Marantz SA-10 Vs Esoteric K-05Xs

@erik_squires ,Very nice write-up. Thank You for sharing.

Finally! A CD player that helps me resist the desire to grab a record!   The Marantz SA-10 has introduced a listening experience that compels me to keep playing CDs.  I’ve owned Audiomeca, Hegel, Sony, and Jungson CDPs, among others,  but my memory of a 90s Marantz CDP I owned and enjoyed steered me towards the new Marantz.  I’m sure other reference players provide similarly expressive and quality listening experiences, but the SA-10 has been a revelation for me. At  less than half of what my vinyl rig cost me, it gets me close, provided the recording is of good quality (of course).  After 50+ years of chasing the dragon I actually feel like it might just be time to focus much more on the music and less on the gear.  Finally! 

@ markmendenhall,Thank You for sharing about the SA-10. Yeah, I keep hearing great things about it. One of these days, maybe, I should drag my Oppo to the local Marantz dealer and compare it to the Marantz.

I seriously considered an Esoteric and I’m sure they are fabulous players.  Didn’t have an opportunity to compare the brands and I’m sure I’d have been satisfied either way.  Three considerations pointed me to Marantz:  1) the 90s Marantz I owned was the first and only ‘early days’ player in my experience that sounded good to me, 2) the top end SA-10 Marantz cost what a mid tier Esoteric cost, 3) the dealer I bought it from described the Marantz as a player that didn’t sound hyper-detailed nor digital.  It sounded like music, not equipment.  I have to agree.  

@milpai 
I don't have any experience with Esoteric players.  I started with Oppo 205 and then bought the Marantz SA-10.  The sound difference is not minor - the SA-10 is indeed very musical as mentioned by @markmendenhall .  A lot more details but never sounded digital.  I love the SA-10 decays - it sounds so natural.  In comparison, the Oppo 205 sounds dry, but still a good player at its price.  

I've heard CH Precision D1 + C1 at the shop which sold me the SA-10.  (Note: The D1+C1 combo converts DSD to PCM.)  The shop's installer and another person who came and listen SA-10 at my setup said the SA-10 sounds better.  The only reason the shop doesn't push the SA-10 is due to low profit margin, so they only sell it when customer confirmed order, no display or audition in the showroom.  I offered the shop owner to compare D1+C1 side by side with SA-10 but he was not keen.

I've also compared SA-10 to Denafrips Terminator: SA-10 wins when both use USB Audio IN.  Terminator sounds better with redbook PCM when SA-10 was used as the transport (coax digital to Terminator) compared to Terminator using USB IN.  When using coax for redbook PCM, Terminator sounds thicker (full bodied) but lacks the details and accurate imaging the SA-10 produces.

After the SA-10 was fully broken in, I've stopped listening to vinyls.  I've bought second SA-10 for my other house (which also has Oppo 205) and that's my main source of music playback right now.  In all my systems, either Torus AVR or RM are used as power conditioner.

DSD sounds really good with SA-10.  I've bought many hires albums in DSD 2x and 4x.  DSD 2x can be played back from USB external drive connection behind SA-10.  DSD 4x needs an external music renderer.  However,  SA-10 sounds the best when playing physical media (CD/SACD) or directly from USB external drive.

SA-10 deserves to get more professional reviews.  Unfortunately I hardly see any serious reviews by the major hi-fi magazines.