Price Paid:  $600.00 from Dobar zvuk

Summary:
This is my first CD player which took out WOOOOOW from my mouth! U can't belive U R listening to CD player, the sound is so analog and natural, sometihing like very good turntable. Deep fluent bass, excellent mids and crystal clear highs, big soundstage. Better than "best buy".

Strengths:
sound, built, look

Weaknesses:
:-)

Similar Products Used:
Marantz CD 6000, Sony CDP930 QS

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
Had a H/K HD 750 cd-player I wasn´t pleased with. The sound was very edgy and sharp. Bad soundstage. Started to look for alternatives and came across a Thule Spirit CD100. I have know used it for a month and I´m very pleased. The treble is detail and sweet, the midrange is open, the bass is tight (very nice) and the soundstage is also good.

Strengths:
Detail, soundstage, midrange, bass, build quility.

Weaknesses:
The remote

Similar Products Used:
H/K HD 750

Price Paid:  $450.00 from used

Summary:
The last years I have used my DVD player as CD player, because I tought that I would not hear differece between DVD and CD players. I have never been very happy with my audio equipment when I play Stereo music. My ears got tired real fast when listening to stereo music, the sound sounded so digital and the treble was too intense. I have tried everything, expensive cables ect. but nothing helped very mutch. The last thing I wanted to try before selling everything was buying a new CD-player, and you bether belive it, it was it. Now I'm so happy with my stereo sound, I can't wait to get home from work just too hear music again. Thanks to thule the digital bad sound is gone. If you have problem with your equipment in stereo, you should realy try out this thule cd-player it's just fantastic. My setup in stereo is Denon AVR-3802, PSB Image 5t, Thule spirit CD100. At it's price it's unbeatable. You realy get a high-end CD-player for a very nice price. I will never sell it, it's the strongest point in my audio setup right now.

Strengths:
Fantastic sound, and looks.

Weaknesses:
remote

Similar Products Used:
Never had expensive cd-players. Would be a laugh to compare =)

Price Paid:  $850.00 from Stereo 1

Summary:
Ho deciso di acquistare questo lettore, dopo averne ascoltati molti. Cosa mi ha colpito? La naturalezza del suo suono. Ne avevo sentito parlare ed avevo letto qualche cosa su delle riviste specializzate.: non è certo un prodotto conosciuto ai piu', tuttaltro!!Chiariamo subito una cosa: non siamo certo davanti ad un lettore CD hi-end, del resto, il prezzo parla da solo. Macchine da musica tipo Accuphase , Meridian ecc. sono altri pianeti. Ma, devo dire, inquesta fascia di prezzo, mi è sembrato un buon acquisto. Lo consiglio a chi cerca un lettore molto neutro e poco stancante, anche dopo lunghi ascolti.

Strengths:
Suono molto naturale e pulito, molto buono con le voci. Costruzione solidissima.

Weaknesses:
A volte manca un po' di "luminosità" sulle alte frequenze. Telecomando semplicemente ridicolo.

Similar Products Used:
Denon, Philips.

Summary:
As I was listening to this CDP at the local retailer, another customer, whom I greeted, entered the listening room. He said, "So you’re here looking for that good sound?" I should have responded, "Not anymore, I’ve just found it."

Per the obligatory stipulation, I’m sure that far more expensive CD players sound somewhat better than the Spirit 100. However, what does this CDP do that others in its price cohort (sub-$1000) don’t do? Compared to the other players I listened to from Marantz, Rotel, and Arcam, the Spirit 100 simply doesn’t exhibit the weaknesses of the other players. The Marantz 6000ose, while providing nice detail, suffered from a hint of electronic haze and harshness. Its presentation was just too digital for my tastes. The Rotel CDPs are quite musical, but also sound a bit digital and rounded in presenting music. I must confess that I enjoy the Arcam Diva 72’s sound; it is quite musical and involving, but suffers from a slight lack of detail. For jazz CDs, it sounds very good with a nice top end and clean mid-range (making vocals especially pleasing). Unfortunately, the lack of detail became too apparent with classical music. When I threw the Brodsky Quartet’s "Ottorino Respighi" at it (BTW, a nice CD), the music was only presented as an amalgam of the parts with an inability to present the individual instruments at the appropriate moments (the singing of the violins or moaning of the cello). Given that one can upgrade the Arcam CDPs, I also listened to the classical CD on the Diva 72’s sibling, the Diva 92. While generally sounding better, the "92" also had a difficult time presenting the detail of this recording.

As for the Spirit 100, it has a very natural sound for a CDP (lacking the pronounced digital artifacts that haunt the sound of so many mid-fi CDPs); like the Arcam players, its presentation is very sweet and lyrical: music just sounds "right" coming from it. It also handles musical detail quite ably: when the classical recording emphasizes a violin or cello, that instrument is distinct from the others. And, all of these pluses seem equally true regardless of the type of music: jazz, classical, electronic rock, acoustic pop or folk. Finally, the player is solidly made (seemingly excellent build quality at this price point) and virtually silent as it plays a CD; except for the sound coming through the speakers, you would never know that the unit is engaged.

Is the player perfect? I have two minor complaints. First, a slight annoyance, cymbals can sound a bit shimmery. Second, the player uses a "one-button" control system: You use the same (and only) button on the CDP’s front panel to control the opening and closing of the drawer and playing of CDs, unless you use the remote control. It turns out that this one-button operation is quite easy to do and logical, but requires coaching for every first-timer who simply wants to play a CD. (Actually, this could be a blessing with some guests – just hide the remote control; otherwise, it’s just awkward.)

All-in-all, this is a great CDP that I would recommend without hesitation; thank you Taro (at Dynamic AV) for bringing this gem to the Houston market.

My system:
B&K pre & amp
B&W speakers
Thule Spirit CD 100

Strengths:
detailed, clean sound

Weaknesses:
minor ones noted in review

Similar Products Used:
NAD, Marantz, Rotel, Arcam