Price Paid:  $800.00 from Audio Advisor

Summary:
I bought it to replace my CAL Icon II + Muse Model 2+ DAC. It uses the same DAC, the excellent Burr-Brown 63 (20 bits), and the same digital filter.
But it odesn't sound as good : bass are not going as low, and the low treble is more forward and agressive.
I would say that it sound like the Musical Fidelity A3CD, with a slightly better soundstage.
The mechanism of the one I got was noisy, and to the bredit of Audio Advisor, they took it back without problem. I feel they are more knowledgeable and more honest than many local shops in Houston.

Strengths:
Thick front plate, decent sound, good soundstage

Weaknesses:
Lean bass, treble slighlty agressive, quality control ?

Similar Products Used:
NAD, CAL, Marantz, Philips, Musical Fidelity

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
This "New" cd player is a good one in most respects,basically only available in US through Audio Advisor. It is well built with an advertised Killer Quality Control Check & Re-Check. It has an excellent presence after the lesser than usual break-in due to Perreaux's pre-ship runs. It boasts a 96/24 bit presence without upsampling. It uses the same 20-bit chipset as Adcom's dac's of the past. I would not call it your "last" cd player for that it would have to encluded a newer upsampling to Quasi- 192/24 chipset. At 1495.00 it is Above others in it's price class with quality sound reproduction, handcrafted build, & HDCD capabiltiy. It's competition is actually about a grand or more in price. It does not specify the number of the Burr-Brown chipset most likely being the 1702 or 1704.The new PMD-200 HDCD filter isn't mentioned it is likely the PMD-100, since the ECD-2 player has been availble in New Zealand since '99. Roderstein resistors & Black Gate capacitors are used which is a definte plus. A good cd spinner using excellent ideas past & present.

Strengths:
Build, sound, parts, price

Weaknesses:
Needed upsampling ON/Off option to be a real steal.

Similar Products Used:
NAD s-500 Adcom GCD-750 Cal Audio Labs CL-15