Sony SACD XA777ES V Apollo, Marantz 8003 HELP

Hmmm, while I'd like to hear the 777ES I have not. I do have an sa8001 and compared it directly head to head with my Pioneer Elite PD-65. Both are excellent players and to be honest there was not a huge difference. However, I ended up selling the Pioneer which had bested many very high end players in my system. I felt the sa8001 matched or exceeded it in nearly every aspect and the SACD performance is spectacular. I've also directly compared the sa8001 to a number of other players I have around including a Music Hall cd25.2. While it depends on your system, room, and tastes (obviously it's not Stereo5's cup of tea) the Marantz is the real deal. I've got to sell off most of my system and it will be difficult to part with the Marantz. Of course, your mileage may vary....

I compared the redbook portion of the sa8001 to a Jolida jd100a tube cd player. The Jolida player walks all over the Marantz. I also have a Pioneer Elite pd-65 cd player (the one with the stable platter and Legatto link processor) and although it can sound a bit dull by todays standards, I still like it better than the Marantz.

Stereo5,
I'm interested and been looking in the 8001 for quite sometimes, for point of reference, what other units have you experienced or compared the 8001 to? Thanks Stereo5.

A couple of observations.
The Sony is a very good player and can be upgraded.
European/British integrateds tend to be a little dry.
You don't mention the speakers involved?

I own a Marantz 8001 and am not impressed with it. I use it for sacd only. It does not impress me on redbook cd.