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Downgrading Help

OK, so I have come to realize that I cannot afford to keep neither high end CD player I own, mostly because a lot of that cash came from credit.

I picked up the Philips SACD1000 player as my replacement for a digital front end. Last night, comparing the Philips to the Wadia 860x I currently own (not for long!), was truly tough for me. The Wadia is just so much better on redbook CD (the Philips I thought was better on SACD vs. the Wadia on CD).

I don't have much $$ to spend ($600) on an improvement: here are my options:

1) get the Philips player modded somewhere; which mods though, and will this really give me an increase in detail (blackness?), dynamics, soundstage depth, and naturalness?

2) get a DAC?

3) wait until I get some more cash, and get a better DAC or more mods later?

I'd prefer to make this player work, rather than getting another seperate CD player....

Thx
128x128dennis_the_menace
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
Maybe the phenomenon you relate in your second post means that just by having had the experience, you've learned more about what to listen for in digital playback. But what I wonder is how many SACD's you own vs. CD's, and what that should mean for how you optimize your choices to give the most satisfaction in the forseeable future.
dennis_the_menace's avatar
dennis_the_menace OP
467 posts
 
Zaikes: How many SACDs do I own? TWO!!

I really thought I could just get the Philips, and be fine with redbook on it, since I was fine with my old cd changer, and I'd get to try out SACDs.

So wrong. learning learning, and i guess i'm definitely doing it the hard way, but at least i'm convinced and not doubting myself, because I can HEAR for MYSELF what's going on.

What to do in the foreseeable future... I don't know. Is it just the Wadia signature that I like? I mean, the BAT is better than the Wadia, but I don't like that player's sound like I like the Wadia sound. Is there a signature to a manufacturer? I'm guessing yes... and if that's the case, maybe I can get an older, or less expensive Wadia?

I'll see how the Philips is tonight. I've talked to Dan Wright, and described the deficiencies I hear in the Philips, and he thinks it's because of the two stages of gain in the analog output (?)... I don't know. I only spend $400 on the Philips, I think I'd have a hard time dumping any money into it without knowing what the improvement would sound like.
glen's avatar
glen
714 posts
 
You guys probably know that one of the things their hyping with SACD are the multi channel discs. I found out today that I can't run six analog outs into my Casa-Blanc II. Theta has some ideas on decoding SACD down the road but till then I guess it's strictly stereo for me.

Does anyone know if the multi-channel SACD discs default to stereo?
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
DTM, I'm wondering what you mean when you say the BAT is "better" than the Wadia, even though you prefer the Wadia? Guess it doesn't really matter if you can't keep either though. Sorry for what you're going through - sometimes ignorance can be bliss!
dennis_the_menace's avatar
dennis_the_menace OP
467 posts
 
oops... what i meant to say, is that the BAT is better than the Philips, but the Wadia is better than the BAT. For my ears, there is something REALLY special about the Wadia.

Got more of that sinking feeling tonight from more auditioning. I don't know what it is. I don't know how to describe what I'm hearing. Something happens inside when I listen to the Wadia... like an emotional connection, or involvement. ugh... I had no idea it would be this apparent to me.

Ah, what I wouldn't do for a little ignorace right now.
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