warranty is not the reason why ppl choose SimAudio, the reason is sound and quality - for the money. But if they also give a good warranty, well, that's just a worthy addition. Nova is one of the best in its price range, and choosing between Gamut, Ayre, Wadia, and Nova is a pure matter of taste - they all are excellent players on about the same level of sound quality.