I've inherited a Marantz CD-63 MkII KI Signature, which I've paired with a Rotel A11 Tribute (for various reasons other than the KI connection, though that did seal the deal).
The Rotel doesn't have a DAC, however, so I've bought a Schitt Modi 3 so I can plug in a streamer.
My question is twofold:
A: while the Marantz is still a very capable CD player, will the more modern DAC in the Schitt likely offer significant improvements (I'm presuming that DAC technology has moved on a lot further than the analogue componentry at the heart of the Marantz) and therefore I should just use it as a CD transport?
B: the Marantz's cult following is down to its KI-inspired audio signature, so how much of that will I lose in circumnavigating the inbuilt DAC? I know KI was mainly upgrading the transistors etc. rather than the digital outputs when tweaking, but presumably anything he did would have been in synergy with the pre-existing DAC.
As ever, can just compare the different outputs and see what I prefer, but thought was worth the discussion.
The Rotel doesn't have a DAC, however, so I've bought a Schitt Modi 3 so I can plug in a streamer.
My question is twofold:
A: while the Marantz is still a very capable CD player, will the more modern DAC in the Schitt likely offer significant improvements (I'm presuming that DAC technology has moved on a lot further than the analogue componentry at the heart of the Marantz) and therefore I should just use it as a CD transport?
B: the Marantz's cult following is down to its KI-inspired audio signature, so how much of that will I lose in circumnavigating the inbuilt DAC? I know KI was mainly upgrading the transistors etc. rather than the digital outputs when tweaking, but presumably anything he did would have been in synergy with the pre-existing DAC.
As ever, can just compare the different outputs and see what I prefer, but thought was worth the discussion.