^^^ Charles ...
I have to agree with you on the redbook CD's. My digital sounded very good before the fuse changes, but honestly, I had no idea what these little silver discs were capable of.
I understand from a very reliable source that the ARC CD-6 is very analog like in its presentation. Perhaps the best ARC offers in this respect in a single box CD player. Even with that input, I'm keeping my ARC CD-7se. It's just too good to get rid of.
Here I am sitting on a multi-thousand album record collection that's taken me over 50 years to accumulate. I have no intention of getting out of analog at this point. The only place where the digital is better (in my system) at this point is the lack of surface noise. The fuse change in the CD player has pretty much eliminated the digital edge and the flat presentation that bothered me so much before in comparison with analog. So now ... its the best of both worlds, or at least close to it.
Digital is now very musical, natural, organic and three dimensional. It throws off a wall to wall soundstage with uncanny front to back depth; and layering. A real "you are there" presentation. And its not just with the best discs. Almost every disc I throw on is a revelation,. The best discs in my CD collection are just simply magic.
What's really cool is that I have attended many hifi shows over the years, and I can say at this point that very few demos at those shows, in spite of much higher prices, tons higher, are better than what I have right here in my living room. Most don't even come close.
Life is good ...
