I hate to say say this but ALL of the above players except the NAD are just plain boring! They just do not sound like music, live or otherwise. That's the whole trick isn't it? They sound like stereo equipment. I've only heard a handfull of players that really sound like music a one was very expensive, another a hand built AMC[a spin off from NAD] unit that was not .And then you have a company like Jolida makes tube players that can be modified to sound better than any digital, including sacd. Jolilda's DVD player is even better {Model JD 700} and very affordable. You almost never hear reviews on these because they don't fit the audiofile's version of what a player should cost or look like.The big thing of course is the myth that more expensive equals superior sound NOT TRUE! If you get a chance to hear one of these with your system, I don't think you will be disapointed.
Try out one of the Rega players i.e. the Planet or the Jupiter...
You would be surprised how cheap the Planet is for the sound it produces. And then listen to the Jupiter. Very good, detail. If you have the money, get the Jupiter, however, if you can find a used Chord Dac 64, get it! and get the Planet as a transport!
You WILL be blown away with the Dac64/Planet combo...
if you want to see results on a budget buy a d/a converter. I used to use an ancient NAD cd player paired with a theta d/a. The results were awsome. It would smoke most sub $1000 players. I think you will be impressed.
2 smokin players that are well within your budget are the mcintosh 7010 or the mcintosh mvp 841,both can be had for under $1500 & will match up perfectly with your mac intergrated.
You're off to a very nice start. I don't know your sonic priorities, but a player worth checking out is the Sim Audio Equinox. It retails for, I think, $2,200, and is built like a tank. It has a very natural, relaxing presentation, but doesn't sacrifice resolution like many other players with a similar sonic signature seem to do. I like it a lot, actually. FWIW, there's one on the A-gon classifieds for $1,400. I think you'll get superior sound and save A LOT of cash in the process. But there are a ton of other choices out there, and maybe other posters will suggest even better candidates.
