What is the best redbook CD player for 6K to 8K?

John, reality is always more complex than we'd like it to be. There is no contraddiction in what I wrote. Brent has wisely introduced standard business management techniques at APL. He has raised customer satisfaction by introducing clear scheduling and customer service methodologies. At the same time he has very rapidly removed most traces of gangrenous discussions on customer service issues from the APL fora to 'move things along', as he said. While consumers would like to think the contrary, businesses do not survive by 'peaches & cream' alone. A small amount of draconian marketing communications measures are occasionally required to refloat an enterprise, such as pruning surface evidence of mixed past record of customer sat.

I don't understand your Jones for APL, Guidocorona, but you're like a vampire hunter with stake in hand when it comes to that company. I was the same way with Electraglide Audio, but I took it in the shorts from that company for a year. How have you been harmed by APL, or are you simply our APL consumer advocate watchdog?

It seems to me, the APL customers who waited a long time to receive their repaired APL Phillips SACD1000 machines have the most reason to gripe about customer service concerns at APL, yet none of these customers have written anything unfavorable here or on the APL discussion boards since their machines have been repaired and returned.

TVAD, the controversy seems to have started by a generic remark I posted on 06/14, which was not at all mentioning APL, nor it was especially written with APL in mind. While other modifiers took the high road, APL took exception to my statement. That was their right and they exercised it. So did I exercise my own right to pursue the subsequent discussion. A healthy debate between manufacturers and consumers can only benefit the hobby as a whole. The exchange between ALEX, Brent and I has been quite placid and urbane, and I hope relatively informative. I only regret that the three of us ended up highjacking this perfectly good thread with our side discussion. What do you say Brent and Alex, should we now retire in good order, pay for broken bottles and stools, and leave this particular watering hole in peace?

Before someone calls in the Audiogon MPs, that is?

Guido, If the changes made in the APL forum content reflect the emerging new reality at APL, why use the word 'spin' and 'artful redirection', which are pregnant with negative connotations. Those are not the phrases that come to my mind with a straight shooter like Brent. Perhaps, you didn't mean to suggest any negative connotations. In any case, in view of your previous posts on this thread, your choice of words raised my eyebrows.

07-09-06: Guidocorona
TVAD, the controversy seems to have started by a generic remark I posted on 06/14, which was not at all mentioning APL, nor it was especially written with APL in mind. While other modifiers took the high road, APL took exception to my statement.

As I look back through the thread, it appears the controversy started as a result of a post made by you on 6/30/06, not on 6/14/06, in which you suggested that anyone who purchased a modified digital source was taking a risk of not being able to have their machine repaired.

You wrote:

06-30-06: Guidocorona
... please be understanding of those original manufacturers when they look at you real funny like, the day you bring them that little beauty under warranty, just because it stopped working prior to the expiration of the warranty. And be even more understanding of their incredible sense of humor, when -- laughing their head off -- they point at that obscure little finprint on the warranty card which -- truth to tell -- did warn all and concerned about immediate, sudden and catastrophic loss of warranty coverage upon the machine even being smelled by unauthorized hands, let alone lovingly yet radically 'improved' by a solder-gun-happy modder-genius.

Your quotations around the word improved indicates your sarcastic usage of the word. Certainly, anyone can understand how a modifier might take umbrage at the remark.

APL responded on 6/30/06 with a professional response in which Alex stated his policy of honoring the factory warranty period on any digital machines he uses in his NWO-1, NWO-2, or other APL HiFi products.

06-30-06: Aplhifi
Guidocorona, can't speak for anyone else, but when it comes to the digital players I re-design, I am honoring the original "factory" warranty they have, regardless of the failure.

I see no controversy started or continued by APL. Rather, IMO, the controversy was started by you and your sarcastic tone regarding modified digital players, and the suggestion that anyone who purchased a modified or re-engineered machine would be left high and dry should a need for service arise.