when it comes to audio equipment, i always believe in the adage "trust your ears."
i agree that it's nice to read favorable reviews concerning stuff you already own, but if you're happy with it, who cares what someone else thinks.
the bcd-1 is, by far, the best sounding cd player i've ever owned. i had been listening to an adcom 750 for the past 8 years and found it acceptable in producing good rock 'n roll sounds.
however, after listening to the bryston over the last two months, i don't know how i ever enjoyed the adcom. the bcd-1 makes all the cd's i've played so far involving; i actually don't want to turn the darn thing off.
two examples of cd's i've played dozens of times over the years are the stones' "get yer ya ya's out" and "exile on main street." based on my hearing these two classics on lesser cd players, i always thought they were not mastered properly. playing them on the bcd-1, i was enthralled; they sounded fantastic. it was as if i had just heard them for the first time.
the price of this machine is not cheap ($2700.00), but if you have a ton of cd's, the bcd-1 will pay for itself in the pleasure of hearing all these cd's played correctly for the first time.
it'll make you re-think about purchasing vinyl.
if 'stereophile' doesn't deem this an "A" component, i would be very surprised. of course, based on the price, 'stereophile may think it's not expensive enough to warrant their top ranking.