Is Exemplar the answer?

I just asked EAD about a 3V input to their unit and got the following reply. Any thoughts?

1) The maximum recommended input on the 8-channel Analog Direct input of the TheaterMaster 8800 is 2.0 Vrms, although hard clipping does not occur until 2.6 Vrms. This is normal behavior for standard line-level signals. I would recommend that you build or have someone build you some L-pad attenuators for all analog channels that exceed 2.0 Vrms. For best performance it is good to keep well below the clipping point.

If you wish to construct L-pads, please remember that the input impedance of the various Analog Direct channels is as follows: LF, RF 10K; all other channels 5 K. You can take advantage of this to simplify your L-pads to a single resistor:
For the LF and RF, place 5K in series with the signal.
For the CT, LS, RS, SUB, LB, RB, place 2.5K in series.
Best type of resistor is nichrome, but metal film should be OK too.
These values will attenuate 3 Vrms to 2 Vrms. If your CD player output is higher, you'll need to calculate some higher values.

I noticed that many modded players output higher than the stock player. Why is that?

Any update on the Exemplar 2900 vs APL 1000?

Well, I cannot tell you much yet, as the Exemplar is still burning in. I will say so far I like the APL better as far as the soundstage, musicality(the ability to draw me in), magic midrange(could be WE 300B's/Cardinal X1's), and the seeming hang time of guitar. Now I must say I listen mainly to older Rock/Jazz/Blues....not much classical. The Exemplar seems a bit more extended so far(But I am having Alex build me a 3910 also)the bass is a bit better on the Exemplar. I really cannot give my exact opinion at this time also cause my ear is clogged, and music in general just does not sound right. I will tell you after about 200 hours of burnin the exemplar is picking itself up. Now, for me, I need 2 players, 1 with video for HT/SS and 1 for 2 channel/Tubes, and so far I am not unhappy with either one, but, because of my obsession I will keep on trucking to search for the best under 10K used.

The Exemplar is finally burned in for redbook, and is now really strutting its stuff. For redbook, the Exemplar bests the APL for sounstage, Clarity, imaging, and in palying all qualities of cd's. There is a natural smoothness to the exemplar that just sounds right to me. On well recorded cd's, the exemplar just does it better than any other player I have had in my system. SACD so far is another issue, while so far it is real good, the APL seems to put a quality on DSD that is so close to vinyl/tape
it is scary.

A+ rating for Exemplar on Redbbok

SACD may need to burn in those 250 hours too, so thats what I am doing now. More to come....Redbook is AWESOMEon the Exemplar.

Tbg, I do not understand this 250 hour thing, but you are right, so far, that after the burn in, this unit really sings.