Looking for a CD / SACD player. Also, tell me about Esoteric

Luxman D-O3X CD Player - NEW MARKDOWN - SALE PRICE IS $2100 (50% OFF M – Sound by Singer Sale 2024   for OP

I have both a Sony XA 5400ES with the Modwright upgrades and a off the shelf used Denon 2910.....and through my audio chain (Bel Canto > ML Ethos) cannot tell much of a difference with SACD's...., the Sony is much better with low compression redbook CD's.

Both esoteric and marantz are excellent, But if you need service you might not get it. Esoteric use Sal from California. Marantz is terrible on service after warranty, my SA 10 laser gave up and no help. I agree OP buy player with good tech service.

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I have a Luxman D-05u from the previous generation. Amazing player, sound and build. Balanced out, great internal DAC. Uses Luxman's proprietary transport, one of the best available.  Plays SACD's/hybrids as well as CD's. The Luxman D-03x listed above is a CD only player.

Not to forget the Marantz SA-10 SACD is an upsampling player and DAC that can be used via coax.  The circuitry is unique and does not use an off the shelf chip.  The circuitry is so unique it is hard to compare but a did a very deep internet dive and thought it was the closest thing to the PS Audio approach which at the time had just been discontinued.  The SA-10 is kind of like an alternative to a FPGA DAC without the resistor approach or the ability to program and I only say that because it does not use a chip. Neither Absolute Sound nor Stereophile reviewed the SA-10 nor did any of the world's major publications that I could find.  I got mine open box for a good price a few years ago after looking at what was available for not crazy money.  One of the attractions was that if I got into streaming I could use the DAC without buying one, so I got the ifi Zen Stream and it sounds great; not SACD quality when I compare the same music, but close.  I have not been able to compare it to a different DAC and I haven't read about anyone else doing that either.  I had a Sony XA-5400ES before the SA-10 but never compared them.  Now, with something like the Eversolo A8 I am considering I could hook my amp up to two balanced or unbalanced sources and to coax and route the streamer and SACD's in various ways to compare the Eversolo A8 chip DAC to the Marantz approach as well as compare the streamers.  That might tell me how good the Marantz approach is to a decent AKM chip DAC without breaking the bank.