Im just getting my components in now, don't have the NAD yet. So for now i will just being using my portable Sony cd player. But i don't want to live this way forever. So if you have any ideas for a nice cheap cd player (100-300 usd) would great.
Spearitsound had a NAD c521i for $219 and there was an NAD c541i for $275. Both of these are considered great values. I have a wanted ad in the classifieds for one of these myself.
An employee that i know and trust at a local dealership is using a Cambridge D500SE in his own system at home. He's been pretty happy with it and has no problems recommending the product, even though they don't sell it : ) I think that Audiogon member Trelja has a D500 and might be able to offer further insight.
I also remember the folks at Listener magazine ( now defunct ) recommending a Cambridge player. Can't remember which model, but i also remember Stereophile recommending the CD-4SE a while back.
If trying to find one of these is inconvenient and / or slightly above your price range, meaning you want something "really cheap" that works decently, take a look at this Pioneer DV-363-K. It lists for $150 retail and you should be able to find it for measurably less than that. My brother is using a similar but earlier version as his DVD player. Just to see how it worked as a stand-alone CD player, we tried it that way and it actually did pretty decently. Just make sure that you set it for 24 / 192 operation and it should give you quite reasonable performance for +/- $125 or so. Sean >
If you go to Audio Advisor, you may find a demo D500SE for less than new, with a warranty. Spearit Sound has them new for $379. A small power cord upgrade helps a lot too.
