vintage cd player

to clarify you would use the 707 as a TRANSPORT??

IF the Sony is to be used as a transport the Cal Audio Alpha is a nice vintage DAC

do you OWN a large collection of SACDs??

IF you do not already own a collection of SACDs you most likely will not be buying them

If you are looking for a complete CD player, I still like Naim players for CD only ... the CD5 is very nice and can be had for less than $800 I believe. The manual operation of the CD tray is a nice touch as it is one less thing to break down over time

Get a pioneer elite PD65 for a transport &/or complete CD player and if you want near state of the art performance on a budget, have John Hillig update it with blackgate capacitors etc.

I know two people who own the under a grand Marantz models, a 5004 maybe? I bought one for my daughter, and was surprised at just how similar it sounded to my Sony CDP 608 ESD, which is so close to your unit, one model down and very close in sound. But in my research before buying that Marantz unit I discovered they had a very high rating amongst owners, and my friend and daughter have had no issues from their units in the past 5 years, a very nice looking unit too in black face. Worth consideration.

Buy any old OPPO you can find and a Armcam irDac .

I agree with the Oppo recommendation. You can buy a brand new BDP-103D for $599 and you'll be able to play back every shiny disc available, incl. cd, hdcd, DVD-Audio, SACD, and Bluray. Additionally, you can also use it to stream music from your PC to your audio system.

Finally, the Oppos hold their value very well if you ever decide to sell it later on...

-RW-

Lucky for you there are probably no parts to repair your unit. The Sony 707 ESD was amazing in its day, but that day passed a long time ago. You will be floored by the improvement in sound of a new player, when you do get one. If you insist on the retro style of the Sony there are many great players that you can pick up used and are within your budget (Sony SCD777 and 9000ES come to mind). Do what you think is best, but for my money (or yours) I would check out that Oppo line. Great value for money!

maybe I read this wrong but I thought the original poster was interested in a more "vintage sound" not just aesthetics ... the Oppos are very nice but certainly not vintage sounding pieces of gear.

Jrinkerptdnet,

You make a good point. The poster did require "vintage" sound. Best of luck trying to find an SACD player with vintage sound.