i have heard the sony but have heard the sa-14.
i have owned a sony 333,555,and 999 and finally settled on the marantz sa-8260.
i do have to say the sa-8260 is one of the most analog sounding cd's players i have ever heard on redbook and sacd ( the sonys were decent on sacd but were really bad on cd).
all that being said, the sa-14 is 25%-30% improvement over the sa-8260.
i believe from what i owned and read, the marantz may be the more musical of the two. the sony may be the more accurate.
know this is where it gets interesting..... either unit you buy...expect to have problems with it sooner or later.
there are PLENTY on threads on both units(actually all mass market cd/sacd players) sacd on both audiogon and asylum that go over this with servo/toc/transport issues and repair nightmares.i
i am on my second sa8260 after marantz fixed my first one ( 2 times). the new one has been fine, thank God for the dealer who came through ( marantz customer service is really bad - sue kubiak at marantz is a %^%&#&&($##).
the sony has a 5 year transferable warranty with recipt
the marantz has a 3 year warranty to orginal owner from a authorized dealer.
i know this doesnt answer your original thread but i hope it helps.
best regards,
mike
