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  #1  
Old 12-09-2009, 09:09 PM
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2-Channel 2-Channel is offline
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Default 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?
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Old 12-09-2009, 09:15 PM
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Originally Posted by 2-Channel View Post
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?
There are some very good one box players from Esoteric, DCS, EMM, Meridian but only lately have the companies provided access to their DAC's for other sources. The X01's, the Puccini, and CDSA are all considered high end players.

The current issue of TAS has a review of the Boulder unit. They note that CD doesn't get any better than this.
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Old 12-09-2009, 09:20 PM
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Hello what about the MCD500 ?
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Old 12-09-2009, 09:27 PM
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Hello what about the MCD500 ?
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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Old 12-09-2009, 09:34 PM
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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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Old 12-09-2009, 09:54 PM
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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
All depends on who is doing the review. TAS also selected the Meridian 808.2 as the technology breakthrough of the year. Then they chose the Spectral as the Disc Player of the Year. They chose the Maxx3's as "Cost no Object Speaker for 2009", but the selected the Magico M5 as Overall Product of the Year.
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Old 12-09-2009, 10:01 PM
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All depends on who is doing the review. TAS also selected the Meridian 808.2 as the technology breakthrough of the year. Then they chose the Spectral as the Disc Player of the Year. They chose the Maxx3's as "Cost no Object Speaker for 2009", but the selected the Magico M5 as Overall Product of the Year.
True but when an experienced reviewer says he couldn't hear a difference and actually preferred a $7k CDP to a $24K Boulder unit, one can't help to wonder what the extra $17k buys you in this case.
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Old 12-09-2009, 10:03 PM
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True but when an experienced reviewer says he couldn't hear a difference and actually preferred a $7k CDP to a $24K Boulder unit, one can't help to wonder what the extra $17k buys you in this case.
Hi rez playback.
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Old 12-09-2009, 10:11 PM
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Hi rez playback.
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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Old 12-10-2009, 03:31 AM
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Originally Posted by Stillone View Post
All depends on who is doing the review. TAS also selected the Meridian 808.2 as the technology breakthrough of the year. Then they chose the Spectral as the Disc Player of the Year. They chose the Maxx3's as "Cost no Object Speaker for 2009", but the selected the Magico M5 as Overall Product of the Year.
Hi Jim,

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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Last edited by JSCC; 12-10-2009 at 03:34 AM.
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