Vinyl guy seeking recommendation for a top level cd player


I know cds are dead.  Best time to buy a cd player, the way it looks.  I want an all in one box.  I don't stream so a separate DAC is not required.  Most of my cd collection have been ripped to a PC as Flac files and then down loaded to a Sony HAP-Z1ES.  Currently about 3000 Redbook and perhaps 100 SACDs.  The way cds are being dumped I figure on becoming a buyer again so these numbers will go up.  I have looked at Marantz SA10, Esoteric K1 (lightly used), and Luxman D-10X, so far.  It would be good if the sound could approach vinyl.  The Z1 does up to a point.  Listening this morning to the same recordings, the Z1 compares to a high end MM cartridge, but not to a SoundSmith Experion.  Maybe I am asking too much, but in any event a new cd player is being sought.  Thanks in advance for any advice.
Bill
billstevenson

Showing 2 responses by gary_c

OP asked for CD player recommendations, and half the gallery goes off into the weeds as usual.
@billstevenson,

Although you said that you don't need a separate DAC at the moment, keep in mind that many CD players have a digital input and can be used as a standalone DAC, in case you desire that flexibility in the future.

I have a Simaudio Supernova and greatly prefer CD sound quality over feeding FLAC files into it. It has a nice analog output stage, but seems to handle the digital-analog handoff better when playing CDs.