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Upgrade CD transport/player vs. Sacd transport/player

Seeking to upgrade my CD listening experience and am not sure how to proceed. Here the my opions:

1. Cd transport,  such as Teac, Jays Audio, Audiolab, to connect to my dac which is currently a Weiss 204, but will upgrade to a Meitner Dac/streamer, specifically the MA3i. Not looking for a cd player. 

2. Sacd/transport/player-here is it gets complicated. I have researched SACD sound that also guarantees that I will hear the DSD layer of the SACD. If I go the SACD transport route such as the Onix Zenith Shanling XST20, but after looking at this option, it seems very difficult and no guarantee as I may need a special box (which I am told is legal) along with HDMI and or i2S connections. One member tried a few combinations and could not always  get the combinations to provide the DSD layer. Does hearing the DSD layer of SACD make a big difference vs. SACD PCM?

3. SACD Player-here there are multiple players such as Accuphase, Ps Audio and others that decode the DSD layer, but all of them are close to or over $10,000.00 in cost. 

4. Not sure which way to proceed.  The big question is, is the SACD sound with or without the DSD layer far superior to redbook? I can buy a top cd transport for less than $5000, but the SACD player is far more expensive. Is there anybody that has compared the two. Is the difference between top sounding redbook vs top sounding SACD substantial enough in order to justify the additional cost required to obtain the SACD player that decodes the DSD layer?  

Thank you for your time and attention.

 

kjl1065
ghdprentice's avatar
ghdprentice
9,398 posts
 

The time of physical media has passed. With the level of investment you are considering, you should seriously consider just getting a high quality streamer. With a careful choice you will be able to get the same quality of sound and access millions of albums. Qobuz for example also has over half a million high resolution albums. The albums you already own are probably all there. All this would not have been a serious consideration ten years ago without a huge investment... today streaming at or better than CD and Vinyl quality is here. 

My main system with the same master the sound quality of vinyl = Red Book = stored file = streaming. you can see my system under my user ID. I no longer play my large vinyl collection or CD collection. It has completely freed me to explore all music... at the cost of less than one CD per month. 

larsman's avatar
larsman
3,123 posts
 

@ghdprentice - The time for physical media has passed for you, and that's great - you're saving money and hearing more music.

To pronounce physical media's time to have passed for everybody else seems a bit much, though. Many people actually LIKE physical media. 

kjl1065's avatar
kjl1065 OP
88 posts
 

I agree that streaming has many advantages. But I have many cd's and enjoy listening to them. I m trying to obtain the maximum resolution from CD's or Sacd's. Not sure whether it should be via cd or sacd. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

hjdca's avatar
hjdca
240 posts
 

@kjl1065 

Yes, the SACD (DSD) layer is superior to the CD layer.  If you buy a SACD/CD transport so you can use an external DAC, then, the transport and DAC must match to avoid SACD sony copywrite issues.  Otherwise, you need to buy an SACD/CD player with a built in DAC.  Most SACD/CD players only output the redbook CD digital data through their digital connection, so, you cannot get to the DSD layer. 

I have a McIntosh SACD/CD transport that feeds DSD through a special DIN connection to my McIntosh DAC.  I also invested the time to rip all my CDs to wav files and rip all my SACDs to dsf files.  I have loaded all these digital files into a 1 TB microSD card and play them through my streamer which feeds into my DAC through USB.  This has basically rendered my SACD/CD transport idle.  If you rip your SACD files (dsf files), then, you can feed them into any DAC you want.  There is no copywrite issue to deal with. 

So, for me, the priority should be to rip all CDs and SACDs into lossless files and feed them to your DAC.  You can also use the files in your car, phone, etc...  , and give them to your family & friends to enjoy. 

Note:  I will not sell my SACD/CD transport, because I still want the ability to play my media, but, the convenience of selecting your CD/SACD files from your phone to play instantly is outstanding.  For me, with good equipment, the sound difference is indistiguishable.  Note:  My system is posted in my signature. 

Note2:  To rip your SACDs to DSD dsf files, you will need an old Sony Blu-Ray player like a BDP-S5100 that you can buy on ebay for under $50 or so.  Then, you need a few commands that you put on USB stick, and the player will download the SACD DSD layer to the USB stick as dsf files.  From there, you can feed the dsf files through USB or I2S) to any DAC that plays DSD.  Piece of cake. 

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