This is one fine cd player. Compared this unit to the Rega and was an enjoyable experiance. Both units delivered exceptional sound quality for the dollar. The UCD-100 presented the music in a style that is more to my taste. Let unit burn in for 100 plus hours before any seriouse listening. A noticable improvement occurs for the better. Has made the " B Recommended Component List" in October Stereophile. One more thing, the HDCD compatability is an added bonus the Rega lacks.

Very detailed, good bass, good sounstage.

Out of business

I recently purchased a dealers demo at a Ganga price. I haven't decided if it is better than my Rotel RCD-971 yet, but it as least as good as the Rotel. The Cal Audio CL-20 kills them both, but it is also $2500. It is built like a tank, a little too much like a tank, it is very long big and heavy.

Yes they are out of business, no they were not part of a German company. They just priced their product too low to cover any warranty work they needed.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel RCD-971, CAL Audio CL-20 DVD/CD Player

I have spent most of my spare time listening to music from my new Ultech UCD-100 cd player. The rest of my spare time is spent buying more music to enjoy. The fine build quality is noticeable right out of the box. Operation of the unit is very user friendly. Break in is necessary and after 100+ hours the unit becomes extremely natural and musical, from Queensrych to Holly Cole. I have not had any problems at all with this cd player. It very well may be the last CD player that I purchase. When my wife heard J.W's cd "Famous Blue Raincoat" she actually stopped in her tracks and sat down to listen to the music. Now that's saying something about the Ultech UCD-100!!! If you are in the market, this is, in my opinion, the best buy under a grand. Performance/Price rating...5 stars.

I thought I would set the record straight about Ultech's customer service. Right now they are going through a change over in management, and of course "we" the customer suffers. I have had my Ultech now for 4 months and love it. I leave it on 24/7 as suggested by my dealer. The only problem I had was the blue L.E.D. burned out. I knew this would happen because of how bright it is, they have to be overdriving it. I got another one from my local dealer and wired a 1/4 watt 100 ohm resistor is series with it, this toned it down and should increase it's life. As far as the sound quality, it's excellent. I listen to all types of music...country, classical, rock, dance, etc. It performs very well and flawlessly. It does take at least 200 hours to break in. As far as customer service goes I suggest we just be patient until the management changed over. E-mail me if you need a good dealer. The one in town here is excellent.
Ray

A further follow-up on this unit, which I bought last summer and which continues to perform flawlessly. A number of posters have reported problems with the transport and thereafter, with Ultech customer service. I suggest that you buy from a dealer whom you trust -- tell the dealer your concerns about reliability and customer service and that you expect him/her to back you up with the manufacturer if there's a problem. When this unit works, it sounds better than anything near the price.The second thing I want to mention is HDCD, which this player has. At least in this player (there are other that have it), this is a very impressive technology. The Stereophile reviewer did not, in my opinion, sufficiently credit the improvement produced by HDCD. I recently bought a Reference Recordings HDCD disc of Clark Terry in a big band tribute to Count Basie. This is a "live" recording, in a hall, that places each instrument in a 3-dimensional space in a way that I've not heard before on non HDCD-recordings, including "audiophile" products from Chesky and Reference. The effect on studio efforts, like Paula Cole's "This Fire" is not so dramatic. I have not heard 96/24, which is supposed to be The Next Big Thing; but it's hard to imagine that it's so much better than HDCD as to justify creating a completely imcompatible format that requires all new playback equipment. There is a huge installed base of CD players; they're not goint away and ordinary CD's meet or exceed the needs of 98 percent of the listeners out there. Given the vanishingly small market that can really appreciate the difference offered by 96/24, the likely result is a very small and expensive selection of hardware and software if that format is seriously tried. My vote goes to HDCD; it certainly sounds good on this player. I'm sure it sounds good on others, too.