Advice on Choosing New CD Player - Marantz 6007, Emotiva ERC-4, & Rotel CD 11 Tribute

crazy098
crazy098 Posts: 27
in 2 Channel Audio

Hi everyone, I'm looking for a cd player to replace my aging Sony CA7ES which I love. I'm on my second one and know it's just a matter of time until it starts skipping again. I'm about 2 or 3 months from making a purchase and the ones I'm looking at to replace it are the Marantz CD6007, Emotiva ERC-4, and the Rotel CD 11 Tribute. Sound quality is the number one factor to me, and listening to music is my main purpose. I'd prefer something that has a similar sound to my sony because to my ears it is absolutely fantastic with my setup. I'd also prefer something with a digital out because I have an external DAC as well. I'm running a 2 channel setup, I may move to 5.1 eventually but that's way down the road. If it helps, here's my current setup (please stick to cd player suggestions as I am not interested in changing any of my other gear at this point). Please tell me which player you recommend and why. Thanks in advance.

Preamp - Outlaw Model 990
Amp - NAD 2200PE (which will be upgraded/refurbished in a couple of weeks)
CD Player Sony CDP-CA7ES
DAC - SMSL SU-9N
Speakers - Polk LSi 15
Sub - Rythmik L12

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  • tratliff
    tratliff Posts: 1,701
    edited August 2022
    You should take a look at the Marantz SA-14S1 I have for sale. It’s a great player. Hard to beat for the price.

    https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/196968/fs-marantz-sa-14s1-sacd-cd#latest

    Good luck with whatever you choose.
    2 Channel Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II, 2 REL Carbon Limited, Norma Revo IPA-140B, Lumin U2 Mini, VPI Prime w/SoundSmith Zephyr MIMC, Modwright PH 150, Denon DP-59l w/Denon DL-301MKII, WAY Silver 3 Ana+ Speaker Cables, WAY Silver 4+ Interconnect Cables, AudioQuest Niagara 7000 w/Dragon and Hurricane Power Cables
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  • gudnoyez
    gudnoyez Posts: 8,124
    Marantz 6007, I have several Marantz players and highly recommended them.

    If you could swing the price difference, the above SA-14S1 that's for sale is well worth it.
    Home Theater
    Parasound Halo A 31 OnkyoTX-NR838 Sony XBR55X850B 55" 4K RtiA9 Fronts CsiA6 Center RtiA3 Rears FxiA6 Side Surrounds Dual Psw 111's Oppo 105D Signal Ultra Speaker Cables & IC's Signal Magic Power Cable Technics SL Q300 Panamax MR4300 Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables Audioquest Forest USB Cable

    2 Channel
    Adcom 555II Vincent SA-T1 Marantz SA 15S2 Denon DR-M11 Clearaudio Bluemotion SDA 2.3tl's (Z) edition MIT Terminator II Speaker Cables & IC's Adcom 545II Adcom Gtp-450 Marantz CD5004 Technics M245X SDA 2B's, SDA CRS+

    Stuff for the Head
    JD LABS C5 Headphone Amplifier, Sennheiser HD 598, Polk Audio Buckle, Polk Audio Hinge, Velodyne vPulse, Bose IE2, Sennheiser CX 200 Street II, Sennheiser MX 365

    Shower & Off the beaten path Rigs
    Polk Audio Boom Swimmer, Polk Audio Urchin B)
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  • crazy098
    crazy098 Posts: 27
    tratliff wrote: »
    You should take a look at the Marantz SA-14S1 I have for sale. It’s a great player. Hard to beat for the price.

    https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/196968/fs-marantz-sa-14s1-sacd-cd#latest

    Good luck with whatever you choose.

