I spoke with Mike at AC and learned that the MCD500 uses the same disc drive as the flagship Mac player. That was encouraging and helped me go for this over the 550. I didn't need the NOS 500 player, as an A1-graded player was available for $300 less; that would finance 2–3 nights at the hotel I'll be staying at while on vacation next month. I could change to the A1 player still if I want, but don't think I will.
I'm thinking to get the 500, set it up and make sure it works, then box up and ship off my 301. As for the problem with the 301's disc drive, AC thinks the drive belt is the likely culprit.
This now means I won't get the Marantz SA-10, since the 301 trade-in makes the 500 a better deal. I would have gotten a fantastic deal on the SA-10 from my dealer, but I'd still have to figure out what to do with the 301 after that. It also postpones, if not eliminates, a new TT any time soon next year.
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SOTA, Grado, SME, Van den Hul, Gingko turntable setup; Pioneer Elite LD, BDP; Sony OLED TV; Magnum Dynalab tuner, antenna; MIT S-video cable; Pangea HDMI cables; DVDO video processor; McIntosh SACD, preamp, power amps; Telefunken Black Diamond preamp tubes; Kimber IC; Transparent IC, PC, SC; Mirage speakers; PS Audio, Shunyata PC; Audio Additives RCA caps; Furman power conditioning; Sanus: racks
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