There is nothing wrong with liking physical media for nostalgic reasons. But it is becoming more like analog watches and will continue to move that direction.
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.
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- 36 posts total
It’s not about nostalgia. Does it perform better than a high end streaming setup? To me - no. Does it sound different enough to enjoy? Well may be in some cases, very rarely. So it’s not worth the expense in my opinion. |
@ghdprentice so I guess it won’t surprise you that I still treasure my Omega Seamaster, even though I only wear it in place of my Apple Watch two or three times a year. Lol. |
@kjl1065 I compared one SACD (Joni Mitchell's Ladies of the Canyon) with the high-res stream from Qobuz, and the SACD revealed depth to the acoustic guitar in FWIW, I use an old Cambridge Audio CXU universal disc player as my transport. It handles Blu-Ray as well as SACD and DVD, so it works well and obviates the need to buy an additional Blu-Ray player, although the latter can be had inexpensively. I don't know how common it is for SACD players to have an HDMI output, but players made for video-type discs are likely to have them. |
I also want to suggest you give Music Direct or whichever dealer you’re thinking of purchasing the Onyx from a call. Confirm that Onyx outputs DSD from its AES digital out. Then confirm with EMM Labs that the MA3i will accept that signal. I think it should but double checking it with them won’t hurt. |
- 36 posts total