Thanks Optarchie, that lends some context to your comments. I get the feeling that we are talking about several pieces of gear, all of which are first rate. I also suspect the preference for one over the other might be dependent on the rest of the system and its sound signature. If one little cable can make a "big" difference, I would think that the choice of pre/amp, cabling and speakers would have a large influence on wheter one would prefer on CD player over another in a given system context. I going to work hard to stop thinking in terms of best this or best that - I think it is much more realistic to think of a choice of top flight alternatives for a given component that on should consider, and that system matching and room acoustics also play a large role in assesing equipment. The AMR does seem interesting, especially at its price point. Thanks.