Shanlilng CD players

So far, 2+ 1- on the Shanling but both +'s have level 1 or better mods. Will the Music Halls with mods sound better than the Shanling with equivalent mods? I would imagine the Shanling will sound better as it's a tube CDP and it costs twice as much.

I am sort of considering getting the Shanling as well. One of the reason is my naive girlfriend, who can't tell the difference between a tonearm and a forearm, fell in love with the appearance of it.

Bigjoe, if you revisit this thread, may I ask what you didn't like about the T100 and what did you replace it with?

Dlstephenson, do you know if there are any major difference between the 100 and the 200 other than HDCD vs SACD?

Thanks.

I have used the CDT 100 for nearly 3 years now and don't see myself changing in the near future. The big test for me is Classical. I rarely played any classical CDs, because of harshness and glare until the Shanling. Now I enjoy them almost as much as Lps. It is a smooth, but detailed player, with a good wide, but not deep soundstage. I had it modded here in the UK, not by Parts Connection, but similar idea, new capacitors, reclocking etc and it clearly improved it still more. However, adding a Marigo Stealth disc stabiliser made an equal improvement, for a lot less money.
In fact I prefer it through the SS not tube output and without upsampling.
I am sure there are better players, but I don't think you can go far wrong with the Shanling, good value for money and good build quality for the price. I have'nt heard the CDT 200, but a review in HiFi News in the UK a couple of years ago, thought it was better on CD than the 100, no experience myself.

hi Kilsho,the tonal balance seemed off to me & the player came off sounding way too bright,i thought it really lacked the tube smoothness,it was replaced with a dynaco cdv-pro.

in all fairness to the player i didnt try different tubes but when i compared it with the dynaco the dyna was a much smoother & better balanced sounding player.

Before you get carried away by the looks of the Shanling, have a listen to the Rega Apollo. It's a new player, and worthy of consideration. In the end, do you want to pay for looks or sound?

Doug, I hear what you are saying. I actually visited a local Rega dealer and they sold even have a demo Apollo. The Apollo is such a hot item these days, it has a backlog of 3 weeks minimum! And... have you ever tried explain something technical to a woman? :-)

Has anyone had a chance to audition the Apollo? And what's the difference between the Jupiter and the Apollo?

David12, it's kind of interesting that you prefer to listen to your classicals through the SS out instead of the tube out. Wouldn't the tubes give you a warmer and better tonal balance when playing classicals? I am curious because one reason I consider the Shanling(other than the pretty face) is it's a tube player.

Thanks.