Home Digital Drive

Upsamplers, DACs, jitter, shakes and analogue withdrawals, this is it.

if new, it would be a tough call ... some criteria ...

it would probably cost around the $2-5K zone, which I've heard most of the current players available, although not all, and not all within my system.

The final verdict would come down to:

- How they perform/synergy within my system.
- Prefer a digital-in feature.
- No tube rolling, and or models that rely on variable filter choices for "best" sound.
- Redbook only.
- A companies past history of product retention would be important, especially the longevity and quality of prior models. Companies that have a history of changing models faster than I change underwear will quickly be omitted.
- Build quality is obviously important, and so is service reputation. A 3-5 year warrantee is a commitment by a company to the longevity of it's product(s). Does the company have a history of producing products for long term usage?

It would also have to better my current player within my system, especially from a transparency, bandwidth, noise floor point of view, something that has rarely happened.

From a pure sound perspective, it would require above average ...
- Transparency & focus.
- Dimensionality.
- Noise floor clarity, no fogs or veils, or opaqueness which inflict many models regardless of cost.
- Dynamic contrast and true instrumental impact at the frequency extremes, a typical budget player constraint, but often lacking in top-end players.
- Top end frequency control w/consistent tonality; not a fan of players that become "screamers" when pushed beyond their capability during complex music.
- HDCD, not a must, but certain a big consideration based on my present CD collection. Top-notch HDCD players have (often large) inherited advantages over non-HDCD players with proper coded HDCD disks.

If I was to purchase used ... first & foremost I'd consider a Linn Majik. I'd also consider an Ayre or Naim and would certainly like to try a Resolution Audio CDP firsthand.

Sound Q alone, isn't enough ... case in point ... I truly luv the sound of certain Sim players, but past models did not retain their value based on this companies history of very short life spans or quickly discontinued models. Look, if I spend $2-5K on a new machine, I expect that model to be in existence for some time, or it won't be worth near it's initial investment from a resale point of view.

That said, hopefully I won't be in the market for a long time yet, since I could easily live with my present player for years to come. And truth be told, if I was in the market, I'd either buy a solid-reputation used alternative for fair price, or go the music-server route.

tb1


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