Think about it for a second: If you could buy a six-disc CD changer that sounded every bit as good and was built just as well as a similarly priced single-disc player, would you be interested?

Think about it for a second: If you could buy a six-disc CD changer that sounded every bit as good and was built just as well as a similarly priced single-disc player, would you be interested?

Think about it for a second: If you could buy a six-disc CD changer that sounded every bit as good and was built just as well as a similarly priced single-disc player, would you be interested?

Think about it for a second: If you could buy a six-disc CD changer that sounded every bit as good and was built just as well as a similarly priced single-disc player, would you be interested?

Think about it for a second: If you could buy a six-disc CD changer that sounded every bit as good and was built just as well as a similarly priced single-disc player, would you be interested?

It was inevitable that I'd encounter the California Audio Labs CL-15 in my search for a CD player priced less than stratospherically. CAL was one of the first companies to hit the market with a high-end CD player, and they've been building great-sounding digital gear ever since. What's more, the CL-15's predecessor was the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/696cal">Icon PowerBoss Mk.II HDCD</A>, a longtime personal favorite. I was particularly curious to see how the CAL would stack up against today's competition. I've been impressed with CAL products over the years&mdash;the original Sigma, the Delta, the DX-1 and 2, and, of course, the Icon. On the other hand, the competition&mdash;players like the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/634">Rega Planet</A>, Arcam's Alpha 8 and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/199arcam">Alpha 9</A>, and Ultech's UCD 100&mdash;has improved dramatically since I last heard the Icon.

It was inevitable that I'd encounter the California Audio Labs CL-15 in my search for a CD player priced less than stratospherically. CAL was one of the first companies to hit the market with a high-end CD player, and they've been building great-sounding digital gear ever since. What's more, the CL-15's predecessor was the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/696cal">Icon PowerBoss Mk.II HDCD</A>, a longtime personal favorite. I was particularly curious to see how the CAL would stack up against today's competition. I've been impressed with CAL products over the years&mdash;the original Sigma, the Delta, the DX-1 and 2, and, of course, the Icon. On the other hand, the competition&mdash;players like the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/634">Rega Planet</A>, Arcam's Alpha 8 and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/199arcam">Alpha 9</A>, and Ultech's UCD 100&mdash;has improved dramatically since I last heard the Icon.

It was inevitable that I'd encounter the California Audio Labs CL-15 in my search for a CD player priced less than stratospherically. CAL was one of the first companies to hit the market with a high-end CD player, and they've been building great-sounding digital gear ever since. What's more, the CL-15's predecessor was the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/696cal">Icon PowerBoss Mk.II HDCD</A>, a longtime personal favorite. I was particularly curious to see how the CAL would stack up against today's competition. I've been impressed with CAL products over the years&mdash;the original Sigma, the Delta, the DX-1 and 2, and, of course, the Icon. On the other hand, the competition&mdash;players like the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/634">Rega Planet</A>, Arcam's Alpha 8 and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/199arcam">Alpha 9</A>, and Ultech's UCD 100&mdash;has improved dramatically since I last heard the Icon.

It was inevitable that I'd encounter the California Audio Labs CL-15 in my search for a CD player priced less than stratospherically. CAL was one of the first companies to hit the market with a high-end CD player, and they've been building great-sounding digital gear ever since. What's more, the CL-15's predecessor was the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/696cal">Icon PowerBoss Mk.II HDCD</A>, a longtime personal favorite. I was particularly curious to see how the CAL would stack up against today's competition. I've been impressed with CAL products over the years&mdash;the original Sigma, the Delta, the DX-1 and 2, and, of course, the Icon. On the other hand, the competition&mdash;players like the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/634">Rega Planet</A>, Arcam's Alpha 8 and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/199arcam">Alpha 9</A>, and Ultech's UCD 100&mdash;has improved dramatically since I last heard the Icon.