The new PS Audio for 6k plays SACD and DSD, but you would need a DAC capable of those formats, such as the PS Audio. I'm not familiar with all the capabilities of the Aries, but I'm pretty sure it will only play redbook if you go from the transport to the coax input. This aside, I and many others here have gone the SACD route and found it generally disappointing as compared to maxing out their redbook setups. Plus, do you own or plan to buy a lot of SACDs? If not, I would personally let it go and buy a decent transport such as the Cambridge CXC or Audiolab and raise the performance level of your current dac. Or some might say buy a better dac and use your current transport. Then again, if you are dying to play SACDs, a lot of people here like the Marantz players.
SACD Transport Recommendations
I am looking to upgrade my CD source equipment from a Yamaha BluRay running through a Denafrips Ares II to something that will enable me to play SACDs and get the full DSD experience. I’ve been looking at the new Marantz and Technics SACD players and I’m happy to invest the $4k CDN to get there. However, I prefer the idea of a transport with an external DAC as an upgrade path. Problem is that I haven’t come across a transport-only device that plays SACDs. Any recommendation?