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Advice needed re: new CD player purchase

Hello everyone. New member but long-time lurker here. My system: Bryston 4B-ST amp, Bryston BP25 preamp, and Meridian 508.24 CD player (all purchased in 1998 and all performing flawlessly), Kimber KCAG balanced interconnects, Audioquest speaker cable, and Esoteric power cords. I have Thiel CS2.4 loudspeakers.

I have about 4500 CDs (about 3% of which are hybrid SACDs). I love my system, but I want a new CD player. Am I right to think that advances in audio technology over the last 24 years have left my Meridian in the dust, sonically speaking? So I have been looking at various players. A few parameters: I will only buy new; I want XLR outputs; and I’d prefer to not spend over 5k.

I’m looking hard at the Bryston BCD-3, and the Technics SL-G700. Having owned Bryston products now for almost 24 years, I’m extremely impressed by their build quality and performance. However, the BCD-3 is not an SACD player. I’ve read a few solid reviews of the Technics, but I’m suspicious of their long-term reliability. There are no dealers where I live or within 200 miles. I looked at the Marantz line, and their only player with balanced outputs is the SA-10, which I’ve heard is awesome but I’m unwilling, at this point, to pay $7500 (although my mind is not closed on the matter).

Anyone here have either the Bryston or the Technics player? Will I notice a marked improvement with a new player (as compared to my 508.24)? Like most of you, this is my life. After work, I listen 2-3 hours per day, sometimes more on weekends. Thanks in advance for your advices.
jeroboam
disc
119 posts
 
Hey Jereboam, 2 months ago, I was in a similar situation— several thousand cds, no strong desire to stream, and sound that was good but….   My player was an Oppo 105.   After reading Teajay’s review here of the newish Pro-Ject RS2 CD Box transport, I did some research and later bought one to run direct into a Boulder 866 integrated with a built-in DAC.  (My thinking is that I can upgrade the DAC later if I want).  After sorting the cabling (AES/ENBU), I couldn’t be happier.  
The Oppo 105 analog or digital out wasn’t in the same league (nor did I expect it to be), and the system outperforms previous systems based on the Meridian 508.24 and a Granite 657 with a variable tube output stage.  The earlier system was very different (modified Spectrom Musician III and Supratek Syrah, so I can’t give an apples to apples comparison, but I feel like the Pro-Ject has breathed some much needed life into my CDs, which if I’m not mistaken is your goal as well.  Cheers
tweak1
3,667 posts
 
If I was in the market I would definitely try the Technics
twoleftears's avatar
twoleftears
5,318 posts
 
The other strong contender so far not mentioned as far as I am aware is the Luxman D-03x.

beeswax
56 posts
 
A strong vote here for the Bryston BCD-3. Also, I recently purchased the hybrid SACD/CDZ from Trio Mediaeval and the sound is simply gorgeous. You asked if we noticed the upgrade in musicality immediately, and, frankly, I was stunned at the improvement over what I had been using and thought was fantastic for years. I came very close to springing for a Luxman, like the D-05u. I love Luxman, but, in the end, I thought, "I don't really play SACD and I can get the hybrids and they sound great, plus I'm saving thousands of dollars and getting an absolutely impeccable redbook player." There is no arguing with the quality of the BCD-3. You can plug it in easy to a very high-end system and it's going to sound great. You can get different, and maybe somehow better (?), but at $4K you can't miss.
jeroboam OP
24 posts
 
Thanks for all the great comments, everyone. I'm sure the new Esoterics will be fantastic, @fred60, but I imagine that they'll be about double or more the cost of the Bryston. 

@beeswax, yes, that's what I was thinking ... is true SACD worth another 3-4K ?  Right now, I'm answering that as a "no" and the Bryston is in the lead.

@tweak1: I'm so intrigued by the Technics! I wish I could trial it in my listening room!
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