McCormack UPD-1


McCormack universal player.

Does anyone know is the McCormack can be upgraded to have balanced outputs? If not, is it worth much? Would it be worth selling? I have an OPPO 93; does the Oppo 95, or 105 offer as good a player? I would like to sell the McCormack and buy a player that has good audio, but also plays Blu-Ray and is internally balanced. The McCormack is a good player; mine has minimal use, playing only SACDs. I now have an Esoteric DV 50s, which takes care of CDs and SACDs, which will play multi-channel SACDs. I think it will do well with regular DVDs.
My system is complicated; it uses the surround to a separate preamplifier. It would be nice to have a Blu0Ray with HDMI for all movies.
128x128ladycharnet
Lady-

I had to research my notes- it looks like the UPD-1 does not have any balanced offerings? I even looked up the Conrad Johnson (CJ) edition of this player, as I have always wanted one, it too only upgrades the internal parts -for the better...strange?

Most here like the newest Oppo 105, plus it can be modded w/ tubes if this is your thing.

On SACD, how does the UPD-1 compare against the DV-50 ?
I Purchased an Oppo 105D now. Esoteric for music and now the Oppo for movies, that seems to cover the big system needs. I think I might sell the McCormack, then I think, I might keep it unless it is worth close to the deluxe model?.
The Esoteric DV 50s players, short of the new U series, is one of the best DVD players; it beats out the DV 60 and SA 60 on audio. The K1 and K3 does better with audio, but you really have to be a golden ears to notice. The main benefit is the better transport.

The McCormack has a different sound; it is lighter, more soft and maybe more delicate? This player is very good, but if you like dynamics and the ability to upgrade the sound of your older CDs, the Esoteric wins.
I find the Oppo 105D to be very good audio. This is with a Classe SSP 25 used as a balanced preamplifier. The Classe SSP 25 is worth the going price as a preamplifier alone!

This is another topic, and not having the video set up yet, I will leave that to someone who knows this player better. I will say it is built like a tank, mine is silver and has a heavy metal front, which I did not expect?