I’ve gotten a few emails about my review below and wanted to add the following:

The build quality of the player is PHENOMENAL and using it is a true pleasure. I never minded the Alpha 9’s construction, but the drawer here is clearly better-- rock solid, with a milled aluminum face, opens quietly and with silky ease. The buttons are equally solid and well proportioned. And the machine is heavy, appx 18 lbs.

Has coax and toslink digital outs, as well as removable power cord. As with the rest of the Arcam line, the display can be turned off (which Arcam claims improves the sound).

HDCD sounds so good you wish there were more of them out there. Forget Sony’s format.

Once again, I feel this is truly the best CD player out there. Use the money you save from not buying a Levinson and put it into better speakers/cables. You won’t be disappointed.

Detail, imaging, bass, overall musicality. Great build quality (ex-tray) and aesthetic design.

Somewhat on the forward side; flimsy disc tray.

A gem, and a bargain at this price. Details, details, details; this player reveals every pluck of the string, piano foot pedal, cymbal shimmer, etc. Outstanding on female vocals, folk-rock, jazz. Especially realistic on solo piano music.

A bit on the forward side, so cable matching important. Switch from WireWorld cables to Cardas made dramatic improvement, smoothing any edginess and tightening up on bass.

Finally, beautiful to look at and smooth in operation. Girlfriend says its sleek and sexy. The CD Player, that is.

Associated equipment:

McCormack DNA-1 Deluxe Power Amp - Rev. A
Conrad-Johnson PF-R Preamp
Dynaudio Contour 1.8 Mk. II Speakers
Cardas Quadlink 5 Interconnects (CD to Preamp)
Cardas Cross Interconnect (Preamp to Amp)
Analysis Plus Copper 9 Speaker Cables

Similar Products Used:

Pioneer PD-65; Sony SACD; Rega Planet; NAIM 5

Build Quality, Sound, HDCD and tremendous reputation for great audio products that are upgradeable.

Pieace of s--t remote, not even a power off/on button.

Spectatular! The HDCD format really increases the soundstage and brings the music back to life. Try Atlantic Records 50th Anniv. Cd recorded in HDCD and you will hear recordings from the early 60's come to life. For those who live in New Jersey, visit CSA Audio, they really treat customers with respect and have outstanding knowledge of their product line. I have spent the last 3 months testing every cd player within $2,500US. The LINN IKE, Naimcd5 and the Arcamcd23 were the finalst. All were class A pieces and cannot say a damn thing bad about any of the players. I just felt with my equipment(listed below)the Arcam FMJcd23 sounded better and created a more life like sound stage in my home. Also, it didn't hurt that the Arcam looks the best of all the players tested.


Equipment used:
Yamaha DSP A1
Krell KAV250a/3
Rotel RB993
Arcam FMJ CD23
Toshiba sd9000
Velodyne FSR18
Snell XA -60 mains
Vienna Acoustics Haydn rears
NHT AC2 center
Transparent Connections
Monster Wire

Similar Products Used:

Rotel, Naim, Linn, Nakamichi and Cal Lab

Great sounding player

Very Expensive, flimsy front panel buttons, cheap remote, easy to scratch/mark front panel

A very good sounding player, smooth and detailed, but what lacks is the quality finnish to justify the high price one has to pay to aquire this product.

Similar Products Used:

Arcam Alpha 9, Sony SCD-1

Great detail, soundstage. Extremely musical.

NONE!

I think the question on most people’s minds is how does the CD23 compare to the incredibly wonderful Alpha 9. Well, I bought the damn thing after walking into my dealer fully intending to get the 9, and hopefully I can provide some insight as to whether the FMJ is worth the extra cash.

Let me first say, that overall, the Alpha 9 and CD23 were as detailed, but clearly more musical than the other players I tested. I was most disappointed by the NAD. It conveyed the data, but was surprisingly dry and quite uninvolving (tested w/S100 pre, S200 amp). The Rotel 991 came much closer, but again, just not as musical, bass tended to thud more.

Both machines share Arcam’s proprietary 24-bit dcs Ring DAC. It is incredibly musical AND dynamic, a hard combination to find apparently at this price point. Tonally balanced. But the FMJ, aside from a stiffer, thicker chassis, also has a larger shielded (and I believe extra) power supply. The transport is improved, too. As a result, the FMJ is noticably, but not dramatically, livelier than the 9, completely unveiled, and a bit less warm (but still staying on the warmer side of neutral). It also has a slightly more crisp yet just as full sound, particularly the mids—notes ring out a little easier and the overall presentation is a touch more finessed and effortless.

The FMJ is also a bit more detailed, particularly in the treble, but not at all clinical, harsh or etched—the machine really knows how to place the information. The soundstage is phenomenally wide. (To some, this will appear to be a very forward player.) To my ears, it is also very deep, but my living room is not huge. Bass is stronger, also.

