[cscott23]

you talking about that e-bay auction?

I was out bid again by the same guy that out bid me on the 311.

Seems that prices are going up for many PCDPs.

 

[Pappucho]

Words getting out on the D-321, no doubt by Gojira's posts here....I wonder, how many of us here have this player? Are me and Gojira the only ones?

 

[cscott23]

I would have had if "50th State" hadn't out bid at 4 a.m.!

Now that's a dedicated ebay bidder....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...ory=19609&rd=1

How does the D-321 compare to the D-311? It's similar to the sound of a 303, correct?

 

[Gojira]

Considering the additional costs of international shipping and payment and the fact that the seller doesn't speak a word of English, this was a higher price than I expected. I do think it's fair though. The D-321 is a great sounding player and only the second, I think, to have ESP. It's probably less money than it will cost me to repair either of mine.

The D-321 and D-211 are still bargains, just not quite as good as they used to be. IIRC, both of these players were lucky to get more than $40 on Ebay until recently. I bought one D-321 for $6 (which had a slight malfunction) and another for $60, but the $60 was with a "buy it now", so it didn't necessarily reflect the market price.

cscott, I hope you weren't implying that the D-311 has gone up in price, because I don't think it has. If anything it has dropped in price, perhaps due to Duncan's high praise of the much less expensive D-211. Even the previously worshipped D-515 has been taken down a notch of late, with one selling for the ridiculously low price of $250. So, while the "big shots" from the class of '92 have dropped a bit in price, the D-211 and D-321 ('93) have both risen. I wan't surprised by the D-211. It's the D-321 that caught me off guard. I felt certain that the price would not go beyond $30 in that auction. BTW, do you speak German?

 

[cscott23]

Nein. But I have a friend that does.

Probably for the better that I lost that auction. With all the associated costs (shipping, etc.), it probably would have gotten pretty expensive.

I won one German auction, but then I found out that the seller only accepted wire transfer as payment which would have cost an additional $50-$75 (on a twenty dollar item). Oops.

 

[Pappucho]

I have found that alot of Germans agree to being paid through IKOBO, even if they aren't familiar with it until I offer it to them. The way it works is that they receive an ATM card with an available balance of the amount of the transaction. They can go to any Visa ATM and withdraw cash immediately upon receiving the card. People here in the US don't like the Ikobo cards because our ATM's only allow withdrawals in multiples of 10 or 20 dollars, but for some reason the German's like it. I am assuming that possibly their ATM's allow smaller amounts to be withdrawn, allowing them to fully withdraw the exact amount of the transaction. The cost of the transaction is about 5 bucks including shipping, which I absorb on my end. You should look into it for your next transaction with a German seller.

http://www.IKOBO.com

 

[PeterR]

Quote:

Originally posted by Pappucho People here in the US don't like the Ikobo cards because our ATM's only allow withdrawals in multiples of 10 or 20 dollars, but for some reason the German's like it. I am assuming that possibly their ATM's allow smaller amounts to be withdrawn, allowing them to fully withdraw the exact amount of the transaction.

No, German ATMs are just the same, usually 10 EUR minimum. Maybe they realize that only when it's too late?

 

[Mat Bon 0013]

I maxed out at 40Euros on this one, yeah and I saw "50th_State" came in at 30-15 seconds before the auction ended.

Was interested on how this player compares to the D-303, I heard that it has a digital out also. Is this true?

 

[purk]

Guys,
I always suspect that the D-321 will sound great. I believe that D-311, D-515, and D-321 use similar DAC and DSP. I have never heard of the D-321 though, but since I already have too much Discmen, I stopped looking for more players.

Purk

 

[Pappucho]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mat Bon 0013 I Was interested on how this player compares to the D-303, I heard that it has a digital out also. Is this true?

Yes, the D-321 has a optical digital output. It also has DSP which has three settings: Bass, Vocal, and Car. It also has 3 Sec Esp. Out of my players, I would rank it second to the D-515.

