View Full Version : SACD help...
Claus
11-07-2002, 04:21 AM
Anyone can give me tipps about brands... I'd like to purchase a SACD player next year. My limit appr. $3000... what can I get for my bucks or deutschmark?
Thanks...
Claus alias FireBlader and MacClaus
As new SACD players are due to arrive this fall (hey - it IS fall! Is there anything new out there yet?) you should probably check to see what's new at a later date - after you get comments here, of course! I wonder if Naim is coming out with one?
Claus, with your budget, have you considered buying 15 Sony 775 players? ;)
pigmode
11-07-2002, 05:02 AM
Claus,
At this point there's not enough out there for my taste. My 2 cents sez to stay away from Phillips. I'm more than happy with the sonics of my SACD 1000, but am displeased with it's quality and quality control. Others have reported the same.
Then there's Sony. I'm considering the XA 777, but am wary of the Sony sound. Need to investigate. I remember Steve mentioning he liked the transparency of the 777 for his work, but work and play might not mean the same thing.
Another member recently bought a Marantz SA -14. I hope they check in because it's also on my list. BTW, Marantz supposedly designed the Phillips SACD 1000.
Claus,
Wasn't it you that checked out the Classe'? That would be my choice.;)
Metralla
11-07-2002, 08:22 AM
Claus,
You have a big advantage over US folks - you live in the same country as Allen Wright. Get one of his modified units! Check out his web site for the compatible models, find a suitable player and send it to him. You'll be cooking with gas.
Vacuum State (www.vacuumstate.com)
Regards,
Geoff
jkerr
11-07-2002, 02:57 PM
Originally posted by sasaki kojiro
Then there's Sony. I'm considering the XA 777, but am wary of the Sony sound. Need to investigate. I remember Steve mentioning he liked the transparency of the 777 for his work, but work and play might not mean the same thing.
Steve's is the SCD777ES which is one of the original 2 channel models, just below the SCD-1. I've got a 777ES too, just before they were discontinued early last year. The XA 777 is a newer mutlichannel model, so not really the same.
JohnG
11-07-2002, 03:11 PM
If your going Sony and you have the $$$, the XA777ES would be way to go right now. I guess you would want Multi-Ch playback ability.
PMC7027
11-07-2002, 08:00 PM
Originally posted by Dave
Claus,
Wasn't it you that checked out the Classe'? That would be my choice.;)
Is there any information available about the Classe? I could not find anything relating to SACD on their web site.
John B
11-07-2002, 08:26 PM
Originally posted by Gary
Claus, with your budget, have you considered buying 15 Sony 775 players? ;)
I'm sure Claus would love 75 channel surround........
Casino
11-07-2002, 08:58 PM
Originally posted by John B
I'm sure Claus would love 75 channel surround........
I'm sure he would, JB, but I've found that 60 is plenty.
And not having the extra 15 speakers can leave you room for a place to sit. :p
John B
11-07-2002, 09:08 PM
Originally posted by Casino
I'm sure he would, JB, but I've found that 60 is plenty.
And not having the extra 15 speakers can leave you room for a place to sit. :p
Hi Casino,
In your case, you'd need the extra room for the coal furnace or is it the nuclear reactor nowadays?
John
PMC7027
11-08-2002, 04:44 AM
Thanks, Dave. I don't know how I missed it.
Easy David, it's under that often missed category "Omega" plus it doesn't even state anything about SACD until you're actually in the "Omega"category.:)
Marc Pool
11-08-2002, 06:37 AM
Claus,
Why don't you go to your local dealers and try some of the machines they have available.
I'm not a big fan of Sony as a company and reliability wise and I didn't like the sound of the players I heard, so I chose for the Philips SACD-1000.
I liked the Marantz players I heard as well, except for the Marantz 8300 which is a waste of money when you want to listen to SACD.
The Pioneer 747 (47a)should also be left alone because it sound worse than the cheapest Sony.
But maybe you should hang on a bit longer, Yamaha, Denon are releasing new models in the next few months and Sony is also updating their range.
Originally posted by sasaki kojiro
Claus,
Another member recently bought a Marantz SA -14. I hope they check in because it's also on my list. BTW, Marantz supposedly designed the Phillips SACD 1000.
The SA-14 has been discussed in the past. I've been quite pleased with mine. It is far more reliable than any of the Sony models (you can check AA for verification of this), and over the past 10 months, audiophile friends and I have done shootouts with most of the sacred cow units out there with positive results. A version 2 model has just been introduced, but I don't know anyone who has one yet.
