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.
@larsman +1 Thank you, really tired of those, who constantly cry "Streaming is nearly as good as physical media" then their solution is spend more money on a streaming package. Some of us have a vast library of optical media, some of which can not be found by streaming. Go disc, Go! |
If you have a sizable cd collection, then I would focus on getting the most out of it by pairing a solid cd transport with a great upsampling DAC. I bought a PS Audio MKII DAC primarily for streaming, only to find that I generally preferred to listen to my old CDs, which now sounded better than ever. As others point out, SACD content is very limited, and a number of artists I like have pulled their music from streaming services, or some of their work was never available for streaming in the first place. I got the Audiolab 7000cdt after a fair amount of research because I wanted to stay under $1,500 if possible. (Vinyl is my first love and where I want to put more of my budget, in general .) it was a clear upgrade over my similarly priced Marantz cd player, which I gave to my daughter. I find I’m actually buying CDs again, and I don’t have t trash my collection. For me, it’s a win/win. |
Depends where you live and what genres of music you listen to. If you like classical, then Presto offers over 6000 new SACDs for delivery anywhere a postal service can reach. Big European orchestras with their own labels like the Berliner Philharmoniker and the London Symphony Orchestra are set up for silver disks of all types. You need a transport at least, and Sony has one at a ridiculously low price point, which also plays Pure Audio Blu-Rays. You need a pre-amplifier, AV pre-processor or integrated which has native HDMI input. Not a problem if you are in Europe, Japan or Australia. Then you can splurge on some superlative recordings from 2L - the Nordic Sound and compare CD, SACD and Pure Audio in up to 9-channel high resolution, plus Doby Atmos, all in the same silver disk package. Or you can follow Joe down mysteriously odd rabbit holes |
@ghdprentice - some prefer analog watches to digital for aesthetic reasons, not nostalgic. Digital watches look ugly, in my opinion. Some people don't care about that as long as it gets the job done. Other people do. My reasons for physical media has to do with aesthetics, too, not 'nostalgia'. Different experiences; one is not superior to the other. |
