Price Paid:  $900.00

Summary:
My system:

Magnapan IIIa's
Bryston 4Bst Amp
Bryston BP-20 Line-Stage
Arcam Alpha 9
Yamaha CT-7000 FM Tuner
BEL interconnects
Tara Labs RSC Prime Speaker Cable
Richard Grey Power Treatment

Extremely detailed AND gentle (i.e. NOT HARSH) player. HDCD discs sound amazing. I wish there were more that I wanted to hear. The sound stage is very rich and, at least in my system, deep, e.g. one can hear a centered guitar track exceed a vocal track in soundstage-width while hanging behind the very same vocal track. 3-dimensionality, in other words, unfolds here.

TReats all formats well: *classical* (solo--Kissin's Beethoven, chamber/ensemble--Reich's Music for 18 Musicians, orchestral--Bruckner, voice--Renee Fleming); *rock/pop,* (math rock--King Crimson, lush rock--Dire Straits, indie vocal--Cat Power, oldies--Beach Boys, low-fit--Grifters); *jazz* (horns--Coltrane, piano/bass/drums--"Money Jungle" or "Dollar Band" and larger ensembles--Mingus), *alt/classic-country,* (Lucinda Williams, Vic Chestnut, Uncle Tupelo, Johnny Cash, etc.)

In sum: this is one righteous performer. I don't know if it is a great deal given I don't know what more expensive pieces sound like on my system. I thus gave it a 4 for value given I have troubles terming any player over a $1000 a "bargain."

P.S. I don't understand the "looks flimsy" or "unattractive worries". If there is a sonic problem, then let's talk about it (as there might be over time given the temperature at which it runs).
Also, spare us the "it broke" review. They are uninformative and screw up the numerical rankings. These are reviews about how equipment presents music. If it doesn't present music, one has nothing to review.

Strengths:
Refined detail, tonally balanced, excellent soundstage, great imaging.

Similar Products Used:
Alpha 7se

Price Paid:  $1500.00

Summary:
I really did want to like the other players because of the price differential (>$500). In reading the reviews here and elsewhere and A/B comparing, I swallowed hard and picked up the 9.

For general listening, the cheaper players would be fine. Also, AAD to DDD recordings may sound the same. It's only when you get to HDCD, Telarc and later DDD recordings when the 9 comes into it's own. The other players can't keep up with sheer quantity of sound these CDs put out. Be prepared to become a sonic snob--recordings that I loved from some time back I can barely listen to now because of the sonic grime older recording techniques impart to them. Stuff from the 70s, 60s and earlier (Kind of Blue, Weather Report, Birds of Fire) sound ok because of the content; they're listenable. A mid-50's NYC Phil recording of Lizst's Rhapsodies is ok, despite the hiss from the source tape. The performances make the difference here. But Pete Townsend's White City just SUCKS! I had to pot my MA6500 to better than 60% just to overcome the crummy EQ.

Try one of the newer HDCD CDs from Sting or Mark Knopfler for a taste of what this player can do--and what it has over the earlier Alphas. If I went to 60% with either of these, I would be blown into my next door neighbor's living room! The Telarc discs of The Planets or EMI's Gershwin RIBlue (discs I used for the audition) were the deciding factor for me. Together with the Mac and Paradigm 100s, the soundstage opened considerably over the lower tech Alphas, and the renderings of the piano and brass sections were 9 out of 10 on goosebump scale. I thought this was impressive, as I am intimately familiar with both these recordings.

An earlier reviewer is right: this A9 puts out some HEAT--actually more than the MA6500. My listening room is kinda chilly, so I just go over and warm my hands from time to time.

I was impressed like others with the lightweight nature of the construction and "heft" of the player--my iBook probably weighs more. But since I don't lift the damned thing, why should I care? And yeah, the plastic front is kinda cheesy, but I turn the thingie on, put the disc in and listen to the sharp sound. I guess the Limies who put it together put the thing together spent the money on the sound algorithms--works for me!

I don't make light of the difference in price between the 9 and the 8 or 7: it's significant. But the system I was putting together is built to last, and I didn't want to have to upgrade to a more sophisticate device when I got tired of the limitations of a player I might have "settled" for. At least, that's my story, and I'm sticking with it!

