Upgrade my CD player or futile effort?

I used a Marantz SA11S1 cd player for years but now use a Audiolab6000CDT cd transport into a Gustard X26pro DAC..Big improvement in every way.. much closer to my vinyl set-up sq wise (SL1200G/ART9/SPL Phonos)

OP

As others have indicated, your problem is your lousy Marantz CD player.  A new DAC will make an enormous improvement.  You may want to consider a new CDP that allows for digital inputs-essentially these are DACs that spin CDs..  Then you can upgrade the transport at the same time and ditch the Marantz and not have another box and cabling issues.
  OP indicated that he uses digital to explore new artists.  Streaming would probably fit his needs better, since most services offer huge catalogs and also suggest new artists based on your previous selections.  I would also consider a DAC streamer and keep the Marantz for CD transport 

Cheap enough to try a DACS…https://www.topping.audio/productinfo/645180.html

I had an Ares II and was happy with that but dove a little deeper and got the Pontus II; didn't see what your budget was (will assume you're "dipping your toe in"), so there's a lot of people here that will offer more expensive and better quality options here than what I'm suggesting.  There's a $1000 jump from the Ares II to the Pontus II but I felt it was worth it, but I stream heavily and use my CD transport when the mood strikes me (Cambridge Audio CXC V2; had the Audiolab one but preferred the CXC) .  I would second the suggestion that you get a DAC that works for you feature-wise and hook up your Marantz to that first - only change one thing at a time, and it might actually be the DAC in it that's poochy.  There's a bunch of good DACs out there for whatever price point you're at so it's unlikely you're going to get a dog.  Any Denafrips DAC are going to be the ones with the least B&W so no bluetooth, remote, or wireless capability, and if you buy directly from Vinshine there's no return policy if you don't like it.  I've had a number of Topping products and they've all measured well, were packed full of features and sounded good but never moved me enough to keep them.  I hear many raves for the Jay's Audio transport but we're talking about $2400 and it's a top loader so that has to be accommodated.  Alternative: the Bluesound products have an OK DAC built into them and allow you to get into streaming at a low cost; requires you install their BluOS software which works very well (I think) on either your smartphone or computer - no fees or subscription needed.  You can stream internet radio for free or play any flac files through it, and you can always bypass the DAC in it if you get a better one and use it only as a streamer.

OP, you stated "Obviously now I know going with a better CDP without a DAC is worthless." Not obvious, and not true.  I recently plugged my Oppo UDP205 into my den (main) system; it had been anchoring my home theater since purchased (ca 2017) on a system that was more pro and less audiophile.  My den system had been using either a Sony S9000ES SACD player or Pioneer Elite BDP05, both of which were about 20 years old (and consequently 20 year-old DAC technology). Holy smoke!  Soundstage, frequency range and dynamics galore!  I know a lot of A'goners bitch about the Oppo DAC, but the point is, a good quality CD/SACD player runs circles around older CDP's, and you shouldn't discount them.  Look at current models from Luxman, Marantz, and Technics, to name  few (which should set you back $3K-4K).  Or you can try the separate DAC route, but try to avoid the optical connection if you can help it.