Yes. Much better and your other equipment demands it arguably. Not necessarily Marantz alone either!
However, the new £700 SA8003 gets an excellent review in this month's Hi FI Choice and this is effectively the KI-Signature version albeit not titled as such with the KI moniker. There won't be a lower priced "standard" 8003, but another player around the £300-£350 mark to replace the current standard SA7001.
I just picked up the superb SA7001 KI-Signature player for £300 - that's better than half price - from Hughes Electrical in East Anglia. Partner it with a good cable for bass, the Chord you have might work, but failing that something like a copper core DNM or a used Nordost would do the trick. Without it, the SA7001 is a little lean. Beefs up well though.
Other than that, depending on your budget, you could look at the Exposure 2010s (£600) or the earlier 2010, both of which are boisterous little oiks and the new Cyrus players which are the "ones to beat" (it says) at £800 and £1100.
I'd shop around, get the reviews off the mags and sites like Audiogon or AudioEnz, Stereophile etc and see what you end up shortlisting.
Happy hunting!