It actually made the Sony SCPH-1001 sound congested and fuzzy in relation to the superior (albeit more expensive) Yamaha. In a direct comparison on several speakers, it was not subtle- it was notable evident that the S1000 was a better player with a better DAC. But, not one of these top the CD-S1000 in purity and detail retrieval. Even the revered Sony SCPH-1001, very nice and inexpensive to boot. The Rega Saturn, the Naim CD2X, the Quad 99, they are all good. And, it's the opinion of some anti-Yamaha audiophiles with very high end and expensive gear that the CD-S1000 will outperform their own boutique CDP even with separate DACs well into the $5000 range. It's my opinion that reviews are not the place for flattery, but rather honesty. It's unflattering to say I've never been in love with its sound. At this time we were listening to a Meridian cd player with an original price tag of $5000. And neither did I have to, for on his rack among about 20 other pieces was this seemingly unassuming but very stylish silver aluminum block, staring back at me.

I, on the other hand wasn't thrilled in having to haul my sorry arse off the couch to drive down to the local 'joint' to audition a CD player on strange gear to which I was unaccustomed. It was one afternoon at a friend's house listening to some music that he told me about this player and was very enthusiastic about it. This is a fantastic CD player that truly outperforms in it's price category.

Yamaha cd player review