Cosmetically, I am in love. Arcam has hit a grand slam. FMJ looks clean, solid, functional. Not as stolid as a Levinson and as classic as an Armani suit. To be honest, this is the prime reason I took it over the 9. The law of diminishing returns is definitely at work here--whether the CD23 is $500 better, sonically, than the 9 is your call. Indeed, just about anyone could be completely happy with the 9. But there's no question that aesthetically, the thing is modern design at its finest. For me, the combination made it an easy decision.

Let's be honest here. $2000 is already an insane price to pay for a CDP. And spending more for ever decreasing gains is bordering on stupid. This machine can absolutely run with the Meridians and Levinson’s of the world. Does it "beat" them? Probably not. But for the price, it’s the best CDP in the world. And if you can't swing the FMJ, definitely get the 9.

6 for sound, 4 for value = 5


SYSTEM:

Rotel RB 991 amp
Rotel RC 972 pre
Arcam FMJ CD23 CD
Paradigm Reference Studio 100s
Tara Labs RSC Prime 1000
Kimber Kable Silver Streak ICs

Similar Products Used:

NAD S500, Rotel 971/991, Arcam Alpha 7SE, Alpha 9

transparency, very musical, better build than Alpha 9

$600 premium over Alpha 9 for minimal sonics gained, front face is susceptible to scratches, flimsy remote for over $2000 player

[this is an edited version of my Alpha 9 review, but i make relevant comments about this player below]

This player was meant to replace my 5 year Parasound CDC-1500 changer which has served me well. Bought at under $600, it was an amazing player in its day, and lended the convenience of being a changer without sacrificing sound quality.

associated components for reference:

Creek 4240SE amp
Magnepan 1.6QR speakers
Transparent speaker cables
Monster interconnects

In the end of a long audition period and much thought, i bought the Arcam Alpha 9. I was very concerned about the "flimsy build" quality, and being so "lightweight." the cal and rotel, and adcom units along with my Parasound give one more confidence in the longevity of the playersince they are built like tanks. but even with the best of these i noticed had pretty flimsy trays (why is this the trend in audio, i don't know. it seems that for over 1000, one would expect a very solid player. as a side note, my parasound changer tray is rock solid and well built)]. tray aside, the alpha 9 package is a lightweight by any measure. $1600 for a 9 lb weakling? all the other players i considered were about twice the heft of the Alpha 9.

i hate to admit it, but in the end its sonics won out and my wallet couldn't handle the FMJ23, so i bought the Alpha 9 [and i hope and pray that it will last many years to come without breaking on me. i presume that since the transport has been around for over 3 years now with very little reported problems (so i am told), it'll be ok.

Anyway, the review and comparison:

Sonically, the Alpha 9 CD player is a masterpiece. not the "best" or most "perfect" CD player i have heard (that is reserved for the top of the line Mark Levinson and Linn CD12 which are much more expensive), but the best in the class i was considering in terms of value and overall sound. and in my humblest opinion, more "realistic" and transparent than the excellent Meridian 508-24 which i have adored for quite some time. Voices are so natural [i like listening to a lot of acoustic/folk music so it really shines here]. violins are sweet, but have a realistic bite when called for. Excellent ambient detail recovery. Dynamics are excellent although bested by the Rotel 991 and Cal Audio unit. Soundstage width is phenomenal, depth is excellent but not as deep as the Cal Audio unit. but hands down, it was the most transparent of the units i considered.

How does it compare to the FMJ23 which sells for 600 more? [the retail of the FMJ23 recently went up] the FMJ23, IMHO, was *marginally* better. slightly better dynamics, but still not as good as the Cal CL-15, and more air on things like cymbals. but, very subtle differences. The FMJ23 was subtlely more refined than the Alpha 9, but i couldn't justify the extra 600 bucks. the external cosmetics were nice, yet i still didn't get the feeling that it was indestructable (of course nothing is). in fact, both units i demoed had several scratches on the face, indicating that
the metal is very soft and isn't as durable as one might have liked. better than the alpha 9, but not up to the standards of my old Parasound or the Cal Audio unit. The FMJ23 is a nice a unit, but no more a "value" than the cheaper built Alpha 9 since it costs $600 more. which is a big chunk of change for the minimal differences. by the way, the Arcam 9, however, is a huge improvement over the Alpha 8 and 8SE which i am very familiar with [helped my friend audition these and he owns the latter]. (both good players in the lower price bracket of under 1000)

anyway, here's some comparison thoughts with other comparably priced players:
i was considering players in the $1000-1500 range and narrowed it down to five players with a few exceeding my original budget. below, i list them, ranked in my order of preference regardless of price: (with retail prices)

