The best CD player with volume control

My feelings are to go with any of the Wadia players. I own a Wadia 860 and if you have any inclination towards Vinyl my feelings are that you will like the presentation of the Wadia. I personally find CD's very sterile and uninvolving as compared to quality and audiophile vinyl pressings. I had given up on CD's even after hearings the best Burmeister, Boulder, Spectral, Mark Levinson, YBA, and DCS had to offer. The notes keep getting clearer, sibliants kept getting clearer, recordings kept sounding even closer mic'ed but the timbre and richness of analog was gone. The music had no soul and though it was clear- it did not fool me into thinking that I was listening to an actual instrument. I was always amazed at the clarity, but not moved emotionally by the music through CD. Then I heard the Wadia 860. Liked it so much I scrapped all my other spending plans and bought one immediately. I have been content ever since, and do not even have the desire to upgrade to SACD. The Wadia plays music. The others play Audio.

John, "wow, that's just fantastic...that's really what I think...oh, by the way, which one's 'pink'?" I'm glad that you are getting such good results with your 860, but my CD50 does EVERYTHING you have described, and I still prefer vinyl. To each his own, and all the best...

The wadia's have been around long long time with their digital volume control, and they have it together for sure. When the model 6 came out, i bought one , then almost all models followed, up until the 27/270 and the 860. for CD playback, i would still go for the Wadia's, but i invested mucho dinero in my current turntable setup.... but..If i ran into an used wadia 16, i will take it home ! i like the 16 very much, for whatever reason it does. want to share some thoughts on the Vinyl / CD thing though. What i read time after time is people stating: The "warmth" of vinyl and analog..[or tube amps] I find this to become annoying, because i find a good turntable to sound not'warm'at all.. its just the music, there is no such thing as 'warm'sounding analog, or vinyl. if a recording or pressing or whatever is COLORED in SOME way, it is plain colored period. that is what a REAL good turntable let's you hear. Now, it is understandable that most digital listeners are quiet 'fed up' with their CD sound, and so this saying starts to become a thing on it's own, "Now this CD player sounds like an warm analog record" or; "this CD player sounds like a warm sounding tube amp" or just a step further..[wish upon a star quote:] "this cd player sounds like an LP without clicks an pops" I start to wonder how many hifi freaks really are able to listen to a GOOD vinyl playback system these day's... Has the philips advertising really brainwashed those who could not listen for themselves? "perfect sound forever" Enjoy your music, be it vinyl or CD... [i have peace of mind].

I've always said that, and agree with you. Analog does not sound "warm" at all, and whenever somebody has said that to me, I know they don't know what they're talking about. I too am at peace, and I enjoy both CD and vinyl very much, and wonder why others can't do both. It's the only way...and it's not as if nearly ALL the top reviewers don't feel likewise, either.

I have not heard several of the players under disucssion here, but to share my own experience: I evaluated the Wadias, both the 850 and 860, at home. I liked them a lot but didn't feel moved to spend what they cost. The salesman, so confident that the Wadias were the cat's meow, told me to go to another dealer and try the Levinson No. 39, just to satisfy myself. "You won't like it," he said, "but you should try it." I did, and to my tastes, it was clearly preferable. Whereas the Wadias were doing everything technically well, somehow the wholde did not equal the sum of the parts (plus I hated their remote). The Levinson seemed to me unfailingly musical. I loved it, I bought it right away, no reservations, still happy 2+ years later. I'd love to hear the Resolution Audio and the BIDAT. But the moral of my story is that our preferences are very personal and it makes sense to listen to as much stuff as you can, regardless of who says what blows what away.--Dan