CAL ICON MKII CD player replacement

I once had a newer Marantz CDP which I bought new a few yrs ago. Model I'm not sure of, it might of been the 6004. I personally did not like the sound. I sold and bought my Rotel RCD971. If you buy one, make sure the merchant has a return policy. Right now there's or was ? on Agon a Marantz 63 SE for $125. I'd get that and see if it works for you. I think the NAD sound is closer to your Cal. Perhaps look for a used Nad 542. Hope things work out! Bill

I'm down to looking at a new marantz cd6004 or a used Rotel 991.
Any input?

Both are good. Take your pick...

Thanks mapman,
I am slightly concerned about the age of the rotel. The seller says it was built in 2001. Are the internals (dacs, etc) way outdated compared to a new marantz or nad, or does the rotel rcd991 still blow them away since it was the flagship player at the time.
Thank you

Age can be a performance inhibiting factor in any device, including CDs.

Personally all other things aside, with CD players and digital in general, I would tend to go with more recent products (3-5 years old max) that many have been proven to enjoy. DIgital technology continues to evolve and improve, so there is a dividend there in general when you buy something newer rather than older.

The older device may still be in good condition and fine as well, but I would expect a large discount due to age and wear and tear accordingly and only buy if of particular interest for some reason. Sound quality would only be a good reason for me if say perhaps I had actually heard a particular older device years ago and still judge the sound quality to be a good value compared to other more recent competition. Retail prices alone are not a reliable indicator.

In general, I keep my digital devices that I like around as long as I can, often until they give it up in some way, or I see and hear something better that forces me to pull the trigger. The longer you wait to buy new with anything digital, the better off you will be again because the technology continues to improve at a rapid pace overall and older devices can become outdated quickly. That's not to say though that ones you already own and like are not good, just that things inevitably always move on sooner or later, especially with digital technology, where it is often sooner rather than later compared to many things.