Esoteric x-03 se vs ARC cd3 mk2

Thank you Anthony, as you may be the only one who has direct experienced both DV-60 and X-03, what are the sonic differences between the two?

The CD3 is out of production as far as I know. X-03 has been released in the US just several months ago. X-03 has a higher quality transport. CD3 is likely a lot less expensive on the used market. Ultimately the best is simply the one whose sound you find most involving. As for being an investment. . . no high end audio gear ever is. . . they are only expenses.

Needless to say, there is also an upcoming Esoteric DV-60, to replace the DV-50, although little is known about it at this time. Ultimately, regardless of what you will read on this thread, or anywhere else, or what any dealer says, it can be only your own auditory cortex that judges a new unit.

Oops, my bad Audiophile1. As you pointed out above , the AR CD3 Mk. 2 is indeed still in the Audio research catalogue, and it is described at:
http://www.audioresearch.com/CD3.htm

Saxo, I have listened to a DV-50 and an UX-3 in the same room with the same music on the same day two weeks ago. . . . unfortunately it was not on the same system, so my findings are very suspect. My outward impression is of the DV-50 to be warmer, less detailed, and with slower transients than the UX-3. The DV-50 system also displayed a larger but less specific sound stage than the system with the UX-3. But. . . how much of what I heard can be imputed to the players? And how much was instead caused by the rest of two very different and yet equally disappointing systems?
I hope Anthony can shed some better light on these excellent devices.