System upgrade - blu-ray to play all

[impaelas]

Hi all,

I am an old-fashioned strereo kind of guy and video gimmicks scarcely give me goosebumps. However, family has demanded a blu-ray player to be introduced into the system and I have a debate going on in my head.

Currently system is the following:

Marantz CD6000 CD player (Oehlbach NF-1 interconnect)

Arcam A70 amp

Tannoy Mercury m3 (QED Silver anniversary XT) - ready for an upgrade

Pioneer DV-400V-S HDMI DVD Player

Pioneer has been already dismissed and I have been planning to upgrade my dear, dear Marantz CD6000 for some time now. "Problem" is that it would be great to get a proper device to play them all (it's going to be 99% music, 1% blu-ray). In all truth, I am not a fan of all-in-one devices but I have to be honest and say I've never tried a device such as Marantz UD 7007 or Denon DBT 1713 UD.

Options are:

1. Get a cheap Sony BDP-S790 and a proper DAC and prolong my Marantz CD6000 lifetime.

2. Get a more expensive Marantz UD7007 to play it all.

This is a first step towards a major system overhaul. I'm listening mainly gitar music (acoustic and electric), prefer warmer, open and airy sound.

Woud appreciate if anyone has any advice or experiences with UD7007 when it comes to music. Could it be used as a solid transport in case I opt-in for an external DAC in the future?

Thank you all,

Imp

 

[TheHomeCinemaCentre]

The Marantz will be a good player - we installed a huge amount of the UD7005 and UD7006 before it. That said I would look at the Oppo 103 as an alternative - it is a bit cheaper than the Marantz and within your system will be every bit as good.

 

[mr malarky]

I've used the denon equivalent universal players for years and always been very happy with them, but you'll have to pay a premium to get a universal player that matches your marantz for CD playback, and if the Marantz still works well and your happy with it then I'd be inclined to suggest you keep it and opt for a budget BluRay player - no sense consigning a perfectly good CD player to eBay and paying out cash unnecessarily (unless space in your equipment rack is a limiting factor?).

 

[impaelas]

Well, you're thinking the same way I do and the space is a bit of a problem. I was trying to think longterm and wouldn't mind paying for UD7007 if that will improve the sound enough so I can focus on biggest weakness of the system being my poor Tannoy's in the next step.

Getting rid of CD6000 would be a grief that is true..

 

[Deleted member 2457]

The Marantz will be a good player - we installed a huge amount of the UD7005 and UD7006 before it. That said I would look at the Oppo 103 as an alternative - it is a bit cheaper than the Marantz and within your system will be every bit as good.

Plus 1 for the Oppo 103. I had both the Marantz 7007 and the Oppo 103 recently and for picture quality and bitstream sound quality I choose the Oppo. Not much between the two though.

 

[Juzzie Wuzzie]

Oppo 103 into a power amp would be my suggestion and use the Oppo as a disc spinner and pre-amplifier.

 

[mr malarky]

Well, you're thinking the same way I do and the space is a bit of a problem. I was trying to think longterm and wouldn't mind paying for UD7007 if that will improve the sound enough so I can focus on biggest weakness of the system being my poor Tannoy's in the next step.

Getting rid of CD6000 would be a grief that is true..

If space limitations are driving you down the "single deck" route then the oppo's do seem to be the most highly regarded of the universal players out there.

 

[emperor's new clothes]

Hi Imp,

If you can face trawling throught Gels 2 lengthy recent threads, there are a number of comments including one from me. I too like acoustic and electric guitar and a warmish sound. My UD7007 feeds a SA7007 via HDMI, so cannot comment on the quality of its analogue outputs, but the combo delivers to my ears and I play Cds SACDs and BluRay music ( some of the Stones acoustic classics sound particuarly good, IMHO) I have not heard the OPOs, but other forums suggest a more forward, harder sound. My HIFI is 1990s Meridian including CD player and the UD7007 is its equal for acoustic guitar. The video performance is also exemplary via disc and streaming Netflix HD. I would recommend an audition using its dacs before splashing out on another box. Marantz are onto a winner with their HDAM preamp modules, IMHO.

 

[impaelas]

Hi all,

Many thanks for advices and opinions. In the end, my stubborness decided to split audio and video two ways and opted for the budget Sony BDP-S790 Blu-ray player which will never be used for audio. The difference of 650 eur in price (plus some extra) will bring a lot more improvement when invested in a new pair of speakers.

Somehow I just couldn't stomach all-in-one player...

Cheers!

Imp