Best sacd player

Since I am affiliated with EMM Labs, you might find me to be biased, but I will share with you what I hear.

I have listened to many modded SCD-1's including those by Kern and others. I have had the Accuphase DC-101/DP-100 and almost all of their CD players. I have had the Esoteric X-01, DV-50 and have experience with the P-70/D-70 combo.

None of these players give the lifelike presentation of the EMM Labs. The transparency and ease of the EMM Labs, in my experience, is unsurpassed.

Taking the EMM Labs out of the equation, I would say that my comparisons with the Kern modified SCD-1 and the Acuphase gear clearly had the "full tilt" Kern modified player well ahead sonically.

That being said, I would say the Esoteric is X-01 is better than both the Accuphase and Modded Sony.

I actually heard the VSE mod compared head to head with the EMM Labs DCC2 and CDSD transport.

I really liked the VSE Sony mod. In the review, David Robinson mentions a freind that wanted to buy it. It was me. I thought it was such a great value, I was going to get it for my father who got me involved in this sordid hobby :)

David's review was spot on.

The costs for multi-channel are as follows:

DAC 6 - 10k
Switchman 3 - 7k
CDSD Transport - 7k

The costs for 2 channel are:

DCC 2 - 10k
CDSD - 7k

EMM Labs' converts PCM to twice that of DSD. One bit at 5.6mHz compared with Accuphase that takes an SACD and converts it to PCM. Ed Meitner, being incredibly knowledgable in the analog domain, transferred what worked for him there into the digital domain. Brilliant circuit design and short pathways are just a few of the things that make EMM Labs equipment so special.

Nreddy: Percentages are tough. If I had to answer, I would say 75-80%, but how does one truly gauge it.

711smilin: Alex is on record stating that his mods are not as good as the EMM Labs gear, nothing is. I am truly happy you like the APL units, and they represent a terrific value at their pricepoint, but if you want to have the sound the EMM Labs produces, you will have to spend the money. :)