SACD advice: is the Marantz SA-14S1 that much better than the SA8005?

Like Hifiman I have a tube modified 8005 from Dan Wright.   He's great to deal with and he does excellent work.  The tubes and separate power supply make a decent player so much better.  Get a good price on a 8005 and talk to Dan.  The player will give you great bang for your buck after his mod.

I have found the sound of the Marantz players to be on the warm side and not as dynamic or transparent as I like. I have had excellent success with with Arcam, Sony ES, and SimAudio. Look for Burr-Brown DAC inside. Currently own the Sony 9100ES Signature edition circa 2005.

I tried an SA8005 in my system for a few months, didn't really care for it.  I didn't like the small controls on the player and got rid of it pretty quickly.  I ended up getting a McIntosh MCD 301 SACD player which I love and matches the rest of the McIntosh system.  Sound wise, the SA8005 sounded fine but I couldn't get over the cheap feel of the controls.

I have not had the pleasure of listening through the SA-14S1 but I do have the 8005.  I had it for about two years stock and appreciated its overall musicality and no areas of obvious weakness. Then I became aware of Modwright Instruments Signature Truth mod including the tube rectified outboard power supply.  After a few discussions with the affable Dan Wright I jumped in and sent him my player for the mod.

A new 8005 can now be had for only $899.  Money-wise I lucked out with the mod. and called when it was discounted from $2499 to $2000.  Again, I cannot compare it to the model 14S1.  But, the sound is as fully realized through the modified player as any digital I've had the pleasure to hear.

It can't do any harm to call Dan and just talk through the issue with him.  The worst that can happen is that you get to have a nice, respectful conversation with a designer who really cares about the sound of his gear.  Maybe he can lend perspective to your decision.

Good luck!