Unfortunately not - Hartlepool in the morning and sunny Spennymoor p.m.

I would be tempted with the CD5500 and put the rest of the money into the Lab5/Lab9 fund.

As a thought would it be worth waiting for the CD5500 for comparison purposes rather than the CDX.

Peter;

What is it exactly inside this unit that makes it better ?  ( Sales testimonial aside )

Any ideas ?

this one! Have actually already bought the Musical Fidelity Headphone Amplifier and decided I needed a good CD plater. My CD-50 has just gone on strike and the headphone socket on the BC2 is simply dire!!

Also a bit cheesed off with B&O at present and don't feel like giving them any more money!! (Not cheesed off with Beoworld!) Therefore going to audition a couple of machines at Lintone in Gateshead. I am taking my trusty Beogram CDX as a reference! Don't suppose they will have had a 14 bit set in for a while!!

Taking Pachelbel Canon  and DSOTM as test CDs. Pachelbel because you can hear the strings being drawn and DSOTM because anything that can make the recording work will have to be good!

Also on the look out for a Beogram CD5500 - Lee is on the case! 

 Hi Peter,

 I have an alternative for you, that you should consider. Put a DAC between your Mac and your B&O amp.

I have tested the Benchmark DAC-1 and the LAVRY DA10. Both process up to 24bit, at various rates. Both accept digital inputs of various kinds, and output an incredible analog signal. The Benchmark is jitter free for all practical purposes, and the LAVRY ditto, though they don't make the same claim re jitter as does Benchmark.

Here's how I have it set up.

Wireless to an Airport Express.
TOSLINK optical from AE to DAC.
DAC connected with RCA unbalanced PHONO to a DIN plug converter going into TAPE2 on my Beomaster 7000 (the other into the Beolab 5000). Wonderful sound that beats any but the very, very high-end CD-players, and it's better to read off a harddisk than off a CD for stability of signal.

The LAVRY builds an incredible, 3-dimensional soundstage, with depth you won't believe. The Benchmark falls a touch short of the LAVRY, in my ears. Have also run a signal from the DACs to my BeoLab 3s with great results.

In all instances, these small and convenient DACs outperform all other CD players in the house, plus a couple I have tried them against for fun. Many audiophiles have sold their high-end CD-players and bought a cheaper CD-player with digital out to connect to these DACs. I really like them for what I get when connected to my MACS - and the wireless piping of a digital signal to the Airport Express is a great bonus. (Stereophile tested the AE digital signal, and found that it was an exact replica of the original test signal at full CD-resolution).

I'm going to return the Benchmark and get another LAVRY as I really enjoy their sound. And you will hear strings being drawn, plucked and twanged with a fidelity that you need to be in a concert to hear otherwise.

Both are very inexpensive, compared to a truly high-end CD-player. About € 1000-1200. 

link 

So why is everyone so unhappy with B&O lately?

-michael

Peter, You can't say something like that and then just leave it in mid-air!
What's got you riled? Tell me in the afternoon if you wish.cr

Andy T.

Which is where I leap to defending the BL3s! I'm very happy with mine.

Did you run them in? Takes them about 250 hours to settle in properly.