Upgrade Question

If you love the sound of the MF, don't think that newer is always better.  With that said, I have been very happy with the sound of multiple Marantz spinners I have owned, most currently the Ruby.  The sound is expansive, rich, and smooth while not forsaking detail.  The build quality is impressive.

What sound characteristics are most important to you?

Frankly, I think you’re better off going with a separate DAC these days as you’ll have many more choices to meet your individual tastes, and you can still use your beloved MF player as a transport til she dies.  One example, I’m not aware of any R2R NOS DACs in a stand-alone CD player, so if that technology appeals to you you’re pretty much outta luck.  FWIW, and best of luck. 

I agree with soix about going the DAC route. Digital playback has greatly improved since 2003. 

@soix Good suggestion. Thanks. From an R2R perspective, that may mean something in the Denafrips lineup.

If you like MF try a new one.
https://tmraudio.com/shop-new/components/cd-sacd-players/musical-fidelity-nu-vista-cd-player-new-w-f...

Find a friend, borrow a DAC.  Redbook cd's haven't changed so your cd player might be fine.  Either borrow from a friend or demo from a local store to see if it's worth it.  What city are you in?  There might be a local froiup who can help you.

Denafrips, MHDT, AudioMirror, Schiit, Sonnet, SW1X, probably other R2R DACs I missed.  Some NOS, some not.  So many good DACs to choose from these days. 

if you want a one box solution, i would suggest a modwright modded sony or marantz cd player with outboard tube rectified power suppy and tube output stage - well i guess with the power supply it is 2 boxes...  :)

some of the best sound from cd players ever

I have an MF A 3.2 cd player and recently added an MF M1 DAC.Its an improvement and saves the 3.2 from retirement.

@corelli - my Marantz CD67 (1997)) continues faithfully to work well! No urge to upgrade. When the laser dies I will buy a replacement mechanism.

After looking up the specs on your CD player I wouldn't worry to much about being left behind it looks as if Musical Fidelity looked ahead. I would wager the DAC performs better than some of the ones mentioned here. If you like the sound you're getting now stick with Delta Sigma DACs and avoid these 2R2 contraptions.

Moved up to a transport.
Looking back is a blind spot.

There are definite advantages to sticking with the one-box solution.
The next question is budget.
There are excellent one-box CD players out there, actually quite a lot.  The Marantz Ruby and SA-10, Bryston BCD-3, anything from Luxman or Accuphase, the Esoteric models, and the list goes on.

If you like the sound you're getting now stick with Delta Sigma DACs and avoid these 2R2 contraptions.

By that logic we should never try anything new if we like what we have now.  Ignorance is bliss, right?  Many who have tried R2R DACs much prefer them to their previous Delta Sigma DACs, so as usual it comes down to personal preference but no way to know unless you at least try.  Burying your head in the sand is a lot easier though — I’ll give you that. 

The OP said he "loves" the sound of his CDP. It uses a Delta Sigma DAC. Hence my suggestion. What continues to gripe me is how the hell does anyone know what I have tried? Yeah I've heard these NOS R2R distortion generators. 

There are plenty of different chips and different implementations in the CD players, and more in others.  One certainly doesn't have to go outside the one-box solution to sample (no pun intended) a wide palette of sonic flavors (mixed metaphor intended). 

What continues to gripe me is how the hell does anyone know what I have tried?

Nobody cares what you have or haven’t tried — this is not about you.  The OP has had the same CD player for 17 years and just because he loves what he hears now doesn’t mean he can’t love something else even more, especially after 17 years!  How would he possibly know unless he at least tries newer things?  Telling the OP to to “stick with Delta Sigma DACs and avoid these 2R2 contraptions” is discouraging him from trying more recent technology.  After that amount of time, and particularly in the digital realm, that advice is closed minded and potentially counterproductive to the OP potentially finding something he may love even more than what he has now.  

Having lived with the Delta Sigma for such a long time, I am certainly open to trying R2R. I may go for a relatively inexpensive one, such as a Denafrips Ares II, just to give it a try and see what it’s all about. I wish I could borrow one, but that seems near impossible. So, given the amount of $$ I’ve spent already on my system, what’s a few more bucks in the continuing pursuit of audio satisfaction?

If you're confident in the Musical Fidelity sound and build quality, take a look at the Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 21 DAC available here on Audiogon. I have no connection to the seller (Skyfi), but I'm aware that that DAC is head and shoulders above similar-priced units. If you wonder why I'm not buying it, believe me I have all the equipment I need at this time. A good DAC is a revelation over a stand alone CD player. Good luck with your decision.

Yes, after trying a transport + DAC for a while, I had such a revelation that I went back to a Luxman one-box CD player.

I went with a transport so (a) the money paid for it would go just into those components and not (b) a DAC in the unit. I wanted a separate DAC because I imagined it would likely be better and it could evolve or change without affecting the reliability and quality of the transport. The fact that I now stream and do CDs via the DAC is an added bonus but one need not stream in order for the separates approach to make sense.

I, too, only spin the digital medium, which includes SACD, DVD-A


I have played musical chairs with various dacs. Among the issues with an outboard dac (unless it is a dac/pre) is the extra shelf, and money for proper; vibration controls, interfacing cable, power cord, AND the fact that they don’t read SACD or DVD-A. If ones’ system is revealing, the benefits of the hi-rez mediums is well worth being able to spin them, too


My solution was to upgrade my Oppo 105. It is well known that the 105s Achilles Heel is the oem power supply. Thanks to one company on ebay who provides excellent DIY photos replacing it is super easy, no soldering needed. So for about the price of a quality power and a half hour of time, a SERIOUS upgrade is at hand. Oh, and leaving the lid off once finished further enhances the result


AND, as a bonus, I no longer use a preamp as the 105s built in VC is excellent. Now, best is to use the XLR outs into a true balanced amp

hth