Upgrading cd player

@nonoise   Thanks for the info. What do u think of the Mc  MCD12000 ? 

There's the Audionet Art G5. It's a top loader that uses the Streams Unlimited CD Pro8 drive that Pro-Ject uses in their CDP, as well as Gryphon and Acoustic Arts but the last two go for well over your budget limit whereas the  Art G5 is about $1000 under it. Digital food for thought.

 All the best,
Nonoise

@wharfy  I’m gonna email ARC and ask them about that CD9se laser assembly. 

@ghdprentice Thanks for the update about that transport. I thought I heard that. I originally did want that CD9se. But now I’m not so sure if I can’t get another transport years later. Also thanks for that information on the Mac. I figured they would be in very different sides of the sound spectrum. Never owned Mac before. I am going to demo the MCD12000 cdp next week but it will be on all Mac gear. So the sound will be very different on my system which is all ARC. I asked the dealer if u could take home the Mac to demo on my system and he said he can’t do it. So I don’t even know if it’s worth hearing it on their Mac system. 

OP,

Correct, ARC stopped making CD9SE’s because their supplier stopped making the transport. I am sure they have lots for repairs. But these days transports tend to be pretty reliable. They used to be terrible. 
 

While I do not know this, I suspect ARC will not invest in producing another CD player… it is a market that is contracting quickly. 
 

MacIntosh and Audio Research are on very different sides of the sound spectrums. Mac typically lacks detail compared with Audio Research. Their house sounds are very different.

@tattooedtrackman -Have you explored purchasing a replacement Phillips laser assembly from ARC? I'm deciding on getting the REF CD6SE after learning I can get a laser assembly from ARC for about $500.

esoteric K 03x

@akg_ca  I have the Rega isis SS CDP and I’ve read a lot of people prefer the SS over the valve. Plus I’m really looking to upgrade and get away from the Rega Isis. 

@ghdprentice  Yes. I am not worried about ARC going out of business or parts for service of older equipment. I recently sent my Ref 6 to upgrade to 6SE. Very fast turnaround time. I’ve heard excellent reviews on the Ref 9 se CDP but I also heard that they discontinued it because Phillips stopped making the laser / transport or something like that for the 9se. Do u know anything about that ? Also have u heard the McIntonsh MCD12000. I’ve read and seen reviews on it and it’s supposed to have a world class DA converter. Also it’s a very beautiful player also with 2 L meters and a green window showing the tubes in the front. 12k. A lot of videos on UTube of it. 

This might be worth a look. 

How about an audition for a REGA ISIS VALVE cdp/DAC.

I have it and It is different than the vanilla ISIS. I preferred it over the latter ….. might be worth a peek 

Audio Research was purchased a few years ago in a highly leveraged deal by a private investor. Increased interest rates caused him to have to sell the business. It was sold to a deep pockets committed company that is already into high end audio. ARC is not in jeopardy of going out of business. They maintain the same dedication to producing new products and servicing old ones as they always have. Which is why they have a stockroom full of parts to service former products.

I highly recommend the ARC Ref CD9SE if you can find one. It is the best CD player / DAC that I have heard. It bested the $22K Berkeley Alpha DAC in my system and a number of others. It brings the rhythm a pace and midrange bloom of real music, as well as the detail and realism.. Through the player I can get the exact same fidelity by CD player and through streaming of the same recording. Frequently, I can get better quality through high def files streamed through Qobuz since I have an exceptional streamer..

I think u have or we have a miscommunication. Arc parts are available with Arc themselves. It’s the Phillips laser that I believe Philips is not maki g them no more. That’s why Arc stopped making the CD9se. Now I’m not 💯 but it’s what I thought I read. But if they did stop making the laser ( Phillips ) then yea I would definitely reconsider the Arc ref 9se CDP. I was hoping someone had some first hand experience in those 2 models the Arc and MC. Which one is the better unit. 

I wouldn’t be that sanguine about ARC finances going forward, but hey it your money.  You already had voiced a concern in your OP about parts availability for ARC, which led me to believe that long term servicing issues were a concern to you.

@mahler123  But u are really talking about finances. And I un what u are saying. Just about all of my equipment is ARC. Ref 750s. Ref 6SE. I did purchase on Thursday the new McIntosh MQ112 equalizer which is a very nice addition to my ARC. But as far a ARC is concerned I believe that their financials are behind them. 

Audio Research has had a lot of financial problems the past year. Things might be better now, and I wish them the best,  but if the choice was between them and McIntosh, a company that has been around for about 90 years and has as much broad support from the general public as a high end company will ever achieve, I’d opt for the Mac