Hello, I had it a few years, purchased it here. I have to say, that is hard for me to answer, since I mainly used it as a transport to my ARC DAC2. This way it sounds very competitive with the Esoteric, but with SACDs, as I have to run it to my LS 15 with RCA, it does not have the dynamic sound I like.
This does not mean it is inferior, since this is subjective, and to those who like a softer sound, I would say it is a good player.
In my opinion, the CJ gear is for a different audiophile than either the ARC or the Esoteric and if one prefers the CJ sound, then the McCormack may be the better choice?
I have always like ARC better than McIntosh, going way back to when my MC 2205 was born in 1979, although, over the years, I have come to like more symphonic music and with it, a preference for what I hear from Esoteric or the older ARC DAC2 and 3.
With tubes, I liked the BAT VK 55 better than the ARC VT 100, and if I still wanted two different audio systems, I would not mind having a CJ system with the RCA they seem to prefer, along with the well liked CJ amplifier, I think it was a model 11? This would go well with the McCormack.
This does not mean it is inferior, since this is subjective, and to those who like a softer sound, I would say it is a good player.
In my opinion, the CJ gear is for a different audiophile than either the ARC or the Esoteric and if one prefers the CJ sound, then the McCormack may be the better choice?
I have always like ARC better than McIntosh, going way back to when my MC 2205 was born in 1979, although, over the years, I have come to like more symphonic music and with it, a preference for what I hear from Esoteric or the older ARC DAC2 and 3.
With tubes, I liked the BAT VK 55 better than the ARC VT 100, and if I still wanted two different audio systems, I would not mind having a CJ system with the RCA they seem to prefer, along with the well liked CJ amplifier, I think it was a model 11? This would go well with the McCormack.