Toroidal vs. Non-toroidal Transformers


I am an experienced audiophile, but am unsure as to how much weight should be given to the presence of a toridal transformer in a CD player. I am comparing the Marantz SA-15S2 to the Denon 100th Anniversary SACD player. With the cases open, the main difference I note is that the Marantz has a toroidal transformer, and the Denon does not. I am one who buys all of his gear on-line, sight unseen, and so design and parts quality are important to me (they would be important to me anyway).

I believe that design and parts quality have a direct relationship to performance. I am not one to readily accept the advice of: "Well, just listen to the players." I suppose that if I listen long enough, I might end up seeing the positive points of almost any piece of gear--and such is why I always marvel at the suggestions of "200" or "500" hours of "break-in". I would rather make an informed initial decision, as well-designed components with quality parts--and good weight and build--have rarely disappoined me. I welcome any relevant comments.
gtortorella
They're are both upper mid-fi players.. If I was looking for a great one box solution I'd look for a used Meridian G08.2 should be close to your price range. Just my opinion..
Regarding the G08.2, this is an interesting comment. Even the G06.2, at $3,500 MSRP, would be out of my reach.

With regard to the sound of my SA-15S2 (and its effects), I think I have determined the nature of the problem. My ears seemed somewhat "pluggy," and so I applied a few treatments of Murine, and my ears feel much better. Not a whole lot of wax was removed, but my ears seem back to normal now. I have listened briefly, as I have been busy, and have sensed no negative effect upon my ears. I will now return to evaluating the performance of the 15S2.
Ayre condones the use toroidal's, they have some of the best sounding gear around so I won't argue the point.
Indeed, Ayre gear would seem to be of the highest caliber. Charles Hansen despises op-amps.
Picking up on Nonoise's earlier comment, yes proper implementation of R-core transformers can result in excellent sound. My previous reference dac (Vimak DS-1800mk2) used 2 R-core transformers, whilst my current cdp/pre/dac (Ayon CD-5s) uses 3 x custom Kitamura Kiden r-cores (two for the analogue section & one for the digital). Similar custom R-cores were used in the legendary Reimyo CDP-777. C-cores can sound lovely as also as used by AMR, whilst the best trannies i've heard are the UI-core transformers used by Vitus!