to SACD or not

Need to check out the Sony 595. Do agon search for many tips.

I went from the Marantz SA11 to the Ayre C5 recently , expecting only a small improvement , but got much more .( the Marantz broke 3 times in 3 years ) . AS far as your question , SACD was stumbling before , I don't think the appearance of Blueray audio will help it out .

Here are my thoughts:
1. Getting into SACD is a no brainer especially if you are a classical music fan. SACD done right is CLEARLY superior to redbook player.

2. Stretch your budget a bit and get a (used?) dcs Puccini. It trounced every single box player in existence.

3. If you decide for whatever reason to buy Ayre player, make sure you run it fully balanced probably with a matching Ayre amplifier. I always find Ayre products to be rather "thin" sounding.

Crawl over broken glass to get hold of a Sony XA5400ES SACD and then have it upgraded by Modwright. Read all the reviews on here and on the Modwright site. Buy for about $1100 and upgrade for $2000 - suggested to be the best SACD/CD under $20,000. I love mine - it has taken several months to break in and just keeps getting better. It blew away my Musical Fidelity kw SACD which (when it works) is reviewed as very good.
This would be the best investment you could make - top dollar will not beat this unit - it sings
Peter from Perth in Western Australia
Yes I am a long way off - I research Audiogon and over forums very carefully before I buy unheard. Love the Sony !

Try audtioning an Esoteric. You won't find a better built SACD player (or sounding IMO)with the best transport made.
Look for an X-05 or X03se in you budget new or find a P05/D05 used.

Regards,