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SACD- my intial thoughts....

Having now given my Sony DVP 900 close to 350 hours break in I thought I would report back with my findings.
First off cleary this Sony machine is not at the top end of Sony SACD players but from what I can gather it's fair to consider it a mid-range player.
As an aside it's a great machine in terms of build,picture quality and seems to have a very good transport.
As a CD player it's decent.
From my limited listening experience on SACD I have came to the conclusion that it is a format that has potential but does not exhibit sonic differences that blow you away.
The presentation on SACD is smoother, less edgy but to my ears doesn't offer much more detail.
In some ways it is preferable to CD however I do find on some tracks CD sounds better wether that's because I'm used to CD sound or due to something else isn't clear to me.
The latest Stones CD/SACD hybrids show the effect up clearly,to my ears there really isn't much to choose between the layers in any sonic aspect.
The CD layer has a bit more spikiness or edge.
I have had two friends remark that the CD layer is actually slighty more suited to the Stones sound.
I concede perhaps the Stones aren't the best band to show off sound reproduction but there is the odd really well recorded track where SACD doesn't really come through superior on any aspect of it.
Whilst I have only heard about 25 different artist's on SACD and some dozen or so discs, to me the key to any new format is early on recognising this is clearly an improvement from what I've heard before.
Perhaps my expectations are too high but to me SACD has major problems in surviving and growing.......
ben_campbell

Showing 1 response by gofaststang

gofaststang
32 posts
 
I do not have a SACD player, but have bought several hybrid discs for comparison at a local store. They have a Sony 999ES in a room with Krell/B&W equipment. The sales person was intrigued by SACD and had been trying to hear a difference. All he had was a Stones SACD and he could not hear much improvement between the layers.

I played an original DSD disc on this system from APO by "Wild Child Butler" titled Sho' Nuff. All it took was 10 seconds and the SACD was obviously superior to the CD layer. Smoother, more dynamic, bigger soundstange. No contest.

I was not very familiar with the setup and would probably hear more difference on my home system. But I've heard enough to be convinced that SACD is clearly superior. So is the salesman. He placed an order for a new Krell player. If you do not hear the difference, please consider that it may be due to an older recording or the associated equipment.

I am debating whether to buy a SACD player, like an upper end Sony, and have it modified, and sell my Theta. Or buy a mid-range Sony (like the 9000ES) to use as a transport for the Theta and accept lower quality SACD sound for now. I do not want to go backward in CD sound and am not ready to spend big bucks for a truly top end player.

Any thoughts on this decision are welcome.

I enjoy the discussion on this thread and wish you all happy listening.
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