I agree with Kana813 and to a lesser extent, Dennis also. For the record, i listened to a few discs, put in the Ayre Acoustics test disc on repeat and let it run for about 8 hours. I've now got about 5 discs listening time after the initial "break in" with the Ayre Acoustics disc.
I think that the top end is somewhat "closed" and lacks "air" or "space" at this point in time. This is not to say that the treble sounds "muted" or rolled off, just that i think it needs some time on it. Given past experiences, i think that further operation will tend to "open up" the top end a bit due to break-in, but i may have to play with cables to get it to go where i want it to be in this respect. I like a VERY "airy" and "box-less" presentation. Many consider this to be a trait of tubes but it is quite achievable with SS gear also. Needless to say, it does take a LOT of work and experimentation though. What the SACD 1000 is presenting is not "bad" by any means in terms of treble response, it just isn't as "spacious" as i would like.
The lower treble and midrange is VERY "clear" sounding with a complete lack of grain, glare, harsness or sibilance. I find that i can far more easily pick out lyrics that might have been "hiding" with a lesser player in this system. This is not to say it it is "forward" sounding where vocals jump out at you, but that things are less cluttered. This makes it easier to pick out individual passages without straining to do so. Not only is this beneficial when listening to vocal work, it will perform such benefits when watching DVD's and trying to discern what actors are saying on movies that used poor mic placement and / or less than optimum mixing.
The "warmth" or lower midrange / upper bass region seems to be pretty well balanced. Nothing really stands out here as the player does not seem to add any type of "mud" or lean things out. At this point in time, i would say that this specific region is relatively neutral and doesn't bow towards either side of the "tonal dividing line".
Judging by my experience with the SACD 1000, i've found that it has very powerful bottom end with much greater impact and weight than any player i've had in my HT system. It is not over-powering or "bloated" by any means, it simply has more "grunt" with a lot more "slam" now. This is a good thing, especially with movie sound effects, etc.. As a point of reference, i've had several different players in this system, both DVD and CD only. I've also tried quite a few interconnects, ranging from analogue via line level inputs to digital inputs with both coaxial and toslink cables.
With that in mind, I think that Dennis' point of view is probably very valid given his point of reference. Personally, i find Wadia stuff a little bright and lean sounding, so going to a player that is "closed in" on the top end with what appears to be a very potent bottom end might make one think that it was "very dark". Mind you, i'm not passing judgment on Dennis or his personal taste in gear, i'm simply stating that i think i understand where he is coming from in the comments that he made. Much like the contrast between Nordost and Goertz cables, both can have their place within a system depending on the support components and personal preferences.
The overall noise floor is quite low, which is a big improvement over the previous player in this system. I now hear notes emerging from a much blacker background with. This is a good thing to say the least. This may be part of the reason that one is able to better understand lyrics and vocal passages as there is a greater contrast between quiet and loud passages, resulting in less hassle to separate the signals somewhere in-between.
I have to mention that this player has what is a standard removable IEC power cord on it. It is a non-grounded design though, using only two of the three prongs. As such, any cord will fit into the jack but the ground is not electrically connected to the unit. Philips mentions this in the manual and explains how to ground the unit if you choose to do so. Personally, i am running it ungrounded at this point in time. I did not bother hooking up the stock power cord, but instead used a TG Audio HSR-I Generation II. I am not saying that i think that this is the ultimate cord or that i think that this is a good match for this specific component. I simply had it handy and into the system it went. I will say that i would not keep such a cord handy if i did not think it offered benefits to using it. The aftermarket cord may also be another reason that i'm experiencing a lower noise floor than the previous player offered, as it made use of a factory power cord. I simply never got around to changing it.
Given the above comments about the "powerful" bottom end and a reduced noise floor, i had to re-think some past observations that i had made about my HT system. First of all, i had always thought that my Sunfire Signature driving my mains and the Sunfire Cinema Grand Signature driving the center, surrounds and subs were somewhat "rounded" or "soft" in bass impact. Adding this player to the system has changed that. While i do have amps that "slay" the Sunfire's in terms of bass impact and "slam", this tells me that all of my previous "bass softness" was not directly related to the amps.
I also mentioned a reduction in the noise floor. This made me re-think some prior thoughts that i had about the Sunfire Theater Grand II that i am running in that system. I had always thought that this piece was a little noisier than i thought it should have been. Going to balanced cables from Processor to the two amps helped quite a bit, but it was still not what i thought it should have been. I'm not saying that i thought the TG II was loaded with hiss and static, but that i didn't think that it had as black of a background as it should. Changing the front end has somewhat corrected the situation or at least altered my perception as to what the source of "noise" might have been.
Other than that, it seems to be a pretty solid redbook player overall. It had no problems reading and playing a "burned" disc that i had, so that made me happy. As mentioned, i am hoping that the soundstage will fill out a bit and things will get a bit "airier", but to be completely fair, i have spent NO time trying to dial the system in with this player installed. I simply disconnected what was there and stuck this in its' place. As such, what was optimum for the other player probably needs some refining in order to make this player really shine.
Given the pretty solid sonics of the base unit out of the box, i think it would be an excellent candidate for further upgrades and modifications. I personally prefer to start with a solid platform to build upon rather than trying to take a sow's ear and turn it into a silk purse. That can be done, but it is always a lot harder and more costly.
The one thing that i do not like about this player is the loading drawer. It is VERY "plastic" and flimsy to say the least. I can guarantee that i'll be addressing this situation in the very near future with some damping compound.
As far as the video or SACD portion goes, i have not even attempted to use them as of yet. I'm sure that will take place this weekend though. Sean
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