My Arcam Alpha 9 has died for the second time. I am reluctant to spend $ on another repair. My lond term goal is the Cary 303, but I nedd to spin discs now. What is the best CD player in the $1000 range. Somehow the Rega Apollo keeps rearing it's head. Help me make my decision.
I agree with Coffeey. The Arcam cd92 is a killer cd player on the used market. Combine the CD92 along with the 'de mat' rubber cd mat, and the cd playback approaches that of my newly acquired Ayre C-5xe! I've also read good things about the Rega Apollo but have not had a chance to audition it. calgarian
Second the Arcam either cd 92 T or the 23 T,that said Im going to try a Rega to see how it compares to the Arcam ,not going to do it to soon yet but some time in the coming months,if it can beat the Arcam I will be surprised.
I second the MHDT Paradisea Dac. Buy one of those Oppo's for a transport. Down the road throw a upsampler(Monarchy/Gw Labs) in between the two..and really get your mind blowed!
If a transport/DAC combo is possible, then I'd suggest a combination of a Sony DVP S-7000 or Sony DVP S-7700 and an Altmann DAC or a MHDT Labs Paradisea DAC.
Either combo will be exceptionally musical, and it will cost between $700-$1000 depending which DVD player and DAC you select. Use a $20 glass toslink cable sold on Audiogon and you're done.
Just to complicate things a bit more, a good, flexible option for that much money might to combine a high-quality used DAC like the Ben Canto or Benchmark with a decent transport, perhaps a used Denon DVD player or Rotel CD player.
You'd get remarkable sound, an easy upgrade path and the possibility of experimenting with hard-drive based audio if that appeals to you.
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