I'm considering upgrading my current CD player; an Arcam 7se to the Marantz CD6005. My goal is two-fold 1) To improve Red-Book CD play back and to 2) have to ability to plug an IPOD or PC into the Marantz and use the Marantz's DAC for PC playback or Spotify.
The CD6005 has a USB Type B input on the front panel for iPod/iPhone and USB thumb drives or external USB hard drives. Most USB thumb drives can be plugged in, but not all USB-powered hard drives will work and may need an external power supply connection due to the current limit of the USB input.
The CD6005 does
not have a USB Type A input that is required to connect to a PC.
I think you might be better served with a DAC / Streamer and use your Arcam as a disc transport, but I don't know if there are any to recommend in the same budget range.
The Marantz NA8005 USB DAC Network Player ($1199) comes to mind as one that supports iPod/iPhone and USB drives, uses the same CS4398 DAC, supports more file types and has a network connection, but it is 2.4 X the cost of the CD6005.
The Cambridge Audio Stream Magic 6 ($799) is a similar device and has a port for USB drive connection, but does not support iPod/iPhone connection.
The Pioneer Elite N-50 Networked Audio Player ($699) has a USB drive port and supports iPod/iPhone connection through wireless AirPlay.
Steve