***PL***
11-08-2002, 07:52 AM
Originally posted by jkerr
Steve's is the SCD777ES which is one of the original 2 channel models, just below the SCD-1. I've got a 777ES too, just before they were discontinued early last year. The XA 777 is a newer mutlichannel model, so not really the same.
I wouldn't say the SCD777ES is a step below the SCD-1. These players are basically identical and sound exactly the same!!! The central difference is the SCD-1 has XLR outputs and underneath there is a 5th "foot".
Originally posted by ***PL***
I wouldn't say the SCD777ES is a step below the SCD-1. These players are basically identical and sound exactly the same!!! The central difference is the SCD-1 has XLR outputs and underneath there is a 5th "foot".
From comparisons between the two made at a friend's house about 8 months ago, the SCD-1 appeared to sound a little more transparent than the 777. Both were fed to ther preamp with identical interconnects, and both had been broken in for about the same length of time.
The 777 could read a TOC quicker, too, which suggests that it may have been from a later production run with improved parts.
Khorn
11-08-2002, 12:43 PM
I've been more than satisfied with my SCD-1. If you can find one at a good price and want to stay with 2 channel it's a pretty decent choice. It also is a great platform for "modding" as advances become available down the road.
jkerr
11-08-2002, 01:00 PM
Originally posted by ***PL***
I wouldn't say the SCD777ES is a step below the SCD-1.
Instead of "step below" maybe I should have said the "next model"? or "2nd model"? or " model #2"? or "model almost like the SCD-1"? ... whatever
I believe the original price was $5000 for SCD-1 and $3500 for the SCD777ES. When the price dropped to $1500 for the 777, I grabbed one. Weighs a ton and built like a tank. Love it.
***PL***
11-08-2002, 07:40 PM
Originally posted by sgb
From comparisons between the two made at a friend's house about 8 months ago, the SCD-1 appeared to sound a little more transparent than the 777. Both were fed to ther preamp with identical interconnects, and both had been broken in for about the same length of time.
The 777 could read a TOC quicker, too, which suggests that it may have been from a later production run with improved parts.
Hmmm, now I'm wondering if the 2-channel 777 has sonic differences between the early production run ($3500 units) versus the later ones after Sony dropped its price... :confused:
Jim Ricketts
11-09-2002, 12:50 AM
I've had my SCD-1 about 2 years and have been very satisfied....and I'm not a digital person. About 3 weeks ago, it was returned from richard kern who did the Super Clock/SC Black Gate caps Power Supply upgrade - VERY noticeable increase in detail, transparency, air/space. But the most noticeable has been the smoother, grain-free presenation from the better clock/PS. reducing jitter from a reportedly 177ps to less than 5 was immediately noticeable!!!! This mod is HIGHLY recommended and Richard did a superb job, too.
pigmode
11-09-2002, 03:42 AM
Originally posted by sgb
The SA-14 has been discussed in the past. I've been quite pleased with mine. It is far more reliable than any of the Sony models (you can check AA for verification of this), and over the past 10 months, audiophile friends and I have done shootouts with most of the sacred cow units out there with positive results. A version 2 model has just been introduced, but I don't know anyone who has one yet.
Where is a good place online to get the SA-14?
jkerr
11-09-2002, 06:15 AM
Originally posted by ***PL***
Hmmm, now I'm wondering if the 2-channel 777 has sonic differences between the early production run ($3500 units) versus the later ones after Sony dropped its price... :confused:
I don't thnk so. Mine, as well as others, that was purchased in late 2000 and early 2001 have manufactured dates of 1999. Do a search in the audioasylum hi-rez forum, there was a lot of discussions about this at that time. The only change Sony made was for a couple problematic parts, the spindle motor and an IC change for reading hybrid discs. These mods were apparently indicated by a blue dot on the carton.
Again, there was a ton of postings about the 777 at audioasylum:
www.audioasylum.com
I'm sure the price drop was just to clear out inventory.
Ambel
11-10-2002, 06:56 PM
The 9000ES DVD SACD player would be a dark horse.
I've got both the 777ES and 9000ES. I end up keeping
the 9000ES it's faster in reading the disc and it's a better
transport than the 777ES feeding an outboard DAC for RB.
ON SACD mode I like find more a little bit transparent than
777ES plus the extra bonus of having the DVD playback.
vBulletin® v3.7.2, Copyright ©2000-2012, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.