Best Tube CDP for $2000 Budget

How do you define build quality? Parts manufacture? Neatness of the installation?

I have owned a couple of really excellent sounding components that had rats nest installations, so neatness of the installation wouldn't apply to the quality of the component in this case.

I assume parts are selected for how they sound together. I know of a few builders who use parts that are not the most expensive available because they prefer how the parts contribute to the sound of the unit as a whole. So, looking at the parts content of these components would not tell the story of how the component sounds.

IMO, laymen looking under the hood is fairly useless, and having a surface knowledge of "high end" audiophile parts can be just enough knowledge to get someone into trouble by incorrectly prejudging a component's sound.

I can see how someone who has first hand experience building gear would have an advantage judging a component based on a photo of the guts. However, that's still no guarantee.

So, seeing a photo of the insides of a component means little to me because I've heard great gear that looked like crap on the inside, and I've heard not-so-great gear that would have received an A+ for neatness.

YMMV...

hi bartokfan:

i saw and heard the prima luna cd player at the 2007 ces. it will be available towards the end of may, so i have been told.

as for the cayin. i have requested a review sample of this player several times. he tells me that he hasn't any in stock and when they arrive from china, they are sold.
acoustic sounds informed me that the sacd player and the the cd player sound almost the same. i wasn't impressed with the sacd player using stock tubes, so i'm not sure that i would want to pursue the cd player.

Well don't then. "almost the same" but indeed they are NOT EXACTLY THE SAME PLAYER. Stock tubes its a great sound, Sovtek tubes even better. Prima Luna is the lower end line of cayin, ASFAIK. The only other player that interests me is the Melody, which i hope to own one day, in spite of the fact that a guy in HK told me he's heard both and prefered the Cayin.

Raed the specs on the dealer's web page here on audiogon. The 17 are SACD 50 do in fact have more than one component difference. Your "i've heard the SACD 50 and was not impressed' holds little value. The quad of Sovtek 6922' s only cost me $150 and suggest you roll the stock chinese tubes when ever you do eventually get the 17. Then post a comment. the 4 opamps pop out easily, but hold off on that tweak as you critque the 17.

05-08-07: Bartokfan
Prima Luna is the lower end line of cayin, ASFAIK.

I had the same impression, but some homework revealed that this is not true. Different parts content: PrimaLuna specifies parts and closely monitors assembly to prevent parts substitution and therefore has superior quality control. Cayin allows for parts substitution in their components.

Also, different designs.

They are assembled in the same Chinese plant.