Is Exemplar the answer?

I dont think so. Look for :
NAIM AUDIO CDX 2
SPHINX Project 32
SIMAUDIO Moon Nova
ELECTROCOMPANIET Emc 1
MERIDIAN 596
SONY SCD - 77 ES
ICOS CD Pro
NAIM AUDIO CDX
MERIDIAN 588

Rmihai, have you heard the Exemplar Denon 2900? You dismiss it quite easily. Have you personally heard every player on your list?

Based on the fact your system's source component is the Toshiba SD-4900, I'm going to take your opinion with a pinch of salt.

Well, seeing how people who have either had, or a/b'd it with the meitner and audio aero capitole units think it's a contender, i think it deserves a shot. I will be getting mine in a week and i'll let you know what i think. I have owned a resolution audio cd 50 and opus 21, electrocompaniet emc1 and the audio aero prima. These are some great players, and with the addition of dvd and sacd, for under $4000, i think it will be a good multi-format player.

Rmihai,since none of the players you mention are up to the level of the EMM and since I find the Exemplar clearly superior to the EMM, I can only conclude that you have not heard the Exemplar. I recently heard the EMM DCC2 and the new EMM transport in a good system for many hours. I would not even consider replacing my Exemplar/Denon 2900 with the new EMM.

Rmihai has given us an impressive list to consider. I agree those should be on the list when you think about good cd players.

Modded players have never been of interest to me. There are warranty and resale issues that I can't get past, and I completely understand why someone might choose to never buy a modded player. However, the buzz on this player made me think twice, and eventually I decided to take a shot.

I spent several days trying to decide between the Exemplar and the Esoteric DV50. I'm sure you really can't go wrong with either player, but I went with the Exemplar because I came to trust the designer. The Exemplar is for the person who wants good video, and the absolute best audio. Most of the effort and the dollars are spent on getting us as close to the music as possible, and John Tucker has years of experience turning good products in to state of the art audiophile quality products.

Will this player live up to the hype? Is it one of those products that is red hot for a few months and then fades? I have never been so uncertain about any purchase, but, I'm counting the days until delivery, and can hardly wait to try the player in my system.