honest presentation without adding artifacts to the sound.

none that I can think of given the price point.

I may not really have much to add beyond what other reviewers have said.

I concur with the reviewer who mentioned the warm up/break in period. It took mine about 100-150 hours before everything suddenly 'snapped' into place. It wasn't bad by any means before then, but extra image depth and placement occured after the break in point.

To me the greatest strength of this player is its ability to resolve details of a recording, present them in an honest way, and do it without ever, ever sounding 'edgy' or strident. I much prefer this to the cold, clinical edge in some hi-end components. The Rega lets you know what's going on in the recording without adding anything to it. If it has any faults, they would be subtractive to the music, again, the way I prefer. It is capable of decent bass when the recording contains it... I'm a bit limited in my small listening room to really judge that category though. Imaging is absolutely first rate, with lots of image depth, and poorly engineered recordings won't hide, yet they won't annoy either, if that makes any sense.

From a non-technical view, this player has soul, a feel, that many components lack. I can't wait to upgrade my amp soon to see how much further I can take my system as this CD deck has vastly improved the sound of it.

System currently is:

Thiel CS .5's
Kimber 4TC
Kimber Silver Streak (replaced PBJ, sweet deal for $)
Marantz PM-57 Integrated
AR 'table, Mission arm, Grado Sig. 8m
Monster reference tonearm cable

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, Harmon-Kardon

What?! Are you mad?!

A huge improvement over the original without missing a thing. Unbelievable level of resolution and harmonic shading, dynamic contrasts. Bass is awesome without being fat or heavy. Still smooth like the original (which I still own) but the dynamics, response and detail are much improved. It just seems to go deeper, wider, faster than the original yet it is not overly aggressive or strident like the majority of the 24/96 bunch. The cosmetics are nicer and the new brochure is telling of the improvements under the hood. On the outside, the whole group of products in the Rega 2000 line are very attractive and i think nicer looking than the earlier versions. I heard this and the new Brio amp in my dealers showroom in Roanoke, Uptown Audio. A great sounding system on display were these two components driving a set of Rega Jura speakers. The first all-Rega system that I had ever seen, let alone heard. Even had a turntable there(what's that anyway?). I can't imagine any system that would not benefit from this player. I will have to wait until mine gets a little older before I go for one, but I know it will rock with my Bryston/Tannoy set-up!

Similar Products Used:

The usual junk plus Sony ES, Audio Alchemy and the original Planet

Smoothness, resolution, dynamics, name it...

Top loading, remote.

After thoroughly auditioning the MSB Tech. DAC (III, I believe), Cambride Audio's D500 and Arcam's FMJ, I took a chance on the Planet 2000 based only on my brother in law's impressions, a few raving reviews and a short and unconvicing test drive. I even flipped a coin to make a final decision pressed I was by the fact that my 4-year-old Cambridge CD4SE had just stopped playing and I was not to spend even a couple of days without music. Boy was that coin right!
As far as the sound is concerned, I can't see any shortcoming: the high notes are soft as silk, precise a a swiss watch, and the latter comment applies to mids and bass as well. Piano and vocals are perfect. Instruments in general sounds as they should and the dynamic is excellent.
And the weak side, I can't go without mentioning the universal remote which does not seem to provide any mean to directly access tracks above 10 and the top loading mechanism which is not very convenient.
To finish, it`s important to mention that this player should burn for at least 50 hours before serious listening. That makes all the difference in the world. Overall, a great deal.

Musicality, clarity of sound. Striking good looks

Remote not exclusive to the CD Player

This is the best CD player for the dollar. Very musical, accurate and still warm. I like the uncluttered front panel. There really isn't any need for all of the functions to on the unit when they are on the remote. Unfortunately, the remote that came with it is a universal one meant for the entire Rega line of electroncs, making it difficult to find the right button sometimes. Overall, I love the way it sounds. Beautiful.

Similar Products Used:

Adcom, Marantz, Arcam.

Good staging and imagery. Detailed yet smooth, non-fatiguing sound. Works very well with all music, but in particular, Jazz vocals.

Cheap plastic-like feel. Top loading mechanism is cumbersome.

This player has many strengths, most notably its detail and strong smooth voice. I found this my favorite player given price. I found it remarkable that this player performs so well with all music from jazz to rock. If there's a complaint it's that I don't particularily care for top loading players. Some people may like it but I find removing and loading CDs from the Planet to be slightly cumbersome, though I suppose one gets used to it over time. I was thinking hard about the Complete CD to replace a Denon DCD1650 on loan from a friend, but much preferred the sound of the Planet. The Complete CD is very smooth, detailed, and musical, but the Planet seemed to have all those traits plus increased dynamics. The Planet 2000 is simply a fabulous player imho.

Associated Equipment

Audio Refinement Complete Integrated
Rega Planet 2000
B&W CDM-NT
Wireworld Atlantis ic's
Analysis Plus 12s

Similar Products Used:

Rotel 951, Rotel 971, Arcam CD72, Arcam 8SE, Audio Refinement Complete CD, Musical Fidelity A3, Audiolab 8000 CD, Denon DCD1650

Soundstaging, clarity, resolution, refinement, neutrality, best on voice, potential for improvement

Lightweight, plasticky panel, weak bass

What more can I say. Compared the product side by side to an Arcam CD72 and Dianna Krall's voice and pronunciation of her words on the Rega blew the Arcam away. By comparison, the Arcam had better micro dynamics and 'warm'. It also had more 'echo' or 'reverberation', perhaps displaying a sign of the elusive meaning of musicality. The Rega on the other hand had a dryier midrange and a slight loss in the body in the higher octave of Dianna's voice. CD72 sound was very similar to the 7SE but with a bit more oomph. But the Rega had a musicality that sounded more natural, smooth and accurate. I have since installed a Trichord 3 clock and a power filter and the sound improved 5 fold. Mid range clarity, base, highs and ambience have all improved. The player is now showing its true audiophile potential. I will be installing a separate power supply for the clock tomorrow. Sometimes I tell myself that I should have bought an Arcam FMJ but hey it won't be as much fun as hearing the significant difference as you upgrade individual component. My modest system - Arcam A85 amp, Dynaudio Audience 50 spkrs, Kimber PBJ interconnects and RA Theatre speaker cables.

Similar Products Used:

Arcam CD72, Arcam 7SE, Sony (made in Japan) DVD player