Badass CD Player at < 2K

[ghostzu]

Any advice bros? Until recently, i was contemplating maybe the shanling T100 coz im a closet beng with a penchant for blue-lights and vacuum tubes! But havent gotten round to auditioning it coz the guy at Larry hi-fi aint exactly the picture of hospitality....I'd tried out the cyrus 6 and was blown away! Tho it's prob the audio equivalent of Hilary Swank....Can perform but aint nuthin much to look at....... not exactly cheap either...KEC selling at 1495 and will only go down by 50 bucks

 

Then my friend tells me abt the Rega Apollo which is supposed to be the next coming! At approx 200 bucks more, looks killer and is apparently sweet for rock! Sounds like it's firing on all cylinders huh?!

Any bros have/ tried this? Any idea where i can buy it?

 

I welcome all suggestions to alternatives at around this price range....my speakers be the B&W 600 series and will be using the XR57 for the time-being....

 

Thanks!

-Ghost

[2100]

Check out Esound CD-E5. Can order from Cattylink.com, think everything in incld shipping and GST it is ard 1.3, 1.4.

There is a new Black SE edition, so better to aim for this (still below 2k). The non SE is silver. 13kg player, don't play play.

 

Very very good components and clock architecture, from engineering point of view. Too bad it is quite rare here, so no audition whatsoever. Just have to buy blindly from the web comments (lots of them). Think some from headfi modded it, and brought it to another level. Very few "bad" stuff in the architecture.

 

Think one guy in echoloft is selling, do a search.

 

PS. Hifi86.com sells it too. But not sure about customer service. Cattylink CS is good.

[synthesis1624705793]

Recently I bought Consonance CD120 Linear. Reviews say how analog the sound is, and I couldn't agree more. You can try at New Disc Village Adelphi. But the price is only 1.1K, is it too low for you...  ;)

[kzone]

Hi Synthesis,

 

the CD120 is a tube player rite? so is it a "warm" type of player? I'm looking for a "detailed & dynamic" player.. did u come across any during ur search?

[bolts1624705732]

You may want to check out the rega Apollo cdp.

 

No chance to hear it yet. But reviews are very good.

[kzone]

Is that the top loading black CDP? & there's a 2000 version also? Or was that the rega planet?

 

Anyway, heard one of that abt 5-6 years back & find that it lacks soundstage & emotion... but very punchy & nice rythm indeed...

[synthesis1624705793]

Hi Synthesis,

 

the CD120 is a tube player rite? so is it a "warm" type of player? I'm looking for a "detailed & dynamic" player.. did u come across any during ur search?

 

Hi Kzone,

The CD120 Linear is not tube player; the Reference 2.2 is. It's plain CDP with no digital filter and no oversampling. I didn't go to many of audition to compare, in fact I only listen to this, Ref 2.2 and Original CD-A9.8. I believe MIC products give superior value nowadays. The Original sounded warm, but somehow didn't quite like the sound (could be the speaker). The Ref 2.2 sounded 'cleaner' (if that's the right word?) compared to CD120 Linear and well above my budget. The CD120 is pleaseing enough for me.  :)

[bolts1624705732]

Is that the top loading black CDP? & there's a 2000 version also? Or was that the rega planet?

 

Anyway, heard one of that abt 5-6 years back & find that it lacks soundstage & emotion... but very punchy & nice rythm indeed...

 

This one is a different animal. Wolfson DAC, Class A output, a system that reads the CD data into memory for specialised error correction before starting to play.

 

I have no idea how it sounds, but, Stereophile, StereoTimes, TAS are all raving about this player. Including countless others on the Internet.

 

I would very much like to hear it for myself.

[2100]

Believe you meant the 9.3 instead of 9.8.

 

Pretty unusual that a product gets a really bad review, but looks like 6moons don't like it. As usual, take things with a pinch of salt, but again usually it is difficult to find a bad review. They compared to the 2.2, and they loved the 2.2.

 

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/original/original.html

 

 

 

Hi Kzone,

The CD120 Linear is not tube player; the Reference 2.2 is. It's plain CDP with no digital filter and no oversampling. I didn't go to many of audition to compare, in fact I only listen to this, Ref 2.2 and Original CD-A9.8. I believe MIC products give superior value nowadays. The Original sounded warm, but somehow didn't quite like the sound (could be the speaker). The Ref 2.2 sounded 'cleaner' (if that's the right word?) compared to CD120 Linear and well above my budget. The CD120 is pleaseing enough for me.  :)

[2100]

So far Rega Apollo is from CD Acoustics only. Aiyah, in that case, check out the Apollo Saturn too. heh...

 

Anybody daring enough to try Tentlabs? From my experience with their clocks, so far so BEST.  ;D Someone may just bring it in and fix up for ya.

 

Very very very serious stuff... http://www.tentlabs.com/Products/diycd/index.html

 

http://www.tentlabs.com/Products/diycd/assets/test%20CD%20speler%20ME%20UK.pdf

 

 

[synthesis1624705793]

Believe you meant the 9.3 instead of 9.8.

 

Pretty unusual that a product gets a really bad review, but looks like 6moons don't like it. As usual, take things with a pinch of salt, but again usually it is difficult to find a bad review. They compared to the 2.2, and they loved the 2.2.

 

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/original/original.html

 

 

I meant 9.8, not 9.3. The black flip up top loading box.

Yea I read that review, too, and a bit surprised to read top of the line model got bad review. CD2008MK2 was not set up that time and I was in a hurry, otherwise I would like to hear the sound. I believe it should give different presentation compared to the 9.8.

 

[kzone]

This one is a different animal. Wolfson DAC, Class A output, a system that reads the CD data into memory for specialised error correction before starting to play.

 

I have no idea how it sounds, but, Stereophile, StereoTimes, TAS are all raving about this player. Including countless others on the Internet.

 

I would very much like to hear it for myself.

 

sounds cool... plenty of good reveiws but non here have heard it for themselves? where is CD acoustic ah?

[2100]

I meant 9.8, not 9.3. The black flip up top loading box.

Oh yeah I see now. For once I was confused coz 9.3 is flagship, so don't have 9.8.  :D 

 

kzone, CD Acoustics is on the 4th level of Adelphi, near to the toilets side. But it is at the back row, behind Norman. They sell Harbeth too!

 

 

[kzone]

Checking it out tomorrow...

 

Remember there was a topic New Vs Old CDP but cant find it now.... Anyway, between a new 2K player & an old player say, a 6-8 yr old Wadia 860 that can be bought at abt 2K in the resale market now, which one wud u choose?