Hey there,
First post for me too, glad I joined you.
I would like to upgrade my digital front-end, and the 8200CD seems perfect in terms of specs, versatility and price. I currently use a Beresford TC-7510 DAC, which is great for the money, but showed its limits when I upgraded my analog setup recently with a Clearaudio Performance tt. The latter is not typically analogue-sounding in the Linn tradition, but combines "analogue" qualities like naturalness, quiet and great dynamics with "digital" ones like resolution and clarity (no added "warmth" or tubey atmospherics here), just like my beloved Densen B-110 amp. The Beresford, by comparison, sounds, well, too digital. You get the sense of an edge being constantly there, and it's not even that detailed or transparent in complex passages.
Now, I've read John W. describing his goal for the 8200 series to sound as analogue as possible. So, I would be grateful if John, or any other member who has heard the 8200CD, could comment a bit further with the above points in mind -maybe compare its sound to that of other products, analogue or digital (a comparison with John's other huge success, the DacMagic, for example, would be very welcome). The reviews so far seem of little help here, maybe because of "balance keeping" considerations.
Also, like Calvin&Hobbes above, I don't need the preamp on the CDQ, but would be interested in reading John W.'s view on the matter.
Thank you in advance for any answers.