Upgrade SACD/CD player from DCS Puccini to better DCS, Esoteric or EMM Labs?

Luxman D-08U

@gerryah930

I do own fully tweaked full four DCS Vivaldi stacks (Vivaldi master clock, Vivaldi upsampler, Vivaldi DAC, Vivaldi CD/SACD transport).
Like folkfreak suggested earlier the DCS stacks would require tweaks eg footers, high quality cablings, etc in order to get full potential. As for cablings I’m using all Transparent Opus power cables & XLR analog interconnects in my system. As for digital interconnects for my DCS Vivaldi stacks I’m using Shunyata Research Sigma. As for speaker cables I’m using Transparent Magnum Opus.

The EMM will be a great option as well. Some people prefer it to the DCS. IMO the EMM is more analog sounding more liquid and more fluid than the DCS or Esoteric. 

Besides the DCS Vivaldi full stacks, EMM & Esoteric other spectacular option to consider will be the MSB Select 2 DAC with dual powerhouses (dual PSU one for the digital side & the other for the analog side). The Select 2 DAC is MSB’s flagship line and is very expensive. The DCS Vivaldi full four stacks are also very expensive. I haven’t got a chance to listen to the MSB Select 2 DAC (with dual powerhouses) yet. Someday I’d love to compare them with my own DCS Vivaldi full stacks in my own setup and system.

But I’ve heard from other people that I can trust that the MSB Select 2 DAC (dual powerhouses) will beat a full DCS Vivaldi stacks in musicality, fluidity and in general would give you more analog and natural liquid sound than the DCS Vivaldi full stacks. Better overall. I’m very tempted to try them out and possibly make a switch to the MSB Select 2 DAC with dual PSU. I know they are all system dependent and it will depend on your associated gears, speakers & cablings.

gerryah930,
A little off topic regarding the rest of your gears : your McIntosh preamp, Audio Research power amp & Wilson Sasha 2 speakers. I’m quite familiar with McIntosh, Audio Research & Wilson Audio. If I were you I would change out your linestage preamp from Mac to ARC. ARC makes much better preamps than Mac. No comparison. You can use Mac power amp either SS and high-powered vacuum tubes. Mac power amps are very good. ARC also indeed makes outstanding amps especially their Reference line.

I used to own the ARC Ref 10 linestage preamp paired with 2 pairs of Dan D’Agostino Momentum M400 monoblock amps driving the Wilson Audio Alexx. They were great combo. I have since upgraded to the Naim Statement gears : Naim NAC S1 linestage analog preamp & Naim NAP S1 monoblock amps. I have also upgraded the speakers to the Magico M6. The Naim Statement preamp & monoblock amps are pretty big step up from what I had previously (ARC Ref 10 linestage pre/D’Agostino Momentum M400 monoblock amps 2 pairs).
These Naim Statement preamp + monoblock amps are cost-no-object design gears.
IMO the Magico M6 is also superior to the Wilson Alexx in all areas.
But I’m still using the DCS Vivaldi full four stacks as my digital front end source components.
However I’m still using the ARC Ref 10 phonostage pre for my Kronos Pro turntable.

Thank-you everyone for your expert feedback, and please keep it coming if you have recommendations. 

Probably the only way that I am going to know is to buy some home demonstration time. This is going to limit me to DCS products, as my local dealer, Paragon Sound, who are great, only sell DCS products in the niche that I am in...

I meant for the definition of the word "analytical" as the ability to discriminate different instruments, hopefully across a wide dynamic range. I did not mean to define it as "anti-musical", but I realize that this word has various meanings among domains.

caphill - I agree with you in regards to McIntosh versus ARC, but ARC preamplifiers have no tone controls. Having just read a book by Floyd O'Toole of the Acoustical Society,- he judged that the lack of bass was one of the biggest challenges in sound reproduction. 

Three high-end SACD/CD/DAC combinations for sale on Audiogon right now (or maybe they have been sold), including 2 from Esoteric and 1 from EMM. Still pondering...still dreaming (Jimi Hendrix)

I've never had tone control in any of my linestage stereo preamp. My current Naim Statement NAC S1 linestage analog stereo preamp does not have tone control either. All ARC linestage preamps do not have to control. Before using the ARC Ref 10 linestage preamp I was using the Dan D'Agostino Momentum linestage preamp which does not have tone control either. All high end preamps usually do not have tone control. Having tone control has to go through another circuitry and it degrades the signal purity. That's why all high end preamps including those exotic ones do not have tone controls. 

McIntosh makes good amps but their preamps are too syrupy warm masking musical details and nuances somewhat and color the sound and lacking musical presence and musical drive as well as rhythmic drive. ARC linestage analog preamps are way better than the McIntosh stereo preamps they aren't even in the same league. The ARC preamps are quite a bit more expensive than McIntosh preamps though especially the ARC Reference series preamps such as the ARC Ref 10 & Ref 6.
Rogue Audio P7 linestage preamp is better than any Mac preamps. 

The D’Ag Momentum preamp has tone controls.