upgrade from McCormack UDP1 Deluxe

I upgraded my McCormack DAC1 to Steve McCormack's Ultra DAC & am using his SST-1 transport. It only plays Redbook cd's, but to my tin ears sounds as good as my Ayre C5xe MP playing SACD or DVD-A. MSRP on Stereophile class A Ayre is 6k but it sells used around $2500 - $2800. Steve said Ultra DAC is a step up from UDP1 Deluxe for Redbook play. Fellow I bought Ayre from loves his AMR77, but also was on look out for DCS Puccini. AMR77 is about $5k used & Puccini $7 - 8k. Digital/computer downloads are changing so fast & prices coming down everyday. Maybe you should wait a year to upgrade.

I have been interested in the McCormack deluxe player, how long have you owned yours? Do you enjoy this player?

Hello, I had it a few years, purchased it here. I have to say, that is hard for me to answer, since I mainly used it as a transport to my ARC DAC2. This way it sounds very competitive with the Esoteric, but with SACDs, as I have to run it to my LS 15 with RCA, it does not have the dynamic sound I like.
This does not mean it is inferior, since this is subjective, and to those who like a softer sound, I would say it is a good player.
In my opinion, the CJ gear is for a different audiophile than either the ARC or the Esoteric and if one prefers the CJ sound, then the McCormack may be the better choice?
I have always like ARC better than McIntosh, going way back to when my MC 2205 was born in 1979, although, over the years, I have come to like more symphonic music and with it, a preference for what I hear from Esoteric or the older ARC DAC2 and 3.
With tubes, I liked the BAT VK 55 better than the ARC VT 100, and if I still wanted two different audio systems, I would not mind having a CJ system with the RCA they seem to prefer, along with the well liked CJ amplifier, I think it was a model 11? This would go well with the McCormack.