How good is the Marantz SA-7S1?

i heard the marantz player today. well.... i am tempted to buy it, but.... , it lacks bloom. i mean it seems to be closer to truth than beauty, but doesn't seem to have any excesses. i fear that the player will not forgive poor recordings. it is expensive and a classic-tube sounding dac or cd player may be a better choice. if you are looking for a straigh-forward player, you won't be disappointed. an example of such a combination is the zanden separates, or perhaps, the amr player, both of which are more expensive than the marantz.

the question is, can you get this performance for less ??

who knows ?

i heard the marantz today. the qssociated gear included, levinson pre and amp, totem man 2 speakers and cardas interconnect (balanced) and speaker cable.

although not my own stereo system, i would say the player is towrad the neutral, balanced in frequency response and definitely not euphonic. since it is not perfect, as no cd player is, i would suggest it is a teeny bit on the warm side.

i can't assess is value at $7000, relative to other players.