    That is a great player. Unfortunately out of my price range though.
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  • Milito
    Milito Posts: 1,959
    edited August 2022
    Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport. Check the reviews. Also plays discs others won't.
    Yamaha RX-A2070, Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amp, Benchmark Dac1, Bluesound NODE 2i, Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport, Parasound Zphono USB Phono Preamp, Fluance RT85, Ortofon 2M Bronze, Polk L600's, L400, L900's, RC80i's, SVS 3000 Micro, Audioquest Interconnects and Digital Cables, Nordost Silver Shadow Digital Cable, Cullen Gold and Crossover Series Power Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 12AWG OCC Speaker Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha Analog Interconnect Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 11 OCC Custom Power Cable, Signal Power Cable, Furman PL-8C 15 Power Conditioner, Sony 65" 900F, Sony UBP-X700, Fios, Apple TV 4K, Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables.
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  • muncybob
    muncybob Posts: 3,042
    A reviewer on Amazon likes the Audiolab over the mentioned Marantz. I have a Marantz and it def was an improvement over the Oppo 93 I had.
    Yep, my name really is Bob.
    Parasound HCA1500A(indoor sound) and HCA1000(outdoor sound), Dynaco PAS4, Denon DP1200 w/Shure V15 Type V and Jico SAS stylus, Marantz UD7007, Polk L600, Rythmik L12 sub.
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  • crazy098
    crazy098 Posts: 27
    Thanks for the Audiolab suggestion but I'm not interested in a transport at this time.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,543
    Since you believe your Sony 5 disc spinner sounds fantastic (shutter...) I suggest you go with a similar example such as the Onkyo DX-C390.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • crazy098
    crazy098 Posts: 27
    edited August 2022
    F1nut wrote: »
    Since you believe your Sony 5 disc spinner sounds fantastic (shutter...) I suggest you go with a similar example such as the Onkyo DX-C390.

    Specs on ca7es from the manual:
    Frequency response: 2 Hz-20 Khz
    Signal to Noise Ratio: More than 117 dB
    Dynamic Range: More than 99 dB
    Harmonic Distortion: Less than .0025%
    Channel Seperation: More than 110dB

    Thanks, but the Onkyo would be a downgrade.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,543
    I'm very familiar with the Sony house sound, which specs do not show. The Onkyo would sound a lot closer to the Sony. Marantz sounds nothing like Sony.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • jbreezy5
    jbreezy5 Posts: 1,141
    Milito wrote: »
    Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport. Check the reviews. Also plays discs others won't.

    Flee the 6000CDT like the plague. It does scratch discs. I’ve written about this with photo evidence on this forum.

    Alternatively, Cambridge Audio CXC Transport is serving me well.

    I like the Marantz CD-6007 also, but don’t own one. Have only used it at Magnolia Best Buy.
    CD Players: Sony CDP-211; Sony DVP-S9000ES; Sony UDP-X800M2 (x2); Cambridge Audio CXC

    DACs: Jolida Glass FX Tube DAC III (x2); Denafrips Ares II (x2)

    Streamers: ROKU (x3); Bluesound Node 2i and Node N130 w/LHY LPS // Receivers: Yamaha RX-V775BT; Yamaha RX-V777

    Preamps: B&K Ref 50; B&K Ref 5 S2; Classe CP-800 MkII; Audio Research SP16L (soon)

    Amps: Niles SI-275; B&K ST125.7; B&K ST125.2; Classe CA-2300; Butler Audio TDB-5150

    Speakers: Boston Acoustics CR55; Focal Chorus 705v; Wharfedale Diamond 10.2; Monitor Audio Silver-1; Def Tech Mythos One (x4)/Mythos Three Center (x2)/Mythos Two pr.; Martin Logan Electromotion ESL; Legacy Audio Victoria/Silverscreen Center; Gallo Acoustics Reference 3.1; SVS SB-1000 Pro; REL HT-1003; B&W ASW610; HifiMan HE400i

    Turntable: Dual 721 Direct-Drive w/Audio Technica AT-VM95e cart

    Cables: Tripp-lite 14ga. PCs, Blue Jeans Cable ICs, Philips PXT1000 ICs; Kimber Kable DV30 coaxial ICs; Canare L-4E6S XLR ICs; Kimber Kable 8PR & 8TC speaker cables.
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,489
    Pretty difficult to beat a Marantz CD player for simple two channel music in their various price ranges from my experience. I like both Sony ES and Marantz but they are quite different.

    If I had a CA7ES, I liked its sound quality, and it still worked I wouldn't get another disc spinner. Especially with a separate DAC in the system. What's the issue with the CA7ES? Does the DAC perform better?
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  • crazy098
    crazy098 Posts: 27
    edited August 2022
    Emlyn wrote: »
    Pretty difficult to beat a Marantz CD player for simple two channel music in their various price ranges from my experience. I like both Sony ES and Marantz but they are quite different.

    If I had a CA7ES, I liked its sound quality, and it still worked I wouldn't get another disc spinner. Especially with a separate DAC in the system. What's the issue with the CA7ES? Does the DAC perform better?

