I would go with the Esoteric. . I have an X-3, and LOVE it. I bought it in 2012 and wouldn’t consider another brand if buying another. No matter how good the Marantz SA 10 is, it isn’t in the Esoteric K1 league. The build quality is off the charts, mine is a hefty 55 pounds.
Vinyl guy seeking recommendation for a top level cd player
I know cds are dead. Best time to buy a cd player, the way it looks. I want an all in one box. I don't stream so a separate DAC is not required. Most of my cd collection have been ripped to a PC as Flac files and then down loaded to a Sony HAP-Z1ES. Currently about 3000 Redbook and perhaps 100 SACDs. The way cds are being dumped I figure on becoming a buyer again so these numbers will go up. I have looked at Marantz SA10, Esoteric K1 (lightly used), and Luxman D-10X, so far. It would be good if the sound could approach vinyl. The Z1 does up to a point. Listening this morning to the same recordings, the Z1 compares to a high end MM cartridge, but not to a SoundSmith Experion. Maybe I am asking too much, but in any event a new cd player is being sought. Thanks in advance for any advice.
Bill
Bill
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- 68 posts total
You may want to look into the Technics SL-G700. https://www.technics.com/us/products/grand-class/g700-series/sl-g700.html https://www.tonepublications.com/review/the-technics-sl-g700-digital-player/ https://hometheaterreview.com/technics-sl-g700-networksacd-player-reviewed/ All the best, Nonoise |
For me it’s a matter of convenience. I’m 60 and while I love love my vinyl, I sometimes just don’t like getting up every 20 min to change sides but I do when I’m into it. I have a Pioneer Modwright LX500 with IBM 6DJ8 Green Tops from Andy at VTS and I have to say it’s glorious. Different of course from vinyl but spinning some of my SACD or MoFi disks is just a joy. Feeding my Octave V70 Class A amp my Spatial M3 Sapphires love anything I send it. I did work on everything from dedicated power, full SR loom and acoustic treatments. I do think it’s possible to achieve lush sounding digital music IMO. I think there are still some great sounding transports and system tweaking and matching can achieve great results. |
@billstevenson, Although you said that you don't need a separate DAC at the moment, keep in mind that many CD players have a digital input and can be used as a standalone DAC, in case you desire that flexibility in the future. I have a Simaudio Supernova and greatly prefer CD sound quality over feeding FLAC files into it. It has a nice analog output stage, but seems to handle the digital-analog handoff better when playing CDs. |
- 68 posts total