SACD player as CD transport?


Does anyone have experience using any of the SACD players as a transport for CD playback in combination with an external DAC? How good is it? Because if it's decent in this capacity, seems like you could have the best of both worlds, using it as a transport for 16/44 CDs (but getting the benefits of your DAC, assuming it's better than the SACD) and as a fully-integrated player for SACD software. I know the Sony SCD-1 has coax digital out (CD only), not sure about other models. Thanks.
Ag insider logo xs@2xdrubin

Showing 2 responses by rcprince

In a brief trial, I preferred my Forsell transport to the SCD777ES as a transport, but the difference, to my ears, isn't that big, and you're talking about probably (at least in my view) one of the best transports out there. The Sony sure seems to be very stable and built like a tank, and while they may have cut some corners on the analog side (which I've had bypassed; check some of the other SACD threads if you're interested) I've been pleasantly surprised with the quality of the digital side. At $1500, with SACD capability, I think it's a bargain.
Drubin, your question is a good one. I'm not sure of the actual differences between the two units, perhaps someone out there knows. My understanding from hearsay is that the SCD-1 has additional damping, may have some better parts in the analog stage but still sounds similar, and has XLR (not true balanced all the way through) outputs, as well as fancier machinework. I would think you can probably get higher resolution CD playback for the extra $1500 over either Sony unit, and I doubt if the two Sony units differ in any real respect as transports. I'd pocket the $1500 and take the 777ES, which I did (but then took the money out of the pocket to get the far better analog stage; I'm too far gone as a tweaker, but you can still save yourself!). Anyone out there with more concrete facts or thoughts on this one?