Second impression:
I had to listen at ultra-low volume most of the day, being at work.
I raised the volume right at 5 PM MST.

All I can say is that the Plinius rocks my world like no CDP has before! It's like my former Arcam FMJ CD33 taken to the nth degree! (That's a good thing.) There's so much soundstage it's holographic. There's so much shimmering detail that's completely not forced on the ears - in some ways it's very subtle, but also completely natural.
I was afraid the tonality might not be to my taste but this is PERFECT for me. The Accuphase DP-500 was a little too warm-sounding for me. While that CDP had plenty of detail, I always felt its mid-range & bass overshadowed the treble, which kinda masked the presentation of detail. The Plinius sounds better balanced to me.
The biggest compliment I can give the machine right now is that Alison Krauss & Union Station sound hair-raisingly REAL.
My anticipation of hearing this CDP in balanced mode just shot up by 200%!
