Compared to a 1982 $99 Magnavox & $2,100 Creek Destiny (2007), sounds noticeably better than the Magnavox, not quite as good as Creek on its own.

But wait, I also can run them through a Parasound D/A converter ($1,000) with trivial differences, but Creek marginally beats CA Audio Lab which marginally beats Magnavox.

Here's where life gets interesting. The Creek failed in Sept 2013; the laser burned out. I queried creek: Why did your laser fail in 5 years when I've been using a 1982 CD player since 1982 with no problem? Creek replied that the laser makers have dumbed down the product, and greatly reduced reliability to keep initial costs down.

If we take Creek at its word, rather than concluding they are incompetent, the lesson is to NEVER buy a new CD player. Buy old stuff, like CA Audio Labs, & couple it with a modern D/A converter. You will save $$$ and get a more reliable product.

Associated equipment: Quad ESL-63 speakers; Struss Model S integrated amplifier, McIntosh integrated amp, Marantz PM-32 integrated amp, and a mid 1980s Luxman integrated amp.

Cost: $15 at a thrift store-- a steal.

excellent sound. simple remote. reliable.

looks cheap. company no longer around.

I have owned this player for 6 years and, over time, have upgraded the surrounding components. It really is a great machine. Recently, I wanted to update the oldest part of my system (the DX-2), and brought home several units to demo including the Arcam FMJ 23. I was very surprised that the DX-2 still sounded as good or better than many more modern and considerably more expensive players. This really is a great player, although it does look quite cheap! Wish CAL was still in business. system preamp and amp- bryston cables- tara labs speakers- legacy audio

I recently purchased the California Audio Labs DX-2 CD player after a relatively extensive research and auditioning period. I am not sure if I'm qualified to submit a review on any audio product, but for what it's worth, I believe I do have a good ear and a strong technical background that lend themselves to being part of a useful opinion. I had first read about the DX-2 in a favorable Stereo Review article, so I decided to include it in my search. Other players I had auditioned (in the $500-$800 rtl. price range) included the Nakamichi MB-1s/MB-2s, Marantz CD-67se, ADCOM GCD-700, and the Rotel RCD-975/970BX. I was not able to find the Arcam Alpha 7. Overall, I personally favored the sound of the Rotel RCD-975 and the CAL DX-2. However, I would not be so pretentious as to say the others sounded poor. Based on other non-audio factors (aesthetics, fabrication, transport motion...), I decided on the DX-2. However, if the remainder of my system were Rotel, I probably would have purchased the Rotel RCD-975 based on the obvious integration benefits. After having the DX-2 in my system for a couple months, I am more than satisfied with the purchase. Based on my experience, and listening to other (more expensive players), one would certainly be mistaken not to include the DX-2 in a (<$1000) CD player search. Nice work CAL. Four stars.

warm, non-fatiguing sound. Rock solid build quality. Simple design & ergonomics.

remote not real sensitive

The CAL has a very nice, warm sound that really grows on you, and whose strengths are increasingly revealed with better downstream equipment. When I first plugged this player into my system, I was somewhat underwhelmed as I sat back and listened. But for some reason I had a desire to continue to feed it CD after CD. As I continued to listen over the next month or so, the soundstage completely opened up giving the CAL a light airy sound, which nicely complements my Vandersteen 1C's. After 3+ months of listening to the DX-2, I've become very partial to it. It's very detailed, yet very warm.

As a courtesy to my wife who appreciates convenience more than absolute sound quality, I keep a Sony mass market CD changer hooked up too. Honestly, I simply can't listen to the Sony after being spoiled by CAL. I can be in a different room on the other side of the house and I'll cringe and immediately notice the difference between the two.

I bought my DX-2 as a demo for about $300, an unbelievably cheap price for such a high quality piece of equipment. Given the price I paid, it is clearly a 5 star value. Had I paid closer to the $650 list, the value rating might suffer a little. The overall rating is a bit tougher, but clearly at least a 4, and perhaps 5. Had I reviewed this product after only a week or two of ownership, it would rate a 3, but as I said, it has really grown on me, and would prefer 4.5.

Similar Products Used:

Sony mass market & ES players

Great sound, great sound stage, bass extension, everything. Solid built, great looks.

Display, come on guys for this price you could use a more decent display!

One of the best bargains in high end audio! Who says high end = high price? Anyways here is how I would review this player:

Build quality: Upon picking up this player, I could tell this baby meant business. A bit heavier then it looks. The back panel contains all you need: one pair analog outputs and a digital output (coxial) should you choose to use it as a transport instead. Great styling. Only thing I don't like is the display. This is high end player CAL fix the display! Remote is fairly o.k. though hard to find buttons in dark.

Sound: By far and away a great player. Excellent soundstaging, good mid-range detail, maybe a bit slight bright at times (nothing serious folks) good bass extension.
Why pay more?


Overall: If you are looking for a great player, this is one you should not pass up!

Similar Products Used:

Adcom GCD-600

I have owned the CAL DX-2 for a several months now. I find this CD player to be accurate, never harsh and leaning towards the warm side. I find it very musical and never fatiguing. While the unit may not be much to look at, It is built very solid and the attention to detail is fantastic. This is not a mass produced product, yet the price is very reasonable. In summary, this is a no frills CD player that has a sound that can only be found in units costing hundreds more! Made in the USA, includes a 3 year warranty... In my opinion... one of the best buys on the planet!