Strengths:
Unquestionable sonic quality

Weaknesses:
Fry an egg temps, lightweight construction

Similar Products Used:
Alpha 7, 8 (auditioned before purchase of 9)

Price Paid:  $1400.00 from Bay Area Uadio

Summary:
This player replaces my 5 year Parasound CDC-1500 changer which has served me well. Bought at under $600, it was an amazing player in its day, and lended the convenience of being a changer without sacrificing sound quality.

associated components for reference:
Creek 4240SE amp
Magnepan 1.6QR speakers
Transparent speaker cables
Monster interconnects

In the end of a long audition period and much thought, i bought the Arcam Alpha 9. I was very concerned about the "flimsy build" quality, and being so "lightweight." the cal and rotel, and adcom units along with my Parasound give one more confidence in the longevity of the player since they are built like tanks. but even with the best of these i noticed had pretty flimsy trays (why is this the trend in audio, i don't know. it seems that for over 1000, one would expect a very solid player. as a side note, my parasound changer tray is rock solid and well built)]. tray aside, the alpha 9 package is a lightweight by any measure. $1600 for a 9 lb weakling? all the other players i considered were about twice the heft of the Alpha 9.

i hate to admit it, but in the end its sonics won out.
[and i hope and pray that it will last many years to come without breaking on me. i presume that since the transport has been around for over 3 years now with very little reported problems (so i am told), it'll be ok.

Anyway, the review and comparison:

Sonically, the Alpha 9 CD player is a masterpiece. not the "best" or most "perfect" CD player i have heard (that is reserved for the top of the line Mark Levinson and Linn CD12 which are much more expensive), but the best in the class i was considering in terms of value and overall sound. and in my humblest opinion, more "realistic" and transparent than the excellent Meridian 508-24 which i have adored for quite some time. Voices are so natural [i like listening to a lot of acoustic/folk music so it really shines here]. violins are sweet, but have a realistic bite when called for. Excellent ambient detail recovery. Dynamics are excellent although bested by the Rotel 991 and Cal Audio unit. Soundstage width is phenomenal, depth is excellent but not as deep as the Cal Audio unit. but hands down, it was the most transparent of the units i considered.

How does it compare to the FMJ23 which sells for 600 more? [the retail of the FMJ23 recently went up] the FMJ23, IMHO, was *marginally* better. slightly better dynamics, but still not as good as the Cal CL-15, and more air on things like cymbals. but, very subtle differences. The FMJ23 was subtlely more refined than the Alpha 9, but i couldn't justify the extra 600 bucks. the external cosmetics were nice, yet i still didn't get the feeling that it was indestructable (of course nothing is). in fact, both units i demoed had several scratches on the face, indicating that the metal is very soft and isn't as durable as one might have liked. better than the alpha 9, but not up to the standards of my old Parasound or the Cal Audio unit. The FMJ23 is a nice a unit, but no more a "value" than the cheaper built Alpha 9 since it costs $600 more. which is a big chunk of change for the minimal differences. by the way, the Arcam 9, however, is a huge improvement over the Alpha 8 and 8SE which i am very familiar with [helped my friend audition these and he owns the latter]. (both good players in the lower price bracket of under 1000)

anyway, here's some comparison thoughts with other comparably priced players:

i was considering players in the $1000-1500 range and narrowed it down to five players with a few exceeding my original budget. below, i list them, ranked in my order of preference regardless of price: (with retail prices)

Arcam FMJ23 (2199)
Arcam Alpha 9 (1599)
Rotel 991 (1299)
Cal Audio CL-15 (1675)
Adcom 750 (1250)

as i said above the FMJ23 is very much like the Alpha 9, just a smidge better for a lot more money. the Rotel had a sweet sound with great dynamics but didn't seem to have quite the resolution nor transparency of the Alpha 9. it was still my second choice, because it was 2nd in transparency only to the A9 and FMJ23. The Cal unit had amazing dynamics and threw the deepest soundstage of all the players, but was a bit bright for my tastes. i think, on my system, it would have grown fatiquing in time with its hyper detail. the midrange wasn't as pure as the arcam units and a little less transparent than the Rotel. the adcom was my least favorite sonically. i loved the build quality, but this player did little for me. the sound wasn't very transparent, dynamics and soundstaging were good, but not close to the CL-15 nor the A9. i would have chosen a cheaper Arcam (alpha 8 or 8SE) or the Rotel 971 over it at lower price tags.

some aftermath thoughts: the unit runs warm to the touch which i've been told is normal. also, with the dirty power lines in Menlo Park, there is some resonance with the power transformer such that there is an audible hum from the unit...not audible from my listening position, only within a foot or so of the CD player itself. again, my dealer, arcam, and another owner on the net confirm this for their units. design flaw? i think so because all my other components don't exhibit such behavior. if i open my parasound unit and put my ear to it, i can hear something, but probably 10 db lower than the arcam 9.

but on the plus note: i've never been a big believer in the need to break things in, but i've, per the advice of the dealer, let it run on repeat for the past several days. it started off sounding fabulous, the has gotten even better after several days of running. any tiny haze initially there is gone.

so as long as the player doesn't break anytime in the first 5 years, then i'll be happy. sonically, this is a fabulous player and a great deal for the money. i do think the Rotel and Cal units might be better for other listeners, so i'd consider them on any shortlist. depends on your priorities. if it's transparency and musicality, the Arcam wins hands down. 4 stars for value [given the mediocre construction], 5 stars for sonics.

