I have a 63se which I combined with a Monarchy 18B and the 24/96 DIP. A great result for WELL under half of your budget of $1500. I agree with seandtaylor99, the DIP made the biggest improvement. You may consider replacing the captive power cord on the 63se with an IEC connector. I did, and the results with power cables have been great. Got it done by a qualified tech for around $50 U.S.
Used DAC or Used CD Player???
Any recommendations on whether to spend about $1500 on a used DAC such as Levinson 36, or just buy a used player like Rega Jupiter--or something like this?
My current player is a marantz cd-63SE, so this would be the transport. Amp is MF A3cr, Preamp is classe cp-35, speakers are platinum solos
My current player is a marantz cd-63SE, so this would be the transport. Amp is MF A3cr, Preamp is classe cp-35, speakers are platinum solos