Price Paid:  $0.00 from local dealer

Summary:
Forget about this "analogphiles"' crap against digital technologies! This Delta 250 + Black Box 50 couple does sound very close to analog (in its price range, everything is relative, you know). Before that I was using Arcam Alpha 8SE, and Alpha 7 before that, and Sony CDP202ES, and a low-end Technics, which were O'K for the time but just mammoth steps below of what I own now...
What's all that big deal about Alpha 9? Recently had a good chance to compare it to my former Alpha 8SE and during more than a week in my listening conditions it didn't surprise me at all...
I feed my Black Box into an Arcam Alpha 10 (Audioquest Quartz) and a pair of Tannoy D500 (

Strengths:
A great machine at a decent price. Very well built. Good British looks (if British can define good looks at all)

Weaknesses:
Can't think of any so far.

Similar Products Used:
Arcam Alpha 8SE, Alpha 9.

Price Paid:  $900.00 from Dealer

Summary:
I have been using my Delta 250 with the Black Box 50 for five years now. I have listened to many players with the idea of upgrading. So far I have not been persuaded to change. My Quad 77 CD has a better midrange, but lacks the pace and detail. The Arcam combo is brilliant with jazz, rock and acoustic music. The detail and ambience of the performance is well presented.

So far I have bought and sold a Copland 288 (beautiful midrange, soggy bass) and a Cyrus Discmaster (too clinical). Other players I have tried are the Marantz 63SE KI (what is all the fuss about?), Meridian 506 (bland), various Theta models as well as the Wadia 830 and 850. The only player I would replace my Arcam combo with is the Wadia 850, but due to our local currency being so weak, it is the price of a small BMW here! I have not listened to the Arcam FMJ 23 as yet.

For anyone who says that all transports sound alike, have your ears syringed!

Strengths:
Pace, detail, reliability

Weaknesses:
Styling a bit plain

Similar Products Used:
Quad 77, Copland 288, Cyrus Discmaster

Price Paid:  $200.00 from PRIVATE

Summary:
its a good transport, with glass optic laser pickups.most cheaper cd players use plastic optics, not as precise. as for the sound, well transports DONT HAVE A SOUND, they just read the 0s, and 1s of the cd. either theyre accurate or theyre not.

all transports work very well these days, expensive ones just work 100% all the time, with less error correction used, so more accurate reply. even so, there is no 'sound' being altered. next youll be telling me that silver wire 'sounds' better than copper ! give me a break, Im a qualified electronics/physics engineer and know the real idelogies behind the bulls*it marketing techniques. Oh , I use a valve amp and UK speaker for replay. also use a Cambridge audio Dac Magic, as it performs and measures equally as the £ 2000 Pink Triangle counterpart. It was deisgned by PT after all.

when u see hifi selling for 1,000s of pounds, just think, NOTHING in hi-fi costs anywhere near that price to build.

Strengths:
good digital transport. bought mine 2nd hand for cheap, as well overpriced new, like all 'high end' rip off components.

Weaknesses:
none

Summary:
I've been using this transport in combination with Arcam Black Box . Great "british" sound. Sounds better than any "entry level high end" player. Phillips drive . Clock Sinc between transport and DA .
Only minor inconvinience - there is no power on/off switch on remote control.
Overall for preformance/price - 5.