Best Redbook Player > $5000?

[Dusty Chalk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGhostWhoWalks The ToL dCS is the Verdi Transport, the Purcell upsampler and the Elgar Ring Dac (All named after famous composers - quite clever). And that's WAAAAAAAAY out of my price range. I think that runs something like $30k+.

So what about the P8i? Oh, never mind, that's "only" US$14K.

Okay, but for anyone else who's got money coming out of their ever-flowing cup, the master clock that I was trying to think of was the Verona; the two-box system is the La Scala and the Elgar DAC; so the TOL would be the Verona transport, Elgar Plus DAC, Purcell upsampler, and Verona reference master clock generator.

 

[TheGhostWhoWalks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuma An upcoming Naim uber CDP is said to run over 30k$US.

Good gravy that's alot of money... You can't help but think what kind of people have that much money to blow (of course i guess regular people think the same about us).

 

[TheGhostWhoWalks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dusty Chalk So what about the P8i? Oh, never mind, that's "only" US$14K. Okay, but for anyone else who's got money coming out of their ever-flowing cup, the master clock that I was trying to think of was the Verona; the two-box system is the La Scala and the Elgar DAC; so the TOL would be the Verona transport, Elgar Plus DAC, Purcell upsampler, and Verona reference master clock generator.

The P8i sounds interesting but still a little but too much out of my price range.

And thanks for the correction. I was almost sure though the Verdi was their TOL transport...

 

[kuma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGhostWhoWalks Good gravy that's alot of money... You can't help but think what kind of people have that much money to blow (of course i guess regular people think the same about us).

Yes.

*normal* people will get an ipod and be done with it.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

It's a lot of stosh!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGhostWhoWalks And thanks for the correction. I was almost sure though the Verdi was their TOL transport...

Actually, you may be right -- I've got Verona in there twice.

I was just trying to remember the four-box system "out loud".

 

[Jon L]

Heck, I'll throw in a couple of oldies but goodies

Krell KPS20i

Still my favorite Krell CDP and one of the most involving digital I've heard.

Krell MD10 transport+Ref64 DAC

Both Krell choices are not for everybody, but for those who dig unupsampled sound with charisma to spare..

 

[Jeff Wong]

You might consider listening to the Gamut CD1. A used unit will fall well into your price range and might even allow you to buy another unit.

To this day, the best Redbook playback I've heard has been the Linn CD12, but, it's very, very expensive. I did a head-to-head comparison with the upsampling Meridian, and the Linn killed it. The Linn has an ease and liquidity to die for.

 

[Kurt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuma Yes. *normal* people will get an ipod and be done with it.

They may get an Ipod, but they sure curse about the high price of it.

 

[Covenant]

Linn Sondek or Zanden 2000P/5000S

...god i'm becoming a troll. Still, both are so eminently drool-worthy they just begged mention in any thread with the words "Best" and "redbook" in its title.

 

[Loftprojection]

I don't want to be rude but I really don't understand how you can estimate where a player "sits" on your list without having heard all these players. I am not in the same league as you at all price wise in audio components but I can tell you that out of all the CD players I heard in the $1000 to $2000 price range, it's not reviews or comments read on the web that would have given a correct priority list. For example, you have the Naim as your last one, I can tell you that Naim has quite a different sound than others on your list but if it happens to fall in your taste buds, you will swear by Naim. Naim is kind of a love/hate affair. People who like it, really LIKE it, and others don't, you have to listen to it to know...

Anyway, I hope you don't take my comment negatively, I just want to point out that in my experience, it's when listening to players with the same amp/speaker setup that you will be able to rank them and you sure could be surprised at the results. If I had based my shopping on internet research and magazine reviews, I would certainly not have bought my Audio Aero Prima MKII amplifier and most probably I would not have bought either a 2 year old demo Arcam CD23T player because there was much more rave about some newer players.

Cheers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGhostWhoWalks It certainly sounds interesting. I'll definitely add it to my list, do some research, and figure out where it sits in my top 10. Any caveats about the player? Any areas it doesn't excell in? And could you give just a short review (or just a short synopsis) of some of the players i listed? Just your basic impressions of them - how they excelled, what areas they were less than impressive, Which you'd recommend over which, etc. Thanks!

