What is the affect of cd player?

Shakey- You mentioned that your Sony was modded. Obviously you would agree: They take modding(especially those OS-AMPs) to sound good. What was the original cost of your Sony and the final expenditure, before you were satisfied? I know the popularly modded SCD-1 was originally $5K. I've got a VK-D5 that was very close to $5K new($4500, then I added six NOS Siemens CCa's). What BAT costs less(the SE starts at $5500)? To which Granite did you listen, and with what upgrades? The 657 starts at $2900(almost twice the cost of the Azur), and if it was a 650 upgraded to the tubed version(makes a world of difference), that would up it's price to $2900 as well. Still a significant jump, even if not to the old $5K mark. The reviewers that set that price, admittedly hadn't listened to everything out there. They wrote based on their experience, ears and preferences(always encouraging readers to audition for themselves). What else can be expected of reviewers? Then, of course, there's always that ubiquitous/highly subjective term, "better".......

My 840c likes my Mogami Gold. Yep, from Guitar Center. Very well made and very clean. The stock/issue interconnect went into the shredder.

Beware the point of diminishing returns!!

It is within every product we can buy... sources, amps, speakers, etc.

As valued and impressive as speakers are, in fact the most noticeable and significant step up an addition to a system as anything one can add to a rig, they don't improve the signal itself... they simply reproduce what they are fed... the better the purity and quality of that signal the better the speakers will respond.

Fact. Plain and simple.

If a 'one box' solution for a source must be had the present extent of digital sonics progress has lowered the expense to get some pretty good sounds at non wallet or heart breaking levels.

From what' I've heard lately, less than $2K will do most people very well. Step up another grand, and things improve, though not proportionately. Add still a couple more dimes to the project and another level is achieved... and again... not on a porportional level to the added expense.

And each differign CDP offers a different take on the presentation... who's to say what different is indeed better?

Whoever is paying the tab.

If a person really wants to gain some significant ground sonically speaking, gain more ease of use, flexibility and variety, they merely have to investigate the world of hard disc drive storage and playback approaches now available.

Spending the heft of the 'source' budget on the DAC, and again, more (to a point) is better here, one can readily equal or surpass one box solutions in the $4K to $6K retail price range at less than half their costs.

Sony, BAT, MF tri Vista, Wadia, etc.... and none of those units store 500+ CDs, yet are either equaled or surpassed by my desktop, sound card, IC, pc, and DAC, which altogether ran me right at $2K.

To get a $2K investment to be on par with the likes of the aforementioned CDPs, I can think of no other way to go about it.

Keep moving up the CDP ladder and you are only guaranteed two things, you'll surely obtain different, and you'll certainly spend far more than is absolutely necessary to improve your situation than if you consider an alternative path.

rodman,

My TRL modded Sony cost me 1100.00. The BAT VK-D5 we listened to is 12 yrs. old and goes for ~1300-1500. The Granite was indeed the 657 and it goes for around 1400.00 or so when you can find them on the used market. And from what I heard of the Cambridge, I would prefer my long gone Jolida JD-100. To each his own, as they say......

Shakey

Whatever a VK-D5 or 657 are selling for now; They were originally $4500 and $2900(respectively). Both are also tubed units which I had mentioned earlier would probably be an improvement. I prefer the presentation of my modded BAT to that of the Cambridge, but don't consider it a fair comparison. I enjoyed my(long gone) CAL Alpha/Delta combo, but- I couldn't honestly state that I'd prefer it to the Cambridge, without actually comparing them in my present system in an extended listening session. The Cambridge is an excellent sounding (currently manufactured, out of the box)player(for the price), BUT(as you said), "To each his own." Happy listening!!