bob falfa

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $450.00 from ebay

Summary:
i'll start by saying that the CL-10 cd player is hands down the best i've ever heard.....in fact i'm listening to almost everything i have just to see what i have not heard!!!! man at times a can't believe it's the same CD,,, things like hearing the pick on the strings and the fantastic soundstage it produces and talk about clarity... and this is going on 8 years old!!! however mine was refurbished before i bought it so it should be good for a long time... the rest of the system is OUTLAW 990 PRE/PRO ,,OUTLAW 7125 POWER AMP,, MONSTER POWER FILTER 5100, 4 INFINITY ALPHA 50'S , 2 INFINITY ALPHA 20'S surround backs, INFINITY ALPHA 37C CENTER, 2 INFINITY ALPHA 1200S subs, plus INFINITY PS10 sub, DENON DP-47F turntable, CAL-CL-10, DBX 4 BX range expander, RANE THX44 equalizer, all MONSTER M series speaker cable bi-wired, all OUTLAW interconnectors , and a AUDIOPRISM wave guide on the power cords...

Strengths:
multiplay unit, great soundstage, clear, natural sound

Weaknesses:
company is out of business, so if it breaks down then what??

Similar Products Used:
nothing even close,,, onkyo, sony,

samiam

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $500.00 from ebay

Summary:
Review of CL-10: Overall, I think this is a great cd player. Usually, you have to choose between single disk players for better construction and sound, or multi-disk players for convenience/longer playing times. With this player, you get great sound and 5 disk ability. Well built, nice appearance, easy to use, great sound - I wish more companies made this kind of product.

Strengths:
-built like a tank -really nice soundstage -interchangeable power cord if you have a favorite - plays cdr disks (a previous reviewer was incorrect) - a good variety of rear-panel output options

Weaknesses:
-owner is kind of screwed if they lose the remote -fairly expensive (was originally $2000 when it first came out - I think $1500 was more reasonable)

Similar Products Used:
-California Audio Labs CL-5 -various Sony ES 5 disk changer -McIntosh 5 disk changers

Price Paid:  $1323.00 from Huppins

Summary:
I have had a love-hate relationship with this product for the last 6-years. I love the sound quality (i.e. when it works), performance per dollar, and 5-disc capability in an audiophile grade product. Sound quality far outperforms my previous & current NAD, Denon, and Pioneer Elite players. Great bass, deep soundstage, and crystal clean HDCD playback. As I said, when it works it is hard to beat this product for the price. Now for the bad news. This product has had ongoing quality issues since I first purchased it. Like many people I tried to ignore the problem and live with it for much too long before sending it back. The first (& ongoing) issue is that after turning the unit on it simply would not play. It would power on, and the display would show that the disc was playing, but no sound. This usually cleared up after 20-minutes to 1-hour. I sent back to Cal-audio twice for this problem. The first time they performed an upgrade and stated that the product tested out fine. Sounds to me like they threw parts at the problem and did minimal testing. Their customer service rep (probably the technician/engineer) was very defensive about the problem and did little to make things right. Also sent back a second time for the same problem. Now the unit powers on but just hopelessly shuffles from disc to disc and track to track without playing. What is extremely frustrating is that this unit seems to break down during every major party like Halloween, New Years, Christmas, and when friends want an audition. It is very embarrasing to audition your $15k audio system and have it fall flat on its' face. Needless to say this CD-player has scared away more than 1 person from hi-end audio. I can't count the times my $150 Denon player has had to bail it out. I would not recommend this product to anyone. Cal-audio is now out of business, no surprise, and my $1500 CD-player will soon be out with the weekly trash. It is unfortunate that products like these damage the reputation of hi-end audio.

Strengths:
Bang for the buck. HDCD & 5-disc capability for under $2k.

Weaknesses:
Quality, reliability, and poor customer service.

Similar Products Used:
Denon, Pioneer Elite, NAD.

Price Paid:  $900.00 from used at Q Audio

Summary:
A nice piece of gear. It casts a very believable picture through my apogee and pass front end. Last year it began to skip-it works intermittently now but it doesn''t allow you to disappear with the music when your always fidgiting with the remote search button. Cal told me they will only service products under warranty...not even for a fee. Too bad as the sound of this unit was way ahead of any carousel I auditioned at the time of purchase-doesn''t read cdr''s either. Mine will probably become a planter for Spring tulips. Guess its on to a single deck unit.

Strengths:
Convenience of carousel with high end pedigree.

Weaknesses:
No customer support

Similar Products Used:
Adcom gcd 700

Price Paid:  $1200.00 from Seattle

Summary:
Sounds great but keeps breaking down and I can no longer get it repaired by Cal-Audio. First time it quit reading CD''s they repaired it under warranty but it broke again within a few weeks. I had to pay shipping twice. Second time it broke (changer mechanism stuck) they refused to fix because it is off warranty! Told me to call the dealer, who told me to call them! They take no responsibility once it off warranty! Would not recommend the company at all.

Strengths:
Sounds great when it worked.

Weaknesses:
No anda! (Dosn''t work!)

Similar Products Used:
Adcom, NAD, Marantz