McIntosh MCD500 vs Marantz SA7S1


I recently had the opportunity to spend a few hours with each the Mac MCD301 and MCD500, both were excellent performers, with the MCD500 being a bit fuller with a hint more detail.

I also listened to the Marantz SA7S1 a little while back, thought it was a very good player as well, but definitely not as smooth or musical to my ears as the Macs.

I'd be interested in others opinions on these players, especially if you have any extended listening experience.
rjhalla
I have both in my home and I prefer the marantz by a wide margin. The mac seams to mask some things.
I had previously spent some time with all of the Mac CD/SACD players, albeit the time was very limited.

Just spent the entire weekend with the MCD201 on loan - initially ran it through my Sonic Frontiers Line 2 SE+, but after a couple of hours I decided to try it driving my Bryston 14B SST....WOW!!!

I'm going today to order either the 301, or hopefully the 500 - either way I will be running without a pre in the future. I have been auditioning CD/SACD players for a while now, tried the Marantz SA7S1 and the Ayre 5xe among a few others....I honestly believe the Mac 201 beats them when run direct, I hope to know soon just how much better the 301 or 500 sounds when run direct.

Really surprised at the previous comment that the Mac masks things, I would comment that the Marantz is missing some details, and that the Ayre is artificial.

Anyway, I'm having a BIG MAC attack!!

Go listen.
Being somewhat familiar with both brands digital equipment I tend to credit more Mtdking comment.
Running direct or not is another matter. If you prefer running direct it usually indicates to weakness in preamplifier. In this case a good passive like TVC may help a lot.