Can you suggest a warm high-end CD player?

Audio Aero Capitole Mark II. Do a thread search on 'Audio Aero'.

Mine works also as a great pre as it has tubed volumn control and I run my DVD player through it on digital coax, my satellite via toslink and the newest models have an analog passthru to allow for you tuner.


This can't work vor vinyl, though.

I will second the Capitole II. I run it direct with my Art Audio PX-25. Prior to this unit I owned a Wadia 861 and a Electrocompaniet which bested the 861 IMHO!! The Capitole really pulls you in to the emotion of the music and seems to be very true to the recording you are listening to.

Audiomeca Mephisto 2X. It uses the same Anagram DAC as the Audio Aero. It's drive is a proprietary design, built from the ground up. The sound is full frequency, but completely unfatiguing. It's no accident that Audiomeca's Pierre Lurne also designs and builds turntables.

The Swiss made Orpheus Labs Zero-P CDP Retail $8000.00 is exactly that, warm, warm, warm and accurate.

Ever-ready to play devil's advocate, I will take a different tack.

Your McIntosh amp is pretty "warm" by itself and I imagine that you don't really need to double up on the tube output. If you can find an EMM CDSD/DAC6 (or DCC2) combo available to try in your system, you may find that you like it. I find that its accuracy creates its own "warmth". The lack of harshness creates a fluidity and sense of "rightness" which by itself is just plain natural. It is seductive (full disclosure: I have the combo and cannot imagine letting go). The DAC6 gives multi-channel DAC output which will work fine with your integrated. If you went for the DCC2 instead, you would have a pre-amp function if you ever decided to go for separate amplification.

While I do not know the "sounds" of the Audio Aero and Audiomecca above, I know a few people who have used at least one of the two and many also liked the Electrocompaniet EMC-1 [though whichever one was owned was obviously worlds better than the others :^)]

In any case, the most important factor will likely be how the chosen DAC/McIntosh/B&W combo works together so I cannot but recommend an in-system test.