Additional thoughts about the sbt and the Marantz. I've been spending quite a bit of time with both of them (in different systems in my house).
The sbt is really a hard to be value. I use it as a transport into my aforementioned PS Audio DAC. The High Res files from HD Tracks really do sound great. I prefer the sound of the Marantz by just the slightest of margins.
The interface of the sbt is a real bonus.
You had posted that you had a problem with a logitech problem in the past and that was turning you off the sbt. I had had a problem with a non functioning earlier version of the squeeze box many years ago and had a terrible experience with Slim Devices (the company that developed the product and was then purchased by Logitech) customer support. I too was reluctant to purchase the sbt but after reading many satisfied users on this forum I took the plunge (what the heck, $300 bucks).
I had a problem with the power supply, and then they sent me the wrong replacement supply. This was annoying, but their customer support was very responsive and ultimately sent me the right unit and offered me a credit towards another logitech product. Now that it works it is a lot of fun. i use it more for internet radio but as mentioned previously it does play high res files very well, both from usb and from my computer.
The Marantz has a nice sound but I can't recommend it because it is very buggy. The usb drive will stop playing flash drives and give a "no connection"
signal. These drives play just fine on the sbt. Marantz keeps claiming it must be a network problem and doesn't respond to the fact that these drives play on the sbt (same network) and I don't understand why a network problem should impact a drive that is directly connected. Marantz did send me another unit today for me to try and this one outputed no sound whatsoever, despite being hooked up to exactly the same connections as it's predecessor. When I reinstalled the first unit, at least I get audio, until it stops playing the flash drives.
btw, I have heard similar stories about the Cambridge Audio player, in terms of bugginess.
Again, I get fantastic results by playing the same files direct from my laptop
to a V Link (reduces jitter) and then to my dac. I really don't need any of these devices, because one can also get Internet Radio from a pc as well. The sbt makes it fun to surf for stations, and also will be useful when you want to start adding NAS drives.
In summary, if I were you, I would swallow your reservations about past problems that you may have had with Logitech, get the sbt, and spend the savings on more music. In a few years, these players will be more reliable, and players with quality similar to the Bryston will probably be more realistically priced. Upgrade at that time if you like.