 

[Mat Bon 0013]

Thanks purk and Pappucho, but I have not had the pleasure of hearing the D-515 or a D-311 for that matter, hence can't relate

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

Originally posted by Pappucho Out of my players, I would rank it second to the D-515.

This worries me about the D321..

...if you say its inferior to the D515... considering that I (and others) consider the D515 inferior (sonically) to the D311... that screechy / peaky treble of the 515... ouch!

I'm not looking for any more PCDPs... I think my time is up on that, with my money being better spent in other directions... so maybe i'll never know...

 

[Pappucho]

Duncan...I feel the D-515 is on another level than the D-321 simply because of it's ability to provied gobs of detail. I feel that there is more definition to instruments with the D-515, that reproduction that leaves you with a clear image of what you are hearing. True, it has that treble that can be hard to get past, but it is far more revealing than the D-321. I prefer listening to the D-321 though, specifically because of the high tonal character of the D-515. Simply because I prefer listening to the D-321 doestn't mean I think its better. I think it gives me enough resolution to where I get some of the magic of the D-515, but at a far more listenable level. I am looking forward to getting a D-311 soon, simply because all fo the review state it is warm and natural. Traits I look for in a source. I get goosbumps with the D-321 at times. I am really enjoying listening to it. It is my primary player. I thought I had overpaid at 48US$, but I am finding that it was a true bargain.

On a side note, I am closing a deal to get the RS1's. I will soon be on the Grado bandwagon.....

 

[Gojira]

I just want to concur with some of Pappucho's comments on the differences between the 515 and the 321. I too enjoyed listening to the 321 as a portable. It has a satisfyingly wide and open soundstage like the 211 but with a somewhat fuller, richer sound which was noticeably more satisfying to my ear.

And it does indeed seem that the 515 is more detailed than the 321. I would certainly not crown the 321 as my best sounding PCDP. I am actually learning that each of these players has a place in my collection and that which one sounds best will depend a great deal on the headphone, music, and amp, if applicable.

In some ways, the 515 is my favorite player, despite the shrill character of its headphone out. The sound is just very interesting and exciting. The 311 may be the king of tonal neutrality but it's payed for with a certain "greyness" that Duncan has alluded to. This can be compensated to some extent with the first level of Bass Boost, which can add a bit of zest, just as the first level of DDS dynamic range compression can shave off a bit of the shrillness from the 515.

The 321 was actually the first PCDP I had heard that sounded clearly better than any of my DAT players. Along with the 515, this is definitely a player that I would like to mod, by increasing the ESP memory to 10 seconds or more. Obviously, given the price difference I will start taking apart the 321 first

. I am a bit saddened to see the prices for this player rise, but OTOH, I think it does deserve a bit more respect than it has been getting. I will be quite interested to see what the repair estimates are going to be on my players.

 

[salieri]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pappucho I have found that alot of Germans agree to being paid through IKOBO, even if they aren't familiar with it until I offer it to them. The way it works is that they receive an ATM card with an available balance of the amount of the transaction. They can go to any Visa ATM and withdraw cash immediately upon receiving the card. People here in the US don't like the Ikobo cards because our ATM's only allow withdrawals in multiples of 10 or 20 dollars, but for some reason the German's like it. I am assuming that possibly their ATM's allow smaller amounts to be withdrawn, allowing them to fully withdraw the exact amount of the transaction. The cost of the transaction is about 5 bucks including shipping, which I absorb on my end. You should look into it for your next transaction with a German seller. http://www.IKOBO.com

Well, I'm not German and I still like ikobo. Actually, it's quite popular over here in Europe since you can't find many companies which will do business over here. Especially if you live in Eastern Europe like I do. In our cases ikobo looks pretty good, and the ATM card is quite useful over here since I for example don't need to withdraw small amounts of money, whenever I receive them I withdraw them all (somewhere around $100). Bottom line: if you live in a "less-known" country, ikobo is a good choice...