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Beyond SACD with Redbook: Price No Object

I just read the SACD/DVD-A is Dead thread which bummed me out a bit as I have been pondering the purchase a Sony SCD-1.

If it is true that redbook has already or will soon eclipse SACD, is there any consensus on state of the art CD players or DACs that can actually approach the fun of analogue.

Some of you have suggested that the Sony SCD-1 offers glorious redbook, the new Musical Fidelity DAC seems to be chateau Lafite to some and snake oil to others.

Is there any consensus on world class, undisputed heavy weight champ redbook players and/or DACs these days?

I would especially appreciate your opinions on what you think is the best of the best -- not "sleepers", good for their price range etc.

I don't mind spending the big bucks, just want to enjoy music again.
cwlondon
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albertporter
4,949 posts
 
Good grief Twl, your post makes WAY too much sense. There is bound to be a fight break out any minute now.

For what it is worth, I do not doubt that the comments from A Sanctuary of Sound are honest and correct. Ultimately each of us must decide if the limited bandwidth of Redbook CD's are worthy of a 10K band aid.

I decided on the Sony ES 9000 SACD player because it has great Redbook playback and EXCELLENT SACD.

At it's current street price, this unit is worth buying for it's DVD playback alone.
bwhite
807 posts
 
The consensus is AudioNote DAC 5 and CEC TX0 transport

Note: I have tried Hybrid SACD/CD's and these disks have such a good redbook CD layer that the SACD layer doesn't seem to be all that much better - at least in terms of early pressings of CD's vs. those remastered to SACD. Has anyone else noticed this?
jcbtubes
400 posts
 
I can only speak from my experiences. I owned the Marantz SA-1 (after a brief comparison against the SCD-1) and purchased a couple dozen SACD discs with the intention of finally eliminating the need for my Goldmund separates. WRONG!
Though the price differential is substantial, the best redbook equipment is better, and by a noticeable margin compared to the relatively recent SACD playback equipment. Then I compared the SA-1 against the EMC-1 (without the 24/192 board), the redbook player again was preferrable.

I wanted SACD to be better. Maybe someday SACD/DVD-A will fulfill its promise (if it/they survives), but until then ....
Just one man's opinion.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
What has always puzzled me, is many SACDs are remixes of old recordings; some dating back to the 1940s and 1950s. The original source can't be up to modern recording media, so are we really hearing the original recording, or has someone like George Lucas played with it, and what we hear is a perfect fake?? Just wondering?
gendut3
52 posts
 
I agree with A Sanctuary of Sound that the Audiomeca Mephisto II is one of the best CD player today.
I have been using the Mephisto II for 5 months and this player still makes me smile every night.

But SACD is too superior for any cd player if you play with the original DSD recording.

Even though i don't have a SACD player right now, i do have 6 SACD hybrid disc with original DSD recording which i'm going to use for the near future when i have some extra $$$$$ to buy the good SACD player.

Please don't make any negative comments anymore about the SACD and hopefully that SACD is not going to die as many people predict !

Please be honest that SACD with DSD recording is the second winner after the record !!

Good luck !
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