Buying an older unit is fine if you get a rally good deal. I would see if the parts are still available or the mfg still supports the unit. Georgehifi is right about the R2R they do sound better IMO but a good DAC design can make things sound special also. Happy Listening.
Crazy to buy a 17 year old CD Player?
My ARC CD2 just died...I think the laser finally gave up the ghost. Any how I've got thousands of red book CDs in my library and need a replacement player. I'm thinking an ARC CD 3MKII or the Mark Levinson 390S. Am I crazy to be thinking this? Got a budget of around $2000.00. My system, though dated, is made up of higher end stuff: ARC 25 pre amp, ARC VT 150 mono amps, VPI TNT IV, Wilson Witts, all running through Transparent Reference (Balanced).