Marantz SA-10 vs Marantz SACD-10

billstevenson

Owning both Luxman D-10x and Marantz SA-10 Reference players, you are there my friend.  Enjoy The Music!

Happy Listening!

The transport system in the Marantz has remained the same since the Ruby and the SA-10. Wadax, dcs, McIntosh, PS Audio and others use them. At least two of the reviews of the SACD-10 have stated this.

The Marantz transport that  you are referring to regafan is out of production.  The one in your SACD-10 is new and different I believe.  I am inferring this from comments made by Paul McGowan of PS Audio.  Anyway the question here remains unanswered:  How does the SACD-10 perform compared to the SA-10?  Anybody? 

The Marantz SACD-10 still uses the long standing SACD-M3 transport, just like the SA-KI Ruby. and the SA-10 reference players that preceded it. These transports are difficult and expensive to manufacture. Manufacture of this device ended in July 2024. Google: Marantz SACD-M3 transport to read about it. Once they are gone, it’s over.

In the HIFI News review of the SACD-10, the SACD-M3 transport was specifically named. The reviewer hooked up the SACD-10 to a dcs system worth 20 times the cost of the Marantz unit and noticed an improvement in sound quality. You have many options with a machine like the SACD-10. And yes, the SACD-10 does sound better than its predecessors. How much is subjective.

Marantz does not stockpile or manufacture old parts like Accuphase. So if longevity is  paramount. That might be a consideration.

I don't think I would be comfortable spending that much on a new player knowing one of the key parts will not be available in the future. Too bad, looks like a really nice unit. I actually like the appearance (but understand why some do not).