Please add: Meridian 508.20 ($3,495 I believe).

Alright, I took another plunge and ordered the new Cary 306 Professional SACD/CD player ($8000 list). Should be here on Friday. I will have a lot of fun comparing it to the Audio Research CD7.

Systems should be...

Cary 306 Pro > Cary SLP-05 > Cary V12i monoblocks > Sonus Faber Guarneri Memento speakers; and

Audio Research CD7 > TTVJ Millett 307A > AKG K1000; balanced Senn HD650/Sony MDR-SA5000/Denon MD5000 Deluxe; and JVC DX1000 headphones.

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wow! nice purchase.

i never heard a Cary CDP i didn't like and the new Pro is supposed to be best one yet. lots of new toys for you recently. sounds like fun.

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Thanks! Yeah, likely too many new toys lately. I am now done for a long while.

Famous last words!!!

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WOW, these are some formidable setup! Congratulations.

I too am tempted to make my dive on the 307A. Have few rounds of discussion with Todd and Pete. Looks like bad things are going to happen to my wallet.

I want to but hesitate to say this is my "last". I said it when I got my HP-4, then again when I got my WA5. I sworn my last amp will be the RP010B MKII.... And I told Phil that I am keen about the ValveCode.... I now realise I am a person of little determination to stop, poor finance management, and making too many steps in too short a time. I am bad.

F. Lo

The economy needs you!

Marantz DV9500 with a full compliment of RAM mods including fully balanced out. Total price including mods is $4,000.

Currently own or have owned in past 3 months:

Resolution Audio Opus 21 with GNSC Reference Mods (one of the best bang for the buck values in digital playback). I actually sold it back to Steve at GNSC who I bought it from as he had a buyer waiting/searching for one at the time.
Esoteric X-03-SE = great, will last forever (at least in audio terms)(still own)
Audio Aero Capitole 24/96 = "beautiful" sounding digital (still own)
EMM Labs CDSD/DAC 6e combo - I now know why so many people say EMM Labs is the best one can buy! (still own, selling)

I believed for many years that the digital differences were minor between the really good stuff and the more entry level stuff (ie. like Rega, Cambridge, etc. . .). I think back in the 80s and early 90s there was some truth to this. But this is no longer the case. The differences in digital source components are tremendous. However, this being said, I think there will be more really good DACs made and owned based on server based computer systems feeding the digital signal.

Might wanna add me under DCC2/CDSD SE as well.

Neil

i think this is a useful and interesting thread, so i will try to update it from time to time. if the source is not already listed, please post its retail price. also, this list is for currently owned sources, not prior ones or contemplated purchases. of course, comparisons to previous sources are encouraged.

thanks,

vcoheda

I might be wrong, but I see this thread as being a resource for people who are aspiring to get a new high-end source. If you're considering getting an Esoteric P-03/D-03 combination, for example, then you can look on the list and see that Champ04, randerson3024, and Sleestack have that combination. You might think about sending a PM to one of them to ask some questions about the set-up, and check to see if it might be a good fit in your rig.

As such, I think there is some merit in knowing what sources people used to have. If someone had a source for a year or more, then he or she is going to be familiar with the sound, and should be able to provide some insight into the characteristics of the source. It would also be interesting to know why this person no longer had that source. Perhaps that should be another thread, though.

I bought the new incarnation of the shanling t-100 a few weeks ago, which is now named the t-1000se (strangely, the current version is called "special edition").

Some pictures are available on the Montreal meet impressions, but I'm too lazy to put the link .

Checking in with a Red Wine Audio Isabellina.
NOS battery operated DAC, with a price tag of $2,500

I hope this qualifies for the list

-------------------------------

Esoteric UX-3 with Custom Great Northern Sound Co. Upgrades
Price tag: US$ 12,000
I guess, it can be marked as(?): GNS/Esoteric UX-3

Confirmation snap-shots >>> a bit blurry sorry >_>"

74 pounds (!) shipping weight
Let's just say, it took a while to get it to get it to my apartment and then to the desk.....



Box with formalities


Open-tray w/ Deadwing - Porcupine Tree

^^ nice!