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Review 4 of 26
Price Paid:
$650.00 Summary:
I bought the unit in 1997 when I was trying to find a sub-$1000 player that didn't sound harsh or strident. I'm still a big fan of analog, and wanted something that sounded kind of like my Rega Planar 3, and not like the cheaper, harsh-sounding Sony I was using at the time. A significant amount of time auditioning the alternatives led to the narrowing of the choice to three candidates: the DX-2 (the ICON Mk 2 was a bit too expensive for me then), the Rega Planet and the Creek (forgot the model #). Although, sonically, they were quite similar - with perhaps the creek and rega offering a slightly warmer, more analog-like sound, I found that the DX-2 was the only player of the three that would play all the disks I auditioned. The other two would skip and simply refuse to play some tracks.
So, the DX-2 came home, and was placed on the top shelf of my rack. Admittedly, the player looks cheaper than it is, but on the other hand, the DX-2 has performed reliably and solidly for nearly four years now. As a side note, when I first brought the player home, I auditioned a number of interconnects, and found that a pair of MIT Terminator 2's served to keep the highs smooth and the mids detailed - the way I like them.
Recently, I made a significant upgrade in my amplification and speakers - from a Carver C-1 and M1.0t driving Boston Acoustics T-1000's to a Linn Kolektor driving a pair of Linn Ninkas actively through two LK-85 power amps. I was initially apprehensive that the increased resolution of the new system would show weakness in the DX-2. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the same detailed and smooth sound that I heard before was still there, except that the Linn gear let me hear more of what I liked.
Sure, there are better sounding players out there: the Linn players, for instance, would show an improvement in detail, smoothness, sense of 'air' and overall musicality. For the price, however, I think the DX-2 offers excellent performance, and does so in a reliable package. I have no immediate plans to upgrade this unit, and I'm sure it will perform well for me for the next couple of years, at least (I think it'll take that long to save for a Linn player).
I'd give the player 4.5 stars overall if I could. 5 is overkill because there are better units out there, but you have to pay a lot more to get them. Strengths:
detailed, natural non-strident sound and solid construction Weaknesses:
styling doesn't match the sound Similar Products Used:
arcam, creek, rega, rotel, sony
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