Newbie.. what CDP/DAC for Krell 400xi and ML SL3

The humanly warm and big vocal from the SACD Standard & the 400xi is something tough to beat. Listened couple hours to the BAT combo VK42 (?)/ vk250 with the Rega Apollo/ Cary 303/300, yet the sound was beautifully produced but still there was something missing : the human side of the reproduction of music which the SACD Standard & the 400Xi can do well.

Thanks a lot everyone.
I am in a search for my SACD standard now, and hitting a few questions/problems.

#1. Where to buy
Just went to a local dealer during the weekend, but the salesman did not seem interested in my business and I was a little pissed. Now I am considering to get one elsewhere. Krell does not authorize online sales in general. Anyone has good suggestions? In am living in SF Bay Area.

#2. Version 1 vs Version 2
I read from some threads that version 1 had a problem with the Philip drive, and finally Krell released version 2.
- Is version 1 really bad?
- How do I distinguish between version 1 and 2?

I had very good experience with guys over Audio Video Logic they do sell Krells over internet. You can get a good deal on Krell SACD standard there if they still have stocks. As far as i know, the later version has bigger display and different type of chip other than Phillip's that I know of. Good luck.

The SACD Standard Version 1 has a nicer looking display, the newer display looks cartoonish, the numbers and letters are far too big, plus you can't see the Track # that is currently playing. The newer transport is also a bit noisy. Most people feel that the Version 2 sounds slightly better (a bit more robust), though Krell claims no noticeable sonic differences between the two. I would try to get an "A Stock" used Version 1, it will be a couple of hundred dollars less, plus I think you'll like the original display and quieter transport better. The Version 2 exists only because Phillips stopped making the Version 1 transport (did not want to invest in new tooling) that the SACD Standard was originally designed around. Krell did not voluntarily make changes to the SACD Standard 18-months into production, this change was forced upon them and they had to make the best of the situation, as typical with Krell, they succeeded.