Creek Audio Limited Evolution 2 CD Player

• A high quality transport mechanism
• Low Jitter clock
• Burr-Brown PCM 1796 DAC circuit

I bought the Creek CD player used from an Amazon vendor, saving about a $1000 on it. Otherwise I would have never considered buying such a high-end player because I couldn't have afforded it. I basically invested with the idea I wanted something to last me a good decade, until the cycle of new technology phasing out older technology to then be revived years later would be complete. It's actually cheaper at present to buy used CDs than downloading mp3s if you want the whole album, plus you still get liner notes, lyrics, etc. I listen to tons of music at home, mostly vinyl records but there's a whole range of albums published in the 1990s to the beginning of the 21st century that never saw a vinyl release (nor are they available on mp3. You would be surprised).

Anyway, the Creek CD player totally astonished me because there IS a difference in the sound quality compared to cheap ones. We tried it first with some Brian Eno ambient music and it came out crystal clear on the speakers. Since then, I've been playing a lot of CDs that used to skip on my old player (John Cale's Paris 1919, The Velvet Underground & Nico, The Fall's Franz Experiment) and they magically stopped skipping. And they sound absolutely gorgeous (especially the John Cale one). I also play a lot of classical music from Bach to Morton Feldman or John Luther Adams, and the listening experience has really been enhanced on the Creek.

In addition, the most notable feature for me was the total absence of shuffling sound from the player. You know how all cheap CD players always produce that annoying "frrrrrt frrrrrt" sound when you play something? It's totally absent from the Creek. Only thing you hear is the music.

So, from being really skeptical about high-end audio equipment I've become a true believer. Next step when I win the lottery is buying a very good amp/power amp & preamp