Your Three Most Loved Digital Sources

[MartinT]

Taking a leaf from Andre's book, what were your three most loved digital sources?

I owned previous machines, but my three best (and most loved) were:

Pioneer PD-91 (battleship CD player from the Esoteric line, with a superb transport, copper chassis and great Burr-Brown DACs)

Sony SCD-1 (even more battleship than the Pioneer, fantastic transport that was dead slow to load, superb Audiocom-modded sound from SACDs and CDs)

Ayre C-5xe MP (wonderful machine with state of the art sound, modded with the Minimum Phase filters, plays DVD-A as well as SACD and CD)

[DSJR]

Micro-Seiki CD-M2/CD-M100/CDX 2000 - a trio of superb players, still difficult to better today if they're singing right..

TEAC P2 transport (2) with Prism DAC - a dem from over ten years ago convinced me.. Totally uncontrived and master-tape like..

Sony's best models - set standards for decades, the mechs being amazing on most of 'em..

One more, 'cos the design was so good with bits available - the AVI S2000 players. Crap to use sometimes, but very clear and powerful sound, totally lacking the "CD Harshness" in other, more "exciting" players...

There are others I remember fondly, but I've said too much..

[Labarum]

Haven't had many. I will list them all.

Philips CD204 - early CD player. Sold years ago when I bought

Quad 77 CD Player (plus Integrated Amp and Tuner which I still have. Don't use CDP or Tuner because I have a)

Squeezebox Classic (which I play through a Caiman DAC.)

Loved them all. Love the Squeezebox the best and it cost the least.

Edit: The laptop on which I am typing will drive the Caiman just as nicely via USB
(Foobar, Windows 7, WASAPI Mode - nothing to choose between laptop and Squeezebox, except SB is wireless and more convenient to use.)

[Spectral Morn]

Marantz CD85 Loved this player...then the CD94mk2 came along.....

Marantz CD94mk2 Stunning build and sound (as long as it is left on) 1541 Crown Dacs at their best imho. I still have this baby, a constant friend and companion through musics rich tapestry, for many years, and it still works.

AMR CD77 Pure magic. Multibit too.

Moon Andromeda It has everything in spades, but manages to be musical and not spotlit.

Almost loved Wadia 861se Similar to the moon, but everything is spotlit and its..well a bit Hi-Fi, and imho the Moon isn't.


Regards D S D L

[tunepirate]

I love my e-mu 0404 soundcard since it's fast, musical, and also a great recording equipment at the same time!
And at the same time it seems to be a pretty good transporter, atleast clearly better than my denon dvd-1720

[Labarum]

Neil, are those flashing Daleks new?

[YNWaN]

Ermm...I've got a CD player in the car and an MP3 player - I've never owned 3 digital sources, never mind 3 favourite ones!



No, hang on, I've also got a Playstation.

[Spectral Morn]

Neil, are those flashing Daleks new?

No...been using this avatar for quite awhile now


Regards D S D L

[Labarum]

No...been using this avatar for quite awhile now

Just shows how observant I am!

[Snoopdog]

My first CD player was a Sony ES557 which I bought in 1988 when DG announced that they would no longer release new titles on vinyl.

Soon gave way to a Meridian 200 series transport + DAC.

Best three though (in ascending order) were Meridian 508.24, Reimyo CDP-777 and the current incumbant, dCS Paganini transport + DAC.