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Best Sounding CD / SACD player under 15K

My budget is 15K for a new or preowned CD/SACD player.

Not happy with the McIntosh MCD-500 player. My vintage Denon CD player out performs it. I was very disappointed in the McIntosh MCD500 player. I had the McIntosh MC601 amps and they were disappointing too. No more McIntosh gear for me.

I am on the market now and would like to keep under 15K for a new or preowned CD player. Also no multi format players .

Thanks for any suggestions.
joefama
bayreuth
25 posts
 
Cary 306 Pro sounds excellent. Versatile, well built, playback of CD/HDCD/SACD and works well as DAC.
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
5,112 posts
 
Chesebert...just wondering if you heard the Ayre with balanced connections, do you remember the cables and if it sat on a resonance gizmo - Ayre/Cardas blocks, etc. You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but your comment is a head scratcher to me.
harri009
100 posts
 
They could have also had the C5xe in measure instead of listen. As the Orpheus and EMM are both much more costly I could see a dealer trying to give the more expensive gear an edge. I have seen similar things done to Maggie's at a few different dealers.
jafant
10,525 posts
 
Joe-

update us, have you bought a different player?
melbguy1
1,438 posts
 
03-24-13: Syntax
EMMLabs CDSA-SE
Very interesting unit, right from Tone, excellent Soundstage and it doesn't make you cry while listening. I bought it.
A very impressive cd player indeed Syntax! Emm are not warm & sweet sounding like Ayon however, so for my taste I would want to be running warm amps & cables with a player like the CDSA-SE. That said, I think it would be worth building a system around that player..
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