Quote Originally Posted by gypsyhick
Why does a $2000 player sound better than a $200 player? I do not doubt that the expensive one sounds better, but I want to know why. I find it hard to believe that one CD player will read 1's and 0's better than the other. A 1 is a 1 and a 0 is a 0. How can the cheaper player screw that up? So I am guessing that the following determine the performance: the Digital to Analog converter, connectors, and the way it amps the signal to line level. But there must be something else involved to jump a players price to $2000. Can any of you audiphilles out there elucidate this topic. Thanks.

One final note: why spend $2000 on a CD player if there is a cheaper SACD player.

GH
If there are differences, they are not related to price. There are many cheap and expensive CD players sound so similar that there is very very hard to differentiate any of them. If possible at all.

The performance differences can be related to the D/A conversion. During extreme testing conditions it is possible to verify differences more easily, but during normal music listening these differences disappear.

There are CD players that deliberately change the frequency response that are audibly different. I've noticed that some cheaper DVD players may give high frequent sounds from the motor drive (mechanical sounds, not through the speakers), which is audible during quiet passages in the music.

Some players have higher production costs due to "nice package". If the looks are important, then this usually gives higher price.

T