Haven't tried these exact players. But my experience with Marantz SA-series players had them sounding a little warm, sort of on the musical side, not dull but just a little toned down on the top end. Esoteric seemed much more lit up which is either good or bad depending on the rest of the system.
I could see someone calling the Esoteric players "bright" or "thin". I could also see someone calling the Marantz SA models "too warm" or "overly thick". Both might be right.
The newest Esoteric is using a different DAC design and I haven't heard those yet. So this might not even be accurate any longer.