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Boulder Electronics Transparent, Accurate, Fast, Rugged, and Reliable |
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#1
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Boulder and CD Players
I was pouring through the Boulder website. Their 1021 CD transport or CD player has garnered very impressive reviews. From conversations with dealers and a Boulder rep, it appears that most owners use their 1021 as a CD player feeding their preamplifier directly. In fact, the 1021 has derailed the 2020 DAC so significantly that Boulder discontinued the DAC altogether claiming that the newer 1021 surpassed its performance results. The last 2020 has been sold thus ending its availability as a new purchase.
With CD transports usually being highlighted in high end systems, I was curious how many of you feel about a CD player vs a CD transport in a high end system. I believe Krell had/has high end CD players in their CAST design. Is the CD player still viewed as a legitimate high end component [in certain instances like Boulder], or do most audiophiles prefer the separation of the transport and the DAC? |
#2
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The current issue of TAS has a review of the Boulder unit. They note that CD doesn't get any better than this. |
#3
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Hello what about the MCD500 ?
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#4
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I do not normally recommend my own gear. Now, I wouldn't still own #3 if I didn't think it was great.
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#5
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Read the stereophile review where they make a direct comparison of Boulder 1021 to the much less expensive Ayre C-5xeMP. Stereophile: Boulder 1021 disc player
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#8
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Hi rez playback.
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#9
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Ayre does high res just as well. Ayre does CD, SACD, DVD-A, DVD-V and has up to 192Khz sample rate capability. What does the Boulder offer above and beyond?
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#10
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Meridian's "technology breakthrough of the year" does not mean its the best player, which went to Spectral. There may be "other" criteria to which Meridian may have lost out, although it may be ahead in technology. Similarly, Maxx 3 "cost no object SPEAKER for 2009" may mean that the Wilson speaker is the best speaker for ANY price point whereas, the Magico M5 could mean just that it is the overall most impressive product of 2009 and not necessarily sounded better than the Maxx 3. All said and done, its how people like me "read in between the lines" and try to second guess what the writer/reviewer try to bring across. It is this "grey guesses" that makes the hobby that much more interesting as then could controversies spin debates and sales. Hopefully, in the end, may inspire progress for products to come. And then, we go on and one ... 2010, 2011, ...... I could be entirely wrong in what I had written, but this is how I would read whatever in the magazines, albeit always with a tinge of salt. In the end, I buy what strikes me and gives me the pride of ownership. After all, I am the one who's going to live with the purchase, speakers, gears, amps or cables. Cheers!
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Turntable: SME Synergy All-In-One Thorens TD147 Jubilee + Plixir LPS + Ortofon A-Mono DS Audio ION 1 SACD/DAC: Luxman D-10x Server: Roon Nucleus+ 8TB SSD + Plixir Elite LPS Bluray: ModWright Oppo UDP205 Amps: Air Tight ATC-5/ATM300R/ATH-3 Speakers: Avantgarde Uno XD Piano Black/Stealth Grey Cables & Interconnects: Audience Au24 SX Series Power Conditioner: Audience aR6 OX Rack & Amp Stands: Audio-Philar Last edited by JSCC; 12-10-2009 at 03:34 AM. |
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