Marantz SACD player suggestion

I saw a Denon 110th Anniversary SACD player for sale, either here or Audio Mart.  Price was very right and build quality looked good.  It is a current player, about 2 years old. I owned 2 Marantz SACD players at 2 different times, a SA8001 and SA8005.  I am a glutton  for punishment as I didn’t like the SA8001 and stupidly, years later, bought the SA8005.  I found both too polite and the buttons on the SA8005 were tiny and felt very cheap. Personally, I would not buy another Marantz.  I sold the SA8005 4 days after receiving it.  I bought a top shelf Esoteric player at a fantastic deal and it is everything I want in a player. 

There a listing of Marantz SA 10 at TMR audio and Audio mart, I have both the Ruby and SA10. SA 10 has balance .Superior than the rca. Both unit are good but the SA 10 is worth the extra you will pay for.

I had a Marantz SA15S2 and loved it while I had it. I sold my Marantz gear and got the Technics SU-G700M2 and liked it so much I got the matching SL-G700 SACD player and compared it to the Marantz while I still had it. 

No comparison.

Before anyone flames this, don't forget the Marantz was almost a decade old while the Technics is pretty much cutting edge. The fact that you can get it for around the same price, if not less, than a used Marantz, puzzles me. Chalk it up to nostalgia.

All the best,
Nonoise

Nonoise, you say "No Comparison", but it would be really helpful if you would offer a brief comparison between the two so we can understand why you preferred one over the other so definitively. Thank you.

Well, The Technics has a cleaner, introspective presentation to the music whereas the Marantz had that warmth they’re know for at the cost of that clean and open sound that I like.

Providing a cleaner presentation goes hand in hand with layering, soundstage width and depth, air, ambience, that elusive see-through quality, room (that it’s recorded in) contribution also known as venue, etc.

The Technics also beats the Marantz in dynamics, micro and macro, scale, insight, subtlety, and realism. Some might not appreciate these qualities as much as me so YMMV. Having lived with both, I can see why some would prefer the Marantz, if they want everything to sound good, but I feel it would be at the expense of the aforementioned qualities I mentioned.

Granted, some of the differences alone were not that major but taken as a whole, the sum is greater than the parts.

All the best,
Nonoise

That is extremely helpful, nonoise. Thanks so much. My tastes tend to agree with yours, preferring a more open, cleaner sound, soundstage definition and all the other attributes you describe. I was hoping at this price range the Marantz would be elevated above the typical thicker, warmer Marantz house sound. But from what you describe, even for $4K it still sounds like a Marantz (not that that is bad, per se.) So I need to look more closely at the Technics. Thanks again.

drowe

Seek out a Marantz SA-11S2 or SA-11S3 player, if you enjoy the house sound.

These are rock solid Spinners. And meets your need for Balanced outputs.

Happy Listening!