 

[TheGhostWhoWalks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Loftprojection I don't want to be rude but I really don't understand how you can estimate where a player "sits" on your list without having heard all these players. I am not in the same league as you at all price wise in audio components but I can tell you that out of all the CD players I heard in the $1000 to $2000 price range, it's not reviews or comments read on the web that would have given a correct priority list. For example, you have the Naim as your last one, I can tell you that Naim has quite a different sound than others on your list but if it happens to fall in your taste buds, you will swear by Naim. Naim is kind of a love/hate affair. People who like it, really LIKE it, and others don't, you have to listen to it to know... Anyway, I hope you don't take my comment negatively, I just want to point out that in my experience, it's when listening to players with the same amp/speaker setup that you will be able to rank them and you sure could be surprised at the results. If I had based my shopping on internet research and magazine reviews, I would certainly not have bought my Audio Aero Prima MKII amplifier and most probably I would not have bought either a 2 year old demo Arcam CD23T player because there was much more rave about some newer players. Cheers.

Well, for one i know what specifics i'm looking for in a player's performance. So i can read reviews and if a player is said to excell in those categories then i put it toward the top of my list. But that "list" is nothing more than a list of players i want to try out first. I'm going to see what the best way is to audition as many of these players as possible but in all likeliness i very doubtfullfy will get to try them all out. So i have to have some kind of list as to determine which i want to audition the most - which i think will be more to my liking.

 

[Guss2]

If you don't mind me asking Ghost,where do you live?If your near a big city you should'nt have too much trouble auditioning some,if not all of the players on your list.You could also go to the nearest meet,if there is one close enough.

I bought my first player solely on word of mouth and reviews and I'm very happy with the choice I made,but next time I will audition as many players as possible.I've discovered,by going to meets,that half of the fun in buying a new player is being able to compare their different qualities side by side and dismiss as you go.I've learned much more about myself and where my priorities are this way.Good luck in your search.Gary.

 

[kuma]

TheGhostWhoWalks,

Just to be clear, the Naim CDX has been discontinued.
Buying a used Naim requires a bit of background knowledge and I won't recommend it ( unless you buy one through an authorised dealer )

I've only listed if *I* were to part with *my * money.

It's the only player, if I were to give up my current CD players, I can live with, without spending a fortune. Again, for ME.

Personally, I care for none on the list, but no doubt that the all the players on your list are good. Resolution, transparency, instrument separation....yata yata.. they all have them. What differentiate is a sublt or not too subtle flavor/voicing differences amongst them.

Considering what you are running now, I'd guess you'll be impressed with most of them. Only way for you to know which player is worth 5k+ is to try it in your rig and find out what works with your rest of ancilaries and musical preference.

When you get up to the silly range digital, subjectively, the return on the investment is relatively small.

Good luck.

 

[TheGhostWhoWalks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guss2 If you don't mind me asking Ghost,where do you live?If your near a big city you should'nt have too much trouble auditioning some,if not all of the players on your list.You could also go to the nearest meet,if there is one close enough. I bought my first player solely on word of mouth and reviews and I'm very happy with the choice I made,but next time I will audition as many players as possible.I've discovered,by going to meets,that half of the fun in buying a new player is being able to compare their different qualities side by side and dismiss as you go.I've learned much more about myself and where my priorities are this way.Good luck in your search.Gary.

I live in Ohio and i'm not opposed to travelling so i'll definitely look into making it to a meet somewhere (maybe New York?).

 

[TheGhostWhoWalks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kuma TheGhostWhoWalks, Just to be clear, the Naim CDX has been discontinued. Buying a used Naim requires a bit of background knowledge and I won't recommend it ( unless you buy one through an authorised dealer ) I've only listed if *I* were to part with *my * money. It's the only player, if I were to give up my current CD players, I can live with, without spending a fortune. Again, for ME. Personally, I care for none on the list, but no doubt that the all the players on your list are good. Resolution, transparency, instrument separation....yata yata.. they all have them. What differentiate is a sublt or not too subtle flavor/voicing differences amongst them. Considering what you are running now, I'd guess you'll be impressed with most of them. Only way for you to know which player is worth 5k+ is to try it in your rig and find out what works with your rest of ancilaries and musical preference. When you get up to the silly range digital, subjectively, the return on the investment is relatively small. Good luck.

Thanks for the advice. I totally realize that the best COA is try as many of these players out and see which one(s) suit my tastes best. I mentioned in another thread how when you get in this price range (anything over $2k or so, really) that 90% of it is totally personal taste. It all comes down to what specific attributes in a player are important to you. I totally realize that. I'm just compiling a list of players i want to try out the most. Hopefully i'll get to try them all out but that's not likely. But i wouldn't ever spend THIS much money on a shot in the dark guess.