Thanks, I almost bought that when my current Marantz CDP broke - then it revived and has been playing perfectly since. I'm reserving the 5003 in my mind - it replaces the 5001 "giant killer" model and so i'm presuming it's as good and hopefully even a bit better than the 5001. Looks better too.

Rich-

Actually you have it backwards. For the most part there are only a limited number of DAC chips available. So the chips used in a $3,000 player could very well be used in a $700 player. The differences are the number of DAC chips used, the quality of power supply or supplies, and the parts quality in analog output stage. A CD player isn't a digital device, it a digital and analog device in one box. That analog output stage is a HUGE part of the difference in CD players.

While there may be a 2db difference in the output signal between a Marantz CD5003 and a Marantz CD73 that isn't the sum total of the qualitative difference. The Arcam presents a better sense of acoustic space (both sound stage width and depth), has more tuneful articulate bass, and smoother more extended highs. A CD5003 is nice for the price but in absolute terms the Arcam is a better unit.

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Maybe for you but I tried the both with my system and I could not hear the difference. I like the Arcam and it's a great unit but the difference in price could not be justified.

In the first sentence it seems like you are saying that there was NO difference. In the second sentence it seems like you are saying that there was a difference, but it wasn't wroth the money. Could you hear a difference and didn't feel it was worth the money or did you hear no difference at all? Was the audition side by side using the same system? How long was the audition and what music was used? I'm not trying to beat you up, just curious.

Pretty thorough. Thanks for answering my question.

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I had the Arcam 73 and Marantz run on my system and listened to both. I have a standard 3-5 cd's that I listen to-everything from jazz to classical. I spent a half of day comparing the two and not only used my ears but my wifes and a friend who is also a hi-fi buff. We all could not hear any difference between the two and I even tried the blinfold test so they could not see which player they were listening to.

Your results don't surprise me at all. I suspect you could compare the Marantz to a 5,000 CDP and there still might not be a diff. (if level matched with a spl)

CDPs have gotten so good you just don't have to spend much money anymore.

For "sane" audiofools we are living in another goden age of audio with respect to great SQ for the money.

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I have come to the conclusion that you dont have to invest a lot of money to have great audio. I would put the Emotiva amp and preamp against components costing 5-10X as much. There comes a time when the dollars invested X dont match the increased sound Y. However some people will always believe that a $40,000 pair of speakers and $60,000 amp and CD player are worth the dollars and if they have the money good for them but for the other 99% of us we just want the best we can have for what we have in our wallet or available credit on our cards.

IMO speakers exhibit the greatest differences. They also tend to cost the most.
Fortunately speaker technology has dramatically improved as well.