Ive read this thread in its entirety and was happy to see some information on the Marantz SA14, the CDP that Ive own for two to three years. When I made the decision to purchase my SA14, there was very little information pertaining to the unit on Audiogon, AA or any magazine reviews to my knowledge. The dealer where I brought the player did not even stock the unit because of its price and the lack of interest in a 2-channel only SACD player. I need to state that my Marantz really did not perform unit I flipped the filter switch on the back of the unit. This adjustment made the player come to life and dont see how anyone could own this unit in stock form and not turn the filter off. This simple adjustment is seldom if ever mentioned by anyone.
The upgrade bug has bit me again and I was reading some discussion posts on some DACs and digital front ends. I have little if any opportunity to make comparisons of equipment since I reside in a rather rural location and must make my purchasing decisions based on reviews and posts here on Audiogon. With the SA14 in stock form, most Redbook CDs are listenable with ones that are recorded well, can sound magnificent. To me, well recorded CDs are maybe one of four with recently release CDs sounding better and better. Most SACDs sound very good but I believe because of the outstanding Redbook performance of the SA14, SACDs are not leaps and bounds ahead of the best Redbook CDs.
Last year I got back into vinyl and refurbished a Lenco turntable with new plinth, Rega Arm and Dynavector cartridge. What Ive discovered is that most LPs sound good with maybe 25% sound exceptional, almost the same rule as with CDs. I know that there are much better vinyl rigs available, but with the lack of new current releases on LPs I find if difficult to invest in more that my Lenco. Ive come to the conclusion that a good sounding LP does sound better in some way that a good CD. I also feel that an average sounding LP does sound better than an average sounding CD. Its obvious that the source of LPs is relative to the amount of available to previously owned LPs and lack of current music.
I read some posts on modified Denon DVD players. The information sounded promising but I was put off by the final cost of the player. Ive done some research on outboard DACs which was the way I was leaning until I read this thread. Im hoping that someone whos owned a DAC such as the Audiomeca, Electrocompaniet, Levinson, Benchmark, etc. can give me their opinion on how a TRL modded SA14 player compares with one of the DACs I just listed or a DAC of that caliber. Im hoping the get my average sounding CDs to sound close to magnificent if possible. Im already happy with the way the goods ones sound. Already owning a SA14 and the $550 cost almost seems like a no brainer compared to the cost of a new DAC. Also, it would be interesting to hear from anyone who has compared the TRL SA14 to a modified Denon universal DVD player like the 3910.
