Only briefly in store. I liked it, but didn't really listen for long so it was hard to compare it to my current DAC/HPA/Pre-amp.
A shame that the "wooden" sides are actually plastic. Lovely looking piece of kit. Sounded good. Very much like the higher end Marantz CD players. I read a Japanese review where they thought it was a bit better than the SA-14S1 through the CD player's headphone output. I couldn't comment. It's a product niche I'm very interested in because I plan to use one to run a pair of active speakers, as well as for headphone listening.
Also briefly checked out the Pioneer U-05, which has a more analytical sound. I'm leaning towards the U-05 because I'm a sucker for detail and it has balanced outputs. The Marantz had a nice open feel to the sound and plenty of detail, but typical Marantz smoothness. Not as full bodied and smooth as Luxman kit like the DA-200, but I ruled out the Luxman because it has no remote (and the balanced output is only fixed level). I still think the Marantz would look better in my living room, but I guess I need to audition more thoroughly. No chance of a home audition, so I think the best I can hope for is taking my headphones the the store and comparing the two pieces of equipment there and comparing them to my Icon HDP.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram