Thanks for the response.
I have seen some of Jeff Fritz's comments, but they are mainly focused on the fact that 24-bit/176.4kHz, etc., resolutions are far superior to redbook, and that the Minerva and Alpha One give you access to these resolutions, whereas standalone CD players don't.
I have seen his comment about the ARC CD7 vs. the Minerva but I was hopeful of something that was a bit more substantive. I'm not slighting Jeff here at all - I respect him as a reviewer - but it seems clear from his review that he didn't have the CD7 on hand for comparison when he made his comments (he was moving from a different, inferior DAC to the Minerva), and the CD7 isn't even an ARC current model.
Because aural memories are inherently unreliable, for people like me who are making an "in lieu of" instead of an "in addition to" purchasing decision between CD players and the Alpha One DAC, it would be great to find someone who has done a real time, side by side comparison of their redbook performances.