May I say that IMHO you really cannot waste your time listening. Everything you hear will teach you something.
One trick I learned from reading UHF magazine was to make notes, during or after a listening session. This is a bit of an art but you pick it up in time.
The most meaningful thing I found to note turned out not to be my impressions of the gear--crisp highs or whatever--but instead how the music touched me. That kind of thing can become the basis of useful comparisons.
OK now, that said, I like the Music Hall CD-25 (Shanling CD-S100) better than the other brands' models you mention at a similar price. AND it's tweakable.
One trick I learned from reading UHF magazine was to make notes, during or after a listening session. This is a bit of an art but you pick it up in time.
The most meaningful thing I found to note turned out not to be my impressions of the gear--crisp highs or whatever--but instead how the music touched me. That kind of thing can become the basis of useful comparisons.
OK now, that said, I like the Music Hall CD-25 (Shanling CD-S100) better than the other brands' models you mention at a similar price. AND it's tweakable.