Arcam FMJ23 (2199)
Arcam Alpha 9 (1599)
Rotel 991 (1299)
Cal Audio CL-15 (1675)
Adcom 750 (1250)

as i said above the FMJ23 is very much like the Alpha 9, just a smidge better for a lot more money. the Rotel had a sweet sound with great dynamics but didn't seem to have quite the resolution nor transparency of the Alpha 9. it was still my second choice, because it was 2nd in transparency only to the A9 and FMJ23. The Cal unit had amazing dynamics and threw the deepest soundstage of all the players, but was a bit bright for my tastes. i think, on my system, it would have grown fatiquing in time with its hyper detail. the midrange wasn't as pure as the arcamunits and a little less transparent than the Rotel. the adcom was my least favorite sonically. i loved the build quality, but this player did little for me. the sound wasn't very transparent, dynamics and soundstaging were good, but not close to the CL-15 nor the A9. i would have chosen a cheaper Arcam (alpha 8 or 8SE) or the Rotel 971 over it at lower price tags.

Similar Products Used:

alpha 9, rotel 991, adcom 750, cal audio CL-15

Way to many to list

None for the player. The remote stinks.

Obviously, this (A R ) who wrote the last review has a major problem with the fat farm I'm sorry HIFI Farm. Did they have cows and pigs demo the material for you. Know one who properly demo's a player in this 2k range can say it's flat unless (AR) has demoed this product on his "MY FIRST SONY" receiver and speaker set. I believe (AR) has a problem with the fat farm and he is venting his frustations out on this excellent player. This forum should be used to help other buyers decide what players to demo and give them some advice of what to look out for or to listen to. If you want to say this player has a Stinky remote with no power button, fine that's fair. But please tell the audience that when you put on a HDCD your whole system comes to life (Dave Koz "The Dance" or
Dave Brubeck's "Take Five"). These cd's along with many normal cd's will allow you to capture the greatness of this player. This isn't just for Arcam, it also stands true for the Naim, Linn and Meridian players. Don't bash these players without really giving them a fair chance. If you do your reseach and bring the proper materials with you when you demoe a player, there is no way you can say the player is flat with no soundstage.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel, naim. Demoed Cal Lab, Linn

Liquid midrange,analog type highs with no harshness,tremendous sound stage and depth creating holographic type images

Remote not user friendly too complicated use combintation remote to drive other components. No balanced outputs

Debated between investing in SACD or new CD player. Problem is that I found the SACD players do not play CD's as well as the best CD players and there is limited SACD software. For the money this player sound to me better than some players costing thousands more. This one component has made a tremedous improvement to my listening enjoyment as I don't get listner fatigue like I used to with harsh and gritty sounding highs typical of normal CD players

Similar Products Used:

Myriad 500

Smooth top end
Great with voices
Great build quality

The remote (model CR-314) !!!!!

First thing this player is running very quietly and look good. The build quality is very good but I would say average within the price. One thing neat is the dual RCA output. Very handy to test different interconnects or to drive another system.

The only real bad thing is the remote.... my player came with the CR-314... God this remote is bad (too many buttons)! And it was defective ! I rushed it back to the store and asked for the good old CR-214. The 214 is also cheaply made but at least very operational.

The sound of the player is very good. Very nice highs, smoother than the 8se. Excellent with brasses and pure delight with voices. The CD23 is giving very realistic voices compare to the 8se. Its amazing ability to combine smoothness and definition is wonderful. Imaging is quite good and very precise. A great hi-end CD.

It's a bit expensive so I think it deserves for 4 stars for value and 5 for sound. In the same optic for the Alpha 8se I would put 5 stars for value and 4 for sound. The 8se is a bit harder sounding but a very nice player at less than half price compare to the CD23.

System:

Arcam FMJ CD23 CD player
Totem Model One Signature speakers
Totem Amber integrated amplifier
Nordost RedDawn interconnect
Nordost RedDawn Rev II speaker wire
Nordost Pulsar Points
Totem URT powercord
Wireworld Stratus powercord
RPG Profoam
Audioquest Quiet Line

Similar Products Used:

Arcam Alpha 8se, Cambridge CD4

Soundstage, detail, reality

none

I listened extensively to all the above players with a wide variety of music (from Rage against the Machine to Tom Waits to Mahler to...), and found this player the most musical. It seems to be able to extract all the information that's on the cd, and not to add anything. Great great RingDAC in this machine!

I agree, the remote is not top of the bill, but then again I amplify with an Unison Research S6 tube amp that has the most basic remote ever invented! (Go hear this combination!!!)

It is much more expensive than the cd7, but I still think it worth 2*5 stars because you know you have to fork out the bigger bucks for the next extra pleasure.

Similar Products Used:

Arcam 7SE, Meridian 508.24, Rotel, Cyrus, Audio Analogue, Linn, Densen