Roksan Caspian Mk2 for £120 worth it?

[admin_exported]

I've been offered a Caspian Mk2 for £120 as I keep moaning about my CD6000 OSE perhaps not being as good as the rest of my system.

Should I take it or take an offer of the Arcam CD192 for £220? Or a Marantz CD17 Mk1 for £180 Or a Marantz CD19 KI Sig Mk2 for £250?

 

[Anonymous]

The Arcam CD192 is the best CD player of the lot, in my opinion. I'd still take the Caspian at the price offered.

 

[d_a_n1979]

An Arcam CD192 for £220!!!

Go for that without a doubt!!!

 

[the record spot]

Have you listened to any of them? What kind of sound do you like or want? The Mk2 Caspian would've been around £1000 as new, so that's a good deal you've been offered. I'm assuming they're all in good nick yes? Either way, good offers all round. The Marantz 17 is about 12 years old at the oldest I think, but reviewed well if I recall rightly.

However, I think the older players can be modded to their benefit so that's something you might want to think about too. A cheap player, upgraded for (say) a couple of hundred or so and then you might have an entirely different proposition.

 

[John Duncan]

Caspian.......(ugly though, that model

)

 

[Thaiman]

They all at great price! Marantz 17KI for me (of that list) as it is so easy to listen to whatever your music taste.

 

[Anonymous]

Being a bit of a Marantz fan, I was tempted by the CD17KI Sig Mk2.

I used to be very envious of a friend of mine who owned one about 8 years ago as it seriously coped with every kind of music well.

I've only recently heard the Arcam and it was great too.

I haven't heard the Caspian yet and I'm trying to see if there were any comparison reviews between the Caspian and the Marantz at the time. Bit hard to find though.

For those prices, I should buy the lot and just try them out, but I fear I'll end up keeping all of them and a divorce proceedings may begin

To make things worse, I've now been offered the Marantz CD7001 KI Sig for £250 too. Considering how technolgoy improvements tend to trickle down into the lower order product ranges, it wouldn't surprise me if the newer Marantz was a lot better than the CD17 KI on offer.

(Did anyone spot my typo in the original post??? It's a CD17 KI Sig not a CD19)

Sometimes, you can get tooo much of a good thing.

I've only just got my hearing back and I still have all these interconnects to listen to!!!

I now understand what it's like when pleasure can become pain yet still enjoy it

 

[John Duncan]

If you're partial to Marantz, have that one - is a good price. But yes - buy the lot and sell them for a profit, or let me know where I can

 

[crusaderlord]

An Arcam 192 for £220 = astonishing and a bargain !

 

[Anonymous]

JohnDuncan:Caspian.......(ugly though, that model

)

When you realise that I've owned Saabs for the last 15 years you'll realise that ugliness has no bounds

 

[John Duncan]

Are you calling my car ugly?

 

[Anonymous]

JohnDuncan:Are you calling my car ugly?

I think the older Saabs are beautiful, timeless designs....others tell me there ugly so it now rings in my ears.

IMO - No one quite has great taste like me

What Saab do you have?

I've had a number of c900's from the 8v special edition to the 16v Aero models....hence the username.

I now have a modded 9000, it's a bit more practical and easier to maintain, given the time I no longer have

 

[John Duncan]

9-5 estate 2.3t. Had the widest back seat I could find, to fit three kids across it. Is giving me real (and expensive) trouble at the moment, otherwise I'd have new speakers by now

 

[Anonymous]

What problems? Aren't you registered on UKSaabs.co.uk or Saabscene.com?

Pop over and let us all know what the problems are (if you haven't already) and maybe someone can help.

If you don't know, we're a bunch of nerds over there too.

 

[John Duncan]

Throttle body and coil pack both replaced recently, still having issues with cold start.

 

[Anonymous]

What issues exactly? Does it take ages before engine turns over?

Are you experiencing rough idling until the engine's fully warmed up?

Stuttering in stop start traffic? Stalling when lifting off?

If you want I'll ask some of the 9-5 experts for their opinions.

I'm not clued up enough on the T7series as I'm an old skool SAABer and i've not worked on a 9-5 before.

 

[John Duncan]

Yes, that sort of thing - sometimes takes a while (not an age) to start, sometimes has second thoughts about moving off (it's an auto so I can't rev it in neutral when pulling away).

 

[Anonymous]

JohnDuncan:Throttle body and coil pack both replaced recently, still having issues with cold start.

The missus has the same problems...........

If that CD192 is up and you don't take it - please email me at grahamethomas@btinternet.com

 

[the record spot]

Yes, just out of interest, where are these deals to be had...?!

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry, these are only available to me and not through any commercial route.

I have the great power of persuasion with a few friends of mine have more money than sense and who's wives are more keen for their husbands hifi to become more lo-fi.

Anyroad, I got me a new (old) CD17 KI Sig Mk2 after listening to it with my PM7001 KI Sig. In this configuration, it's much better than the Arcam and the Caspian. Better still, I paid £90 for it...woohoo, time to enjoy.

I find the Marantz gear much more musical and fuller bodied in their representation of my wide range of musical tastes. I would have liked to have got the Arcam but it just lacked something (other than a marantz badge).