ARC CD-2, dac or player upgrade?

you might consider an arc cd1, but without input from you as to what constitutes an improvement, any suggestions are purely conjectures.

are you running CD2 balanced into your preamp? ARC usually sounds best balanced. I compared it directly with the Bel Canto DAC2 and even single-ended I preffered ARC. It layers the soundstage better and overall was more refined. The CD3MkII is an upgrade though if you want more clarity, better definition.

And I highly doubt that for less than $1k you will make any improvement. It will be at best a step sideways and if that will be the case, consider it an achievement.

You might consider contacting Great Northern Sound and discussing your wants/needs with them. Their first level upgrade runs $750, which is below your budget...just might get you where you want to go.

Yes, I am running balanced outputs to the pre. I thought GNSC didn't modify ARC players. Do you know anyone who had their ARC player modified by GNSC?

No, I just assumed that they worked on everything ARC... I'm glad you brought that up, I was looking at buying a pre-owned CD-2 for modification. I just checked their website, and it isn't listed under their "Package Mod's". Says they perform "Custom Mod's" as well...worth double-checking.