Marantz SA-10 arriving Monday!
I received my Marantz SA-10 today after 3 weeks wait. Out of the box, it terminated my vinyl rigs and DAC. I never know my system can sound that good; very high resolution, precise imaging, and good layering. I am hearing a lot of things I never heard before. Listening to SA-10 becomes addictive... After it's broken in, I will share more... |
@milpai @jafant thanks. yes I plan to share comparison of my digital gears. A few things I found out during the first day of use. I’ve tried USB A and B inputs, coax not yet. SA-10 sounds the best when I play CD or SACD using its transport. When playing from USB thumb drive (SA-10 USB A input), it must be formatted as FAT32. For sizes > 32GB, it needs to be formatted using third party utilities, not Windows. 1 problem with playing from USB thumb drive is that SA-10 does not support gapless playback. There is relay click between each file/track. I tried Sony HAP-Z1ES hard disk player into SA-10 USB B input. No problem with gapless playback. Curious USB Cable is used. I still don’t understand why it sounds inferior compared to playing CD/SACD directly on SA-10. I also purchase high res music online and save into Sony’s HDD so this is something I need to fix. |
@elizabeth do you have isolation transformer or other power conditioning device in your system? I use Torus AVR30 wall mount (I live in 240V country). It was only after I have the SA-10 I know the true capability of my system. My SA-10 is in its second week. I don't think the break in has completed but it's sounding better and better. In my experience, playing discs directly using SA-10 transport gives the best results followed by a high-performance USB thumb drive. My hard disk player (Sony HAP-Z1ES) is not up to the standard of SA-10. While the Sony supports gapless playback in all formats, the sound is inferior when using SA-10 USB Audio input. I think to get the best from USB Type B input, need a much better player/streamer costing close to SA-10. I wish SA-10 supports gapless playback when playing from USB drive. Right now it mutes with relay clicks at the beginning of each track which is annoying. I hope Marantz will fix this through firmware upgrade. |
elizabeth, it is a well know issue for SA-10 when playing from USB thumb drive. please see the 2nd paragraph from the link below: http://help.nativedsd.com/handling-and-playing-dsd-files/file-management/creating-a-gapless-playback... I just hope Marantz will fix this. |
@thelefthand yes, Z1ES USB Audio output from Z1ES was improved with the latest firmware, but the bass is a bit loose compared to tighter bass and better slam when playing SA-10 from discs or USB drive. I also have Intel NUC7i5 with China-made (Zerozone) 19V 100W linear power supply; with optimized Windows 10 and HYSOLID and also Linux-based Euphony Audio (trial version) and USB Audio into SA-10, it sounds pretty close to SA-10 playing discs and USB drive. |
Hi SA-10 owners, anyone tried changing the footers of the player? I took out the original footers and replaced it with 4 pcs of IsoAcoustics Iso-Puck, a product meant for pro audio / studios, pretty inexpensive. I was very surprised with the improvement in sound quality (more analog sounding and better definition), especially when spinning CD/SACD. I know IsoAcoustics has the OREA series for home audio but more expensive. Definitely worth trying the Iso-Puck, especially if purchased from merchants which allow return. |
@cool_jeeves Format the USB stick as FAT32, otherwise it will not get recognized. Also, USB stick or external SSD power consumption must be less than 5V 1A. I’ve tried Samsung EVO internal SSD as external drive (with SATA to USB adapter) and it does not get recognized. Please organize the songs in the USB stick by folder, then from SA-10 remote, press the MODE button to browse the songs by folder. Browsing folders can be done using the 4 arrow buttons + ENTER above MODE/TRIM. Once you start playing song with ENTER button, skipping songs use the regular buttons. I recommend you try listen to free DSD downloads (from the USB stick) as the SA-10 sounds the best with DSD. https://dsd-guide.com/where-can-you-find-dsd-music-downloads#.XjPSLGgzZaQ |
@cool_jeeves As long as you use USB stick or external/portable SSD (such as Samsung T5 rated 5V 0.8A), it will stay under 5V 1A. The limit specified by Marantz is: This unit can display a file structure with up to 8 levels, up to 1,000 folders and up to 2,000 files in 1 folder. My recommendation is to use USB storage below 500 GB, otherwise SA-10 struggles (takes too long) when reading the folder structure after SA-10 input switched to iPod/USB. Please also note that Windows 8 or 10 cannot format large USB storage as FAT32, need to use third party tools. |
