Home Digital Drive

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

Prices

In the US, I think the solo CDX2 is $5350. The Meridian G08, last time I checked, was $4000. But I wouldn't pay retail price for digital equipment.

I acquired a barely-used CDX2 from a guy who was getting the CDS3 (smart guy; if the CDX2 is an inflatable raft, the CDS3 is a tugboat). I then compared the used CDX2 to (a) a new unit, and (b) a well-used demo unit. That's how I was able to discern the effects of burn-in.

I failed to mention that, in an overall sense, the Naim CDX2 and Meridian G08 have made me forget about my mothballed digital separates, which include the Mark Levinson No. 360 DAC.

It's too bad that the Simaudio Equinox inverts polarity. If they could correct that, they'd have a winner. So that left me to look upwards, and I ended up with the CDX2 and G08.

Honestly, when I tally up the score for the G08, there's a long list of positives, and only a few negatives. But the negatives, for some, will be fatal flaws. I know plenty of people who absolutely HATE the G08's sloooooooooow loading time. It takes anywhere from 12 to 19 seconds for the stupid drive to read the disc, and be ready to play. Though functional and cool-looking, the remote is not easy to handle and use. You need two hands to hold and operate it. With so many buttons, you'll never be able to use it in the dark. You need to push pretty hard, for the buttons to execute the command. Other than that, I can't find much else negative to report.

I think The Absolute Sound said that the G08 has a sound that elicits the "whatever you paid, it was worth it" response from the crowd. I whole-heartedly agree. That's exactly the vibe I get from the guests who have listened to the G08.

The G08 is all about class. Customers who seek that type of product probably will fall in love with the G08. But I do wish to point out that that isn't for everyone. Some people just want to get it on, and get down and dirty. These are the people who would pick the CDX2 over the G08.

Another scenario that hasn't been brought to light in the mainstream press is the CDX2's performance in headphone systems. I use the AKG K1000 earspeakers. If you have a clean, quiet amp, I strongly encourage you to try the CDX2 as your source. If you start flailing around to KC & The Sunshine Band, and your K1000s go flying across the room, don't say I didn't warn you :-) I commented that, through loudspeakers, the CDX2 had lousy soundstaging and a skewed tonal balance. But these criticisms evaporate, when the CDX2 is used with the K1000s. With Erasure filling your head, you'll become Vince Clark, mastering the keyboards!

Well, I hope that my tales tip off readers to the pluses, minuses, and in-betweens of these CD players. When we all share our experiences, and the context in which they occurred, we all become better educated. 'Cuz let's face it; this stuff ain't cheap, and not too many people are into it. We need to arm ourselves with as much info as possible, in order for us as consumers to make smarter choices.

-Lummy The Seahorse


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