Resolution, soundstage

Display

Okay, so I've had my new DX-2 for a week, and I've been itching to review the whole time, but I've forced myself to wait, to continue listening, allow for burn-in (whatever that means), and the like. Well, I can't stands no more!
I think this is a great CD player. Period. I happen to have bought it factory sealed for $375 (plus shipping on eBay), but after listening to it all week, full price ($650) is well worth it.

My previous CDP was a mass-market Sony, and the DX-2 improves everything. That's probably a gimme, but I've been auditioning CD players for months and while the DX-2 doesn't spank everything I've heard, it does a great job with everything I listen to (everything except for country).

The DX-2 performed well (over 80 discs so far) with all genres. Rock (Cream, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix); Jazz, both instrumental and vocals (Ornette Coleman, Cassandra Wilson, Patricia Barber, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gilespie); Heavy Metal (Ozzy, Pantera); Classical (Firebird Suite, Peter and the Wolf, Beethoven's 9th); power-pop (Posies, dada), etc.

The remote is nice. It not only has a power button, but a display button (on/off). The layout is intuitive, and I like that it has buttons for "11" and "12," not just 10+ (which it has as well).

The front panel buttons are well organized. The Open button is well to the left of the drawer, and Play is next to that. Pushing Play while the drawer is open, closes the drawer and starts play (same on the remote).

My only complaint, and it's a minor one, is the display. It's too bright and has no contrast (not even in broad daylight). First of all, the light totally blots out the numbers in the display due to zero contrast. I can read my pre-amps nice greeen numbers (against a black background) from across the room. It can't be defeated, but it doesn't bug me in the least. That just makes me wish the DX-2 had an equally nice display. That being said, I don't really make use of the display all that much. It's minor, but it's there.

How's it sound? Bass, resolution, soundstage are all great. Doesn't sound warm or bright. Transparent? Possibly, although my ear isn't that refined. I did audition the Rega Planet and that was warm and did tend to roll off some highs. Not the DX-2. Compared against the Rotel RCD-971, it might be an even match. The Rotel probably would have been my purchase had I not scored on the DX-2.

I do believe the DX-2 is being (has been) discontinued by CAL, but they still have the unit up on the Sensory Science (CAL's parent company) web site.

Everything's relative, so all I can say is, "I love it!"

Similar Products Used:

Mass-market Sony

This is a quality player. When the system is right, it will produce very warm sound with tight bass. I prefer it to Marantz CD67SE or Sony XA3ES because of its warmth. But I can certainly understand why some people would prefer Marantz or Sony, they sound more natural and clean. The deciding factor for me was that it was only $535 (Onecall), delivered!!!

detailed, natural non-strident sound and solid construction

styling doesn't match the sound

I bought the unit in 1997 when I was trying to find a sub-$1000 player that didn't sound harsh or strident. I'm still a big fan of analog, and wanted something that sounded kind of like my Rega Planar 3, and not like the cheaper, harsh-sounding Sony I was using at the time. A significant amount of time auditioning the alternatives led to the narrowing of the choice to three candidates: the DX-2 (the ICON Mk 2 was a bit too expensive for me then), the Rega Planet and the Creek (forgot the model #). Although, sonically, they were quite similar - with perhaps the creek and rega offering a slightly warmer, more analog-like sound, I found that the DX-2 was the only player of the three that would play all the disks I auditioned. The other two would skip and simply refuse to play some tracks.

So, the DX-2 came home, and was placed on the top shelf of my rack. Admittedly, the player looks cheaper than it is, but on the other hand, the DX-2 has performed reliably and solidly for nearly four years now. As a side note, when I first brought the player home, I auditioned a number of interconnects, and found that a pair of MIT Terminator 2's served to keep the highs smooth and the mids detailed - the way I like them.

Recently, I made a significant upgrade in my amplification and speakers - from a Carver C-1 and M1.0t driving Boston Acoustics T-1000's to a Linn Kolektor driving a pair of Linn Ninkas actively through two LK-85 power amps. I was initially apprehensive that the increased resolution of the new system would show weakness in the DX-2. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the same detailed and smooth sound that I heard before was still there, except that the Linn gear let me hear more of what I liked.

Sure, there are better sounding players out there: the Linn players, for instance, would show an improvement in detail, smoothness, sense of 'air' and overall musicality. For the price, however, I think the DX-2 offers excellent performance, and does so in a reliable package. I have no immediate plans to upgrade this unit, and I'm sure it will perform well for me for the next couple of years, at least (I think it'll take that long to save for a Linn player).

I'd give the player 4.5 stars overall if I could. 5 is overkill because there are better units out there, but you have to pay a lot more to get them.

Similar Products Used:

arcam, creek, rega, rotel, sony

Build quality, sound, detail, price

This is my first attempt at hi-end audio. I reviewed the comments here first and then purchased the unit off ebay. The detail on this thing is amazing! I could actually hear people talking before the song started on my S.T.P. CD like 5 seconds before the song started!! Never heard that on the Kenwood. This player is awesome! Nothing complicated, very easy to use. I don't have any problems with the display as noted in other reviews. My only complaint is a good one. I had CDs that were scrathced and played fine on my old CD player. But this one pickes up everything, including scratches, dirt exct. It will skip or get stuck if you do not take care of your CDs. My next upgrade will be a NAD reciever.

Similar Products Used:

Kenwood 5 disc changer