I happened upon this player as a warranty replacement for a Marantz DV7600. I bought a DV7600 (refurbished) to upgrade from my Marantz CC4300 as a high quality CD player, and at some point as a SACD player. Unfortunately, I never got to try a SACD prior to replacing it. I have had the SA8003 for about 3 months now. My critiques take into account my experience, my equipment and my expectations for a $1000 CD/SACD player…

Functionality : Buttons and connections are well thought out and work as they should, although I would prefer not have to rely on the remote control so much for most of the functions. The disappearing display option (which is supposed to enhance the sound quality, but I can’t tell the difference) was weird at first, but I have actually grown to like it. The display does not show a list of track numbers like less expensive Marantz models, but should. The tray mechanism is efficient, but could be a bit quieter. The removable power cord is nice, and the USB connection is nice addition (although I have not used it yet to test whether or not the signal from the connected device is routed through the player’s DAC).

Aesthetics: Yes, aesthetics…sorry, but it just seems crazy to spend a lot of money for good sounding audio equipment if it looks like a cheap cable box! I place high importance on this category and Marantz has done a good job in this area, as this player looks really good sitting on a shelf.

Audio: This where the player really stands out. The detail and musicality of this player are outstanding. Some may criticize it for sounding a bit warm, but I think this is exactly why it sounds so good. I have found that CDs/CDplayers in general sound as if the mid-range is accentuated, drowning out the highs and lows in music. This player either does not accentuate the mids, or it brings the highs and lows even with the mids. Whatever the player does, the music sounds more natural and my CDs sound just plain better. The sound is a distinct jump up from my CC4300 and at the very least on par with the DV7600, but I would say even better. When playing SACDs (a first for me), I have found that although the player produces a more omni-directional, almost surround-sound-like sound with exceptional clarity, it almost seems to revert back to a mid-range dominated sound. For this reason, I actually prefer listening to my SACDs in CD mode.

Conclusion: A truly exceptional CD/SACD player. The question is whether the $1000 price tag can be justified. For me, of course, that is a non-issue, but I doubt I will part with this player due to its sonic prowess. For others that are in the market for a quality-built, good-looking, exceptional-sounding CD/SACD player and wondering if the cost is justified, I will answer that question in one word: Maybe.

My system: Marantz PM7200, Cambridge Soundworks Tower IIs, bi-wired, bi-amped (A&B speaker outs).

I went to hifi shop and compared Rega Apollo and Marantz SA8003...

* I use B&W XT4 speakers, Rotel RMB1075 5ch. amp (for movies) and yamaha reciever....tired with "pure direct" mode as always for best quality for music.....
* I compared with Rega Apollo...Marantz is warmer, but Rega gives more detail.....but I prefered Marantz...that's why I am sticking with it....
* I compared with PS3....it's night and day difference....sound stage, dynamic, detail, transparency doubles and less harsh on high pitch such as violin and piano.....
* This cd player is smart enough to find music files in portable hard drives via USB port (and yes, it converts to analog).... but playing with CDs, even with mp3's sound a little bit better....but USB is very convinient....
* SACD sound much richer...I could hear Contra Bass every notes while I couldn't with regular CD mode....
* CD loading take less than 5 seconds...
* I wish there is glowing buttons on remote, but once I get used to on it, it won't bother me...

Please do not listen to people who say all digital sources sound no better than ps3.....