best CD player for you:Reimyo,P8i,AA,Esoteric x01.

Emigene; i use the emmlabs and find it very natural sounding. the reference that i use for performance is my Rockport tt and live music; not other digital players.

i have heard the emmlabs combined with the Halcro and Wilson X-2 and Wilson MAXX II a number of times and found that the combination is not a good one to my ears. the Wilson when matched with the Halcro needs some warmth somewhere to attain a natural balance.

even though the Avalon Eidolon and the Wilson's are different; IMHO they would have similar tonal characteristcs.

so i understand your need for added warmth. my point is that your problem is not your source; but the tonal character of your amps and speaker combo. the emmlabs is 'correct' if the system is natural in it's balance.

IMHO your post might give some the wrong impression about the emmlabs.

i also agree with Steve that if you find the emmlabs sterile or cold the Esoteric will be considerably more so in comparison.

BTW, those other players are all very good too and i'm not commenting on which might be best; simply on why you hear what you hear.

Teac X-01 sterile? Ahem! I am playing an X-01 with 550 hrs on it and still its stoc PC. on ARC LS2B (to be replaced by ARC Ref 3), Rowland 7M, MagnePan 3A. Definitely not warmish, but well balanced. . . (sorry I do not like to use 'neutral'. . . it sounds like 'castrated' to me). yet not sterile at all. I play mostly classical chamber music, where a good sustained fleshing out of harmonics across the whole audible range is paramount, and where microdynamics make or break a performance, and where spurious excess energy in sustained treble will make your ears truly bleed.. On the other hand, it is perfectly true that X-01 can sound indeed sterile with some anorexic sounding PCs, like Nordost Valhalla. Try it while driven by a well controlled and balanced PC like a Shunyata Anaconda VX or a Shunyata Python Helix VX and your jaw will drop in awe.
B

Husk01,

The Reimyo's balanced outputs are derived off the single ended outputs. I tried both, and preferred the single ended outputs by a wide margin. My Reimyo is driven by a PS audio P1000 Power plant. The signal cables used are Revelation Audio Labs. These cables have a very defined, but deep bass. This solves the "plump" sound that Hooper heard. I also rest the Reimyo on a Black Diamond Racing Source Shelf with BDR cones under that. This is the game we audiophiles play to get the sound we are looking for. Also, I have a Levinson 32 preamp which is very forgiving at the high end. My system pictures are on Audio Asylum under "Mercman". At this point, I no longer look for the "best", but what makes me happy. I have never enjoyed my system as much as I do now.

Steve

Hooper,

The use of the Harmonix Studio Master AC cable is a must with the Reimyo. This cable sounds like it rolls off the high end on my other components, but sounds just right with the Reimyo. Another example of audiophile BS.

Steve

Steve:

The strange thing is that I DID audition the Reimyo with the Studio Master cord. I used other cords, including the Shunyata Anaconda Vx, and the Studio Master clearly worked best. Still, it didn't change my overall opinion of the player. That said, it's an outstanding unit.