    The issue with them is that in my experience they are prone to failure. My first one started skipping randomly during playback. My 2nd one is developing issues. I can hear the discs becoming loose when switching from disc to disc. I won't have my dac for another week so I can't compare it. I have a large collection of cd's that I've acquired over the years and if I decide I don't like the dac or need to send it in for service at least I know I'll have something that will sound good in the meantime. Plus, I enjoy having the physical copy of the cd. I wish I could demo a Marantz, unfortunately there are none available by me.
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,489
    Unfortunately disc transports all eventually fail with age and use. Disc changers seem to have more problems than single disc players. An option is to look for a used Sony ES level DVD player from a few years back. I was impressed with the quality of one I had. Might have been a 9100ES or something like that.
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  • Milito
    Milito Posts: 1,959
    jbreezy5 wrote: »
    Milito wrote: »
    Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport. Check the reviews. Also plays discs others won't.

    Flee the 6000CDT like the plague. It does scratch discs. I’ve written about this with photo evidence on this forum.

    Alternatively, Cambridge Audio CXC Transport is serving me well.

    I like the Marantz CD-6007 also, but don’t own one. Have only used it at Magnolia Best Buy.

    Mine hasn't scratched a disc yet. Guess I got a good one.
    Yamaha RX-A2070, Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amp, Benchmark Dac1, Bluesound NODE 2i, Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport, Parasound Zphono USB Phono Preamp, Fluance RT85, Ortofon 2M Bronze, Polk L600's, L400, L900's, RC80i's, SVS 3000 Micro, Audioquest Interconnects and Digital Cables, Nordost Silver Shadow Digital Cable, Cullen Gold and Crossover Series Power Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 12AWG OCC Speaker Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha Analog Interconnect Cables, Douglas Connection Alpha 11 OCC Custom Power Cable, Signal Power Cable, Furman PL-8C 15 Power Conditioner, Sony 65" 900F, Sony UBP-X700, Fios, Apple TV 4K, Audioquest Chocolate HDMI Cables.
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  • jbreezy5
    jbreezy5 Posts: 1,141
    Milito wrote: »
    jbreezy5 wrote: »
    Milito wrote: »
    Audiolab 6000CDT CD Transport. Check the reviews. Also plays discs others won't.

    Flee the 6000CDT like the plague. It does scratch discs. I’ve written about this with photo evidence on this forum.

    Alternatively, Cambridge Audio CXC Transport is serving me well.

    I like the Marantz CD-6007 also, but don’t own one. Have only used it at Magnolia Best Buy.

    Mine hasn't scratched a disc yet. Guess I got a good one.

    I’m happy for you.
    CD Players: Sony CDP-211; Sony DVP-S9000ES; Sony UDP-X800M2 (x2); Cambridge Audio CXC

    DACs: Jolida Glass FX Tube DAC III (x2); Denafrips Ares II (x2)

    Streamers: ROKU (x3); Bluesound Node 2i and Node N130 w/LHY LPS // Receivers: Yamaha RX-V775BT; Yamaha RX-V777

    Preamps: B&K Ref 50; B&K Ref 5 S2; Classe CP-800 MkII; Audio Research SP16L (soon)

    Amps: Niles SI-275; B&K ST125.7; B&K ST125.2; Classe CA-2300; Butler Audio TDB-5150

    Speakers: Boston Acoustics CR55; Focal Chorus 705v; Wharfedale Diamond 10.2; Monitor Audio Silver-1; Def Tech Mythos One (x4)/Mythos Three Center (x2)/Mythos Two pr.; Martin Logan Electromotion ESL; Legacy Audio Victoria/Silverscreen Center; Gallo Acoustics Reference 3.1; SVS SB-1000 Pro; REL HT-1003; B&W ASW610; HifiMan HE400i

    Turntable: Dual 721 Direct-Drive w/Audio Technica AT-VM95e cart

    Cables: Tripp-lite 14ga. PCs, Blue Jeans Cable ICs, Philips PXT1000 ICs; Kimber Kable DV30 coaxial ICs; Canare L-4E6S XLR ICs; Kimber Kable 8PR & 8TC speaker cables.
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,375
    Even the entry level Marantz CD players have a sweetness to the sound. I have a CD5004 that I really like but have it in storage since it doesn't do SACD or DVD-A. Actually, I could work a deal on it if interested. It is in really nice shape and I believe I have the remote.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,543
    The OP told me he made a decision, but he didn't say what that was.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • crazy098
    crazy098 Posts: 27
    F1nut wrote: »
    The OP told me he made a decision, but he didn't say what that was.

    The Marantz. I picked up a nr1504 for $100 to get an idea of the sound and I love it.
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