Strengths:
very musical sound, transparent midrange, wide soundstage

Weaknesses:
"flimsy case"; audible power transformer

Similar Products Used:
rotel 991, arcam FMJ23, adcom 750, Cal Audio CL-15, Parasound CDC1500

Price Paid:  $1599.00 from Audio Consultants

Summary:
Just the fact that you can get the same technology used in the $12,000 dcS Elgar DAC for $1600 is enough reason only to say that the Alpha 9 is a great Cd player. The detail of music is so much greater. Vocals are extrodinary. Details ranging from the ping of a cymbal, to the pop of a bass string are outstanding.

Strengths:
dcS Ring DAC, HDCD, Great definition.

Weaknesses:
Plastic faceplate.

Similar Products Used:
Thiel speakers, Myryad Amps, Thorens Record, Transparent Cables.

Price Paid:  $1200.00

Summary:
Before selecting this CD player, I studiously read every review printed concerning it and the reviews recorded on this site. The general consensus of the professional reviewers is that theAlpha 9 CD player is quite a performer, besting units costing hundreds or even thousand of dollars more. Let me start out by saying this player is endowed with sound quality that is unsurpassed in any unit you will find for under $3,000. I brought mine from a local dealer for $1,200. I would not have paid one cent more considering that you can get really good sounding units for far less. I considered the Rotel 991 but I could not find a dealer that would discount it significantly from it’s $1,300 suggested retail price. If I could have found it for $900, I would have purchased it. By the way, don’t believe all the bull that some dealers are preaching…”Rotel and Arcam will not let its dealers discount or mail order.” I have found authorized dealers that will discount and mail order anything, even Rotel and B&W. However, I have been sworn to secrecy concerning their identity.

My previous CD player was a $500 Sony CDP 80ES model that has a ton of features and some impressive stats: S/N ratio of 115dB, 20 bit resolution, five-year warranty, isolated power supplies, a thick metal face plate, and a Dynamic Range greater than 100dB. I used the optical output of the Sony and fed it to my B&K Reference 20 Preamp. Comparing the features of the Sony to the Arcam…there’s no comparison, the Sony wins convincingly. Further, my Sony weighs in at twice the bulk and looks more luxurious. I will keep the Sony and use it in my study.

Yes the Sony is feature laden, but the Arcam Alpha 9 simply sounds superior in every way an audiophile can describe: superior imagining, larger soundstage, deeper and tighter base, etc., etc., etc… One thing that I noticed when comparing the Arcam to the Rotel 991 and the Sony was that the sound level increased when doing A/B comparisons. Since I was using the same recording to do comparisons, I thought it was odd that this would occur. Maybe there is an expert out there that knows the answer. I suspect the Ring DAC has something to do with it.

Is this outstanding sound quality worth an extra $800 above the cost of the Sony or $300 above the Rotel? That depends on your current budget and your lust for ever increasing perfection in sound reproduction. My wife did not even notice that I had a new CD player. If see did, there is no way I could keep this thing. There was a significant improvement in sound quality of the Arcam over the Sony but not as much a one over the Rotel. The Rotel is very, very good CD Player that produces excellent sound quality, but the Arcam is simply superior in every sound quality metric. However, the differences are slight and only noticeable when doing A/B comparisons. Rotel major weakness is not what it can do now, but what it won’t be able to do in the future. I suspect that Sony’s SACD will win the format war between it and DVD audio. With that said, Rotel’s current CD players are subject to massive depreciation. I willing to bet $300 (difference in price) that Acram’s Alpha 9 will have an upgrade path (my preamp and amplifiers are upgradeable also!).

In the August edition of “Stereophile,” the editors rave about Krell’s lates $17,000 monoblock amplifiers and Rockport’s $73,000 turntable. I just do not understand why anyone would spend that kind of money on stereo gear when a $1,200 CD Player and a $1,000 two channel amplifier will supply 98.9% of a person’s sonic needs. However, is you are addicted to this hobby and have an uncontrollable, insatiable desire for sonic excellance, then spend on.

My system:

B&K Reference 20 Preamp/processor
B&K Reference 4420 2-channel amplifier
B&K Reference 4430 3-channel amplifier
Paradigm Studio Reference 100 version 2 (fronts)
Paradigm Sudio Reference 60 version 2 (rears)
Sunfire Signature True Subwoofer
AudioQuest interconnects
Monster Z1 speaker cable

Strengths:
Outstanding sound quality, two analog outputs (great for comparing interconnect cables), upgrade history, 3 year parts/labor warranty, resale value, HDCD playback, and Arcam’s reputation.

Weaknesses:
The Alpha 9 lacks many of the features found in far less expensive units such as: peak search, headphone jacks, volume controls, CD text, CD Disk naming, filter controls, balanced outputs, and optical outputs. The face looks cheap as stated below in the other reviews. Also the remote is sparse and that’s being kind