A Simple Question

At what price does a basic analog set-up (pre-amp, tone arm, cartridge, table) sound better than a similarly priced CD player?

I think that if I had $170 to spend, the latest Oppo multi-format player would sound better than any analog set-up I could put together. Give me $1,000 and I could put together an analog set-up that would easily beat a $1,000 CD player.

So where's the tipping point? And what would that analog system look like?

One Two Three Up

One Two Three Up

In bed the night before last, images of large and heavy loudspeakers carefully maneuvered into their old shipping cartons and up the narrow flight of stairs from JA's listening room, around a tight bend made tighter by piles of shoes and other things, and up another flight into a hall separating dining room from living room. One heavy step at a time, carefully.

Onkyo DX-7555 CD player Wes Phillips on the Onkyo

Onkyo DX-7555 CD player Wes Phillips on the Onkyo

I first heard a CD player in my own system in 1984 or 1985, several years before I began writing for <I>Stereophile</I>. I was curious about the Compact Disc medium&mdash;I'd read about it, had listened to CDs in stores, and was eager to hear what they sounded like in my own system. I'd even bought a CD: the original-cast recording of <I>42nd Street</I>, which I already had on LP. One evening, a friend who worked for Sony and knew that I was an audiophile brought over his latest acquisition: a CDP-501ES, the second from the top of Sony's line of CD players. He also brought along a bunch of CDs, including some solo-piano discs, and Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Symphony's then-famous recording of Tchaikovsky's <I>1812 Overture</I> (Telarc CD-80041).

Onkyo USA Corporation
18 Park Way
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
(201) 785-2600
www.us.onkyo.com

Onkyo DX-7555 CD player Measurements

Onkyo DX-7555 CD player Measurements

I first heard a CD player in my own system in 1984 or 1985, several years before I began writing for <I>Stereophile</I>. I was curious about the Compact Disc medium&mdash;I'd read about it, had listened to CDs in stores, and was eager to hear what they sounded like in my own system. I'd even bought a CD: the original-cast recording of <I>42nd Street</I>, which I already had on LP. One evening, a friend who worked for Sony and knew that I was an audiophile brought over his latest acquisition: a CDP-501ES, the second from the top of Sony's line of CD players. He also brought along a bunch of CDs, including some solo-piano discs, and Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Symphony's then-famous recording of Tchaikovsky's <I>1812 Overture</I> (Telarc CD-80041).

Onkyo USA Corporation
18 Park Way
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
(201) 785-2600
www.us.onkyo.com

Onkyo DX-7555 CD player Associated Equipment

Onkyo DX-7555 CD player Associated Equipment

I first heard a CD player in my own system in 1984 or 1985, several years before I began writing for <I>Stereophile</I>. I was curious about the Compact Disc medium&mdash;I'd read about it, had listened to CDs in stores, and was eager to hear what they sounded like in my own system. I'd even bought a CD: the original-cast recording of <I>42nd Street</I>, which I already had on LP. One evening, a friend who worked for Sony and knew that I was an audiophile brought over his latest acquisition: a CDP-501ES, the second from the top of Sony's line of CD players. He also brought along a bunch of CDs, including some solo-piano discs, and Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Symphony's then-famous recording of Tchaikovsky's <I>1812 Overture</I> (Telarc CD-80041).

Onkyo USA Corporation
18 Park Way
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
(201) 785-2600
www.us.onkyo.com

Onkyo DX-7555 CD player Specifications

Onkyo DX-7555 CD player Specifications

I first heard a CD player in my own system in 1984 or 1985, several years before I began writing for <I>Stereophile</I>. I was curious about the Compact Disc medium&mdash;I'd read about it, had listened to CDs in stores, and was eager to hear what they sounded like in my own system. I'd even bought a CD: the original-cast recording of <I>42nd Street</I>, which I already had on LP. One evening, a friend who worked for Sony and knew that I was an audiophile brought over his latest acquisition: a CDP-501ES, the second from the top of Sony's line of CD players. He also brought along a bunch of CDs, including some solo-piano discs, and Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Symphony's then-famous recording of Tchaikovsky's <I>1812 Overture</I> (Telarc CD-80041).

Onkyo USA Corporation
18 Park Way
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
(201) 785-2600
www.us.onkyo.com

Onkyo DX-7555 CD player Page 2

Onkyo DX-7555 CD player Page 2

I first heard a CD player in my own system in 1984 or 1985, several years before I began writing for <I>Stereophile</I>. I was curious about the Compact Disc medium&mdash;I'd read about it, had listened to CDs in stores, and was eager to hear what they sounded like in my own system. I'd even bought a CD: the original-cast recording of <I>42nd Street</I>, which I already had on LP. One evening, a friend who worked for Sony and knew that I was an audiophile brought over his latest acquisition: a CDP-501ES, the second from the top of Sony's line of CD players. He also brought along a bunch of CDs, including some solo-piano discs, and Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Symphony's then-famous recording of Tchaikovsky's <I>1812 Overture</I> (Telarc CD-80041).

Onkyo USA Corporation
18 Park Way
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
(201) 785-2600
www.us.onkyo.com

Onkyo DX-7555 CD player

Onkyo DX-7555 CD player

I first heard a CD player in my own system in 1984 or 1985, several years before I began writing for <I>Stereophile</I>. I was curious about the Compact Disc medium&mdash;I'd read about it, had listened to CDs in stores, and was eager to hear what they sounded like in my own system. I'd even bought a CD: the original-cast recording of <I>42nd Street</I>, which I already had on LP. One evening, a friend who worked for Sony and knew that I was an audiophile brought over his latest acquisition: a CDP-501ES, the second from the top of Sony's line of CD players. He also brought along a bunch of CDs, including some solo-piano discs, and Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Symphony's then-famous recording of Tchaikovsky's <I>1812 Overture</I> (Telarc CD-80041).

Online Dealers

My apologies if I am posting this in the wrong forum. But as a newbie, I am interested in identifying reputable online dealers for the following products: Paradigm, Bryston, Audio Research & Cambridge Audio. Although I certainly understand the advantages of buying local, I at least need to be sure that my local dealer's prices are not out of line. Thank you.

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