[Dragoon47]

I have the opportunity of getting a Plinius CD-101 in as new condition. I am also considering adding a McIntosh D100 into the mix after reading some very good reviews?
 
I have a reasonable budget for a DAC around $2000 mark and I would welcome thoughts on the Plinius and a recommendation for a DAC?
 
I expect that this might be an old question but I have just read through the Finding a DAC for the Cavalli Liquid Carbon thread with interest.
 
Thanks in advance for your patience and any advice

 

[Asr]

I'd recommend you get that CD-101 if it's still available. By far the best-sounding CD source I've ever heard—which isn't just empty praise either. I directly compared it to quite a few other CD players, some of them equally or even more expensive, like the dCS P8i, Bel Canto CD-1, Cary 306 SACD Pro, Classe CDP-202, and Accuphase DP-500. Truly a revelatory-sounding source and it was absolutely sublime when I paired it up with my previous high-end electrostatic system (Stax OII MKI w/ HeadAmp BHSE).
 
The only thing you need to be wary of with the CD-101 is the transport tray, as it's prone to mechanical issues.
 
It's not a true-balanced source either unfortunately (it uses phase inverters to generate the balanced output instead of dual-differential DACs), and the balanced outputs don't really sound much better than the unbalanced outputs. You can get more volume by using the balanced output (which I took advantage of) but that's about all it's good for.
 
The CD-101 is definitely high-end enough to truly show off great recordings—and would definitely reward you more with highly transparent amplification (I got the best sound out of it by using the HeadAmp GS-X MK2) and very revealing headphones. The electrostatic system I had was so surreal-sounding that I absolutely and highly recommend that anyone who can afford to replicate it, should definitely do so.
 
I'm not sure that I could recommend pairing the CD-101 with anything made by Cavalli though. Ok admittedly I've never owned a Cavalli amp to be able to say anything definitive about how they sound. But many owners of Cavalli amps have reported the midrange to be colored-sounding, and you definitely don't want anything coloring up the CD-101. The GS-X MK2 was totally and completely transparent and allowed me to hear the CD-101's accelerated and dynamic sound.
 
I wrote a review of the CD-101 on another site here btw: http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/digital/messages/13/138969.html
 
And the only reason I don't own the CD-101 anymore was solely due to past financial circumstances, otherwise I'd likely still own it.
 
Btw I pretty much don't read this sub-forum, like at all, only saw your post here from your history when I looked it up from your PM.