The best Cdp that have volume control

carl, please don't misunderstand me - i'm not picking on ewe or yer cd-player - my comments about a cd-player sounding better run thru a good (tubed) preamp apply to *all* cd-players - yers yust happens to be one of 'em.

of course, i'm not so obstinate to think that there no folks out there who get better sound from their cdplayers run straight-in, in fact many of them post their experiences right here in these threads. only difference between them & ewe, is they give comparisons: what cd-players they've tried, what preamps they've tried, etc. they give me & other people a chance to try & learn something. i'd *love* to find out about a relatively affordable digital playback system that could markedly improve my current set-up.

regards, doug

I own a Wadia 830 that I'm running through a 3B-ST into Totem Model 1 Signatures. I'm using Cardas Neutral Ref. interconnects and Cross bi-wire. The speakers don't take advantage of the base I know the Wadia's capable of, but what I have is natural, tight and smooth. Voices are great. The Theta Digital Miles wasn't terribly far behind this combo.

The Resolution Audio CD50 can be found used in your range (~$1,500-$1,700) and is one of the best sounding players available - period. The CD55 is slighly better but will take your above $2,000.

For some time I used a Resolution Audio (RA) CD-55 directly into my amplifier and found the sound to be detailed, with little glare, great bass response; all in all very enjoyable listening.
I searched a great deal before jumping into the RA CD-55. The short list came down to the CD-55, Theta Miles and Levinson CD-39. Some of my requirements for a CDP included a fully balanced design, as well as analog volume attenuation. While the analog volume control is (IMHO) superior to digital, I will admit that I am not sure if I can truly discern the difference between a fully balanced design, and that of a CDP utilizing single DACs for each channel. I believe neither a used CD-39 nor will a new CD-55 be in your price range. I have no experience with the CD-50, but they certainly are available used in your price range, with more than an ample following and reviews, here and at other sites, to warrant some listening. The balanced version of the Miles filled my bill, but I could not audition one with balanced outputs and decided to go with RA. Non-balanced used/dealer versions of the Miles are available on this site, and are definitely worth a listen prior to making a decision as well.
Neronian, although your original post did not specifically address this question, and at the risk of repeating previous posts, I must add the following: My desire to listen to other source material warranted that I return to a pre-amp, and I have since added a SF Line-3 pre-amp to my system. I believe the RA sound is more enjoyable with the pre-amp than without, but that may be attributable to output/input impedances on the pre/amp and the warmth of tubes in the system more closely matching my listening preferences than the ability of the CDP to provide accurate reproduction. My opinion, for what it’s worth. Happy Hunting!

The output impedance of the Line 3 is no lower than that of the CD-50, it is actually much higher (thus it drives the amplifier load with less aplomb). That said, if your power amplifier has an input impedance higher than that of typical amps (i.e., like SET's, higher than 100k ohms), I suppose it is possible that a CD-50 might drive the amp "too well", and turn bright. HOWEVER, MY EXPERIENCE IS WITH THE CD50, AND IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE CD-55 HAS BEEN COMPROMISED IN SOME WAY (since others have found it to be brighter than the CD-50). I also considered the Theta Miles, but it only uses 18 bit DACs.