74 October 2008
video performance (thanks to Faroudja pro-
cessing) and sound quality that takes NAD’s tra-
ditional house sound to much higher levels than
ever before by offering dramatically increased
levels of resolution, transient speed, denition,
and three-dimensionality. The player performs
equally well with CDs and high-resolution discs,
and is a compelling value for money.
This universal player builds on the strengths of
Arcam’s earlier uni-players, delivering rst-rate
video and excellent sound quality across all for-
mats. The DV-137’s presentation is particularly
clean, with low levels of grain and a dead-quiet
background.
Like its companion piece from Creek, the Des-
tiny integrated amp, the Destiny CD player rivals
the performance of more expensive separates
and, in combination with the amp, does some
things better than any other digital and solid-
state combo that JH has heard at anywhere near
its price.
An amazing value! Unique tube-based clock. At
its best, with the board upgrade, the Eight clos-
es in on even the most expensive competition.
It’s blessed with plenty of boogie factor, superb
clarity, sensuous mids, and lovely harmonic
bloom. Its portrayal of the soundstage is won-
derfully transparent. Out of the box, upper oc-
taves are a bit grainy and bright. Tube dampers
help signicantly, as do vintage preamp tubes.
compressed dynamic range, what distinguishes
the DV6100 at this price are its air and rhythmic
drive—the stuff that makes music come to life.
NAD’s C 542 delivers a warm, easy, and open
sound, though it is slightly rough around the
edges and a bit forward in perspective. Given
the NAD’s overall musicality and value, these
aws are hardly a distraction.
Onkyo’s DX-7555 is a single-disc two-channel
CD player with advancements once found only
in pricier products. With airy, open, grain-free
sound, it’s as capable of communicating the
emotional truth of superb vocal and instrumen-
tal music as any disc player on the market up to
a few thousand bucks.
The 1072 delivers superb tonal accuracy, fre-
quency extension, imaging, and rhythmic
swing. Low digital-noise artifacts allow music to
emerge from a silent background. Compared to
the best, it has less resolution and slightly polite
dynamics.
The DLIII’s upsampling feature takes standard
44.1kHz CD playback into the high-resolution
realm: At user-selectable 96kHz or192kHz sam-
pling rates, it made standard-issue CDs sound
similar to their SACD counterparts.
Rega’s Apollo CD player is the nest sub-$1000
CD player CM has heard, offering substantially
more resolution than other players in its class,
plus a richly textured sound that spans the en-
tire audio spectrum (though faint hints of treble
hardness do occasionally poke through).
Reviewer Barry Willis said the Sony’s CD and
SACD performance was detailed and intimate
with warm, round tones and a deep sound-
stage. Especially notable were the dark, silent
backgrounds and rich, natural harmonics. The
DVD-NS9100ES delivers renement and lis-
tening pleasure that BW says “aren’t typically
encountered below about $3500.”
Sony’s agship Blu-ray Disc player is ideal for
those with combination music/theater systems
and who enjoy concert performance on video.
With integral decoding of Dolby Digital Plus
and Dolby TrueHD (but not DTS-HD Master
Audio), the BDP-S2000ES realizes the promise
of uncompressed high-resolution multichannel
audio in the home. The 1080p video is spec-
tacular.
The Azur 840C shatters the price/performance
equation in CD playback with sound quality
that’s competitive with $6k players, standing out
for its ease, smoothness, resolution, dimen-
sionality, and stunning spatial presentation.
The 840C’s technology is also unlike that of its
competitors, with custom digital ltering that
upsamples to 384kHz/24-bit, dual-differential
DACs, a beefy custom transport, and a massive
power supply. A great CD player at an unbeliev-
able price.
This unit delivers absolutely top-quality per-
formance that belies its small size and modest
price. For its amazing sound quality, jitter-sup-
pressing D-to-A conversion, and superb analog
linestage, all at a modest price, REG called it
“the beginning of a new era in audio.”
NAD’s M55 universal player offers rst-rate
‘03
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‘07
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