Brian Damkroger

In the last year I've written about several components of a truly engaging system: the VPI TNT Mk.IV turntable and JMW Memorial 12" tonearm (February '99), Grado Reference cartridge; the <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/156">Wadia 830</A> CD player (October 1999); and <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/216">Thiel's CS7.2</A> loudspeakers (February 2000). I've recounted the evolution of my listening-room setup as well, and described its optimization using <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/roomtreatments/215">ASC Tube Traps</A> and Art Noxon's MATT test in the February issue. The final piece of the puzzle, and the one I'll tackle here, was the cable package from MIT: the MI-330 Shotgun Proline interconnects and the MH-750 shotgun speaker cables.

Recently, I caught myself smiling at a tiny ad for Nirvana cables that proclaimed them to be "the quiet cable." My smile wasn't because the claim was outlandish, which it wasn't, but because it was so typical of Nirvana Audio Products&#151;small, understated, and all too easy to miss. The ad could just have easily and just as accurately have read "Nirvana...the quiet company."

It's easy to be impressed by Simaudio's Moon Evolution Andromeda Reference CD player. Everything about it oozes quality and luxury, from its imposing two-chassis configuration to the multi-component disc clamp of machined aluminum. Even surrounded by my double-decker VTL amps, <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/turntables/506vpi">VPI HR-X</A> turntable, and Ferrari Fly-yellow <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/floorloudspeakers/619/index8.html">Wilson Audio Sophia 2</A> speakers, the Andromeda was usually the first thing guests asked about: "How much does <I>that</I> cost?" The answer is $12,500. The Andromeda <I>should</I> look impressive.

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.

At $2295, the CD31 is the most expensive integrated CD player from Swedish manufacturer Primare, and an evolution of their D30.2, which I <A HREF="http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/604primare">reviewed</A&gt; in the June 2004 <I>Stereophile</I>. I knew that the CD31 wasn't a clean-sheet design, but my first look suggested that it wasn't even much of an evolution&mdash;a comparison of its and the D30.2's spec sheets matched almost line for line. When I asked Terry Medalen of Sumiko, Primare's US distributor, about the similarity, and if the CD31 was just a mild tweaking of the D30.2, he said, "Well, yes and no. You really need to listen to it."

I've been in love with British sports cars ever since a visiting highway engineer brought a green MGB-GT to my tiny Nebraska town 30 years ago. Since then, there's been a steady stream of ferocious little cars in my life. Triumphs, MGs, Healeys, you name it&mdash;right up to my current crop, a Triumph TR6 and roughly two-and-a-half Jensen-Healeys.