APL NWO2.5 ?

As good as this unit might be, I would sure want to hear the Meridian 808 Signature Reference ($13.5K) before buying in this price class (assuming one could live with RBCD & DVD-A only). Great review in September Absolute Sound by Sue Craft and Robert Hartley. Apparently with this one you can hear a cockroach crawling along the far wall of the recording studio.

they were absolutely corrrect with that review. I have just recently purchased the 808 and it is breathtaking!!! It is by far the best I have ever heard in digital playback. If you play a hybrid sacd from a good recording it is soo killer. I had my eoteric xo1 limited in the same system and hooked up the meridian and the redbook is to die for. The same cd sounded as good if not better than the esoteric on sacd (hybrid). It is truely the new reference player

As good as this unit might be, I would sure want to hear the Meridian 808 Signature Reference ($13.5K) before buying in this price class

My neighbor has one. It sits idle on his shelf, bested by both MBL & Zanden. Yet even with the support of a $250K system in a blue-printed listening room, neither his MBL or Zanden transport/DAC combos dig out nearly as much presence and palpability as I heard from the APL. Not even close. I'm not talking about extension, air, transparency, etc....but purely about the daring presence of a person singing in front of you.

I'm the first to argue that there is no absolute 'best' in this hobby, but I must say that the NWO was spine-chillingly good.

I dunno, I have listened and owned over 45 player's in the past few years, and APL, Alex, has won me over, AGAIN. So much so I just PIFed for the NWO 2.5, cause I definately believe in this unit being the beat available, regardless of price. Best of luck in YOUR journey, but, mine ends with ALEX, and his NWO 2.5.

I`m not so lucky as to own a NWO-2.5 but I got one of the first NWO-2s and even that one crushes the Meridian 808 players hands down in all aspects.