@bmwalpina
I saw your Jan 2025 comment regarding your MCD12000 purchase. Congratulations sir. I have not yet made a decision to take the leap from my Mark Levinson 519 CD/DAC/Streamer. Frankly, I've not heard a more musical SACD unit than the MCD 12000, and since my system can be a bit "forward" in the higher frequencies on certain recordings (perhaps due to the Levinson DAC), the tube section of the MCD 12000 may be exactly what I need. I've listened extensively to dCS, Esoteric, etc and all of these present the upper frequency detail in a manner that is "aggressively detailed" to my ears.
It is my general experience that Mc products/systems can 'take the edge off' (in a good way), when excessive detail affects the playback undesirably. Unfortunately, however, there is no way to audition the 12000 in my home system before making the purchase - hence, I wait for a sign that the 12000 will be the solution that gets me to the finish line. If I make this move to the Mc, I will likely relegate my Levinson 519 to function only as a streamer for which it is very capable. Happy listening.