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Upgrading a CD/SACD player with integral DAC

I’ve described my system on site before and it was pointed out the CD/SACD player was the weak link in the system. I’m not in disagreement, and would like to start researching an upgrade that would be commensurate with the rest of the system.

Here is what I have at present:

Marantz SA 8005 CD player with integral DAC
VPI Classic 2 turntable with an Ortofon 2M Black cartridge
Luxman L507 uX Mk2 Integrated Amplifier
Magico A3 speakers
Hydra Denali 6000S Power Conditioner

I have only Redbook CD’s, no SACDs but it would be nice to retain that capability. It would also be nice to retain an integral DAC, although at a higher price point maybe you would advise on getting a separate DAC. I’d rather avoid doing that if possible, as that would mean having to add more cables that would detract from the overall budget. But let me know what you think on that score. I have no plans to add any other components, or to stream music, so that doesn’t need to enter the equation. I listen to mostly fifties jazz and Rock ’n Roll and R&B, among other things, if that is at all relevant. I want to buy new, and not Chinese manufactured products.

So what CD players would you recommend looking into that would be similar in quality to the rest of the system. And what if any sonic improvements might I look forward to with your recommended upgrade. I purposely did not mention price point as I don’t know what price point would put the CD player into the performance range of the rest of the system components. You were all were very helpful to me choosing the rest of the system components, especially the amp and speakers. So I’d appreciate, and am looking forward to your recommendations and guidance on this selection. If there’s any more information you need, please let me know. Thanks

Mike


skyscraper
pettyofficer
462 posts
 
Hello Skyscraper,

     I would say from a 100-150 hours of burn in. Later on, you can still get an R2R Dac and have multi-options of 11.2 Mghz up sampling of SACD, Multi-Channel SACD, same with CD, plus the Ruby digital out to your new R2R Dac. You would have on board and separate dacs. Why be mutually exclusive if you could play a wide range of formats? The optical drive on the Ruby is very robust and one of the best ones that Marantz makes. I know that I should turn off those long blue lights on each side of the facia, but they look so damn cool. Even with them on it still sounds great to me. Okay, back to being an audiophile, I will turn them off. Let me know how it works out for you. I am certain that you will be pleasantly surprised. 
     I should mention a word about universal players ( SACD, BLUE-RAY AUDIO, DVD-AUDIO ). It is well known that audio noise is generated by the video processor. This happens even when the VP. isn't receiving a signal. Even DVD-AUDIO and BLUE-RAY AUDIO project HD images onto the monitor for album cover, song selection, etc. Some of the more recent Pioneer universal players have a function for shutting off the video processor, while playing audio disks. Does it help? I leave that up to everyone else's experiences. HDMI still combines the audio and video signals into a tightly wound cable. Does the audio only HDMI output help? I am certain that all of these considerations went into the design of  the Ruby, by making a multi-channel audio only SACD, CD Player. A display screen is a far cry from the extreme high frequency hash of a full blown 4K BLUE-RAY Video Processor. I have heard this issue mntioned by a few other high end audio designers. However, I am certain that there are many who don't consider it a problem. I have heard many great tunes from various universal players. Maybe the difference is miniscule, and based on subjective preferences.

skyscraper OP
829 posts
 
Nice to hear from you again pettyofficer.  Funny you mentioned those blue lights. Is there a switch to turn them off? There's a small blue LED light on my Shunyata Hydra Denali Power Conditioner that's like an eye piercing strobe light. God knows what they were thinking. When I saw the Ruby had more blue lights, first  thought was here we go again. There's no way to turn the Hydra Denali's off, but you implied in your post you could turn the Ruby's off, so you've got my hopes up. If there is a switch those blue lights will never see the light of day. 

Thanks for providing a guideline on the amount of to to burn the CD player in. That's way less than my Magico A3 speakers which take 400 hours, if I'm remembering correctly. This will hopefully be the last component to purchase so collecting CD's should be all that's left to do, which seems to be your preference as well. I'll have to get a few SACDs to try out to see what difference they make.Can any of those be had at less than an arm and a leg?  There are a lot of high quality fifties jazz reissues now were you can get up to eight good quality Redbook discs at a shot for ten to twenty dollars. You can't beat bargains like that.  You just have to avoid sets that are MP3 based rehashes. 

I agree with you that the simplicity of the Ruby helps it to avoid the issues that multiple source players might have. It's almost always better to keep things simple with electronics if you can.Can't wait for the Ruby to arrive tomorrow.

Mike






sebrof's avatar
sebrof
835 posts
 
Funny you mentioned those blue lights. Is there a switch to turn them off?
Yes you can turn the blue lights and the display off.
I would suggest going to the Marantz website and downloading the Ruby manual for answers.

btw, since it's being mentioned: You can set the Ruby to turn off the Headphone amp and the digital output circuits when not in use, and it shuts off power to the optical drive when that isn't being used as default. 
skyscraper OP
829 posts
 
Thanks sebrof. I'll take a look at the manual right now and turn off anything not going to be used when setting the Ruby up after it arrives tomorrow. I didn't know the Ruby had a headphone amp. I should try plugging in my old Pioneer headphones (vintage 1970s') and see if they still work before turning that off. 

Mike
pettyofficer
462 posts
 

Hello Skyscraper,

     Ditto on the info from Sebrof. I received the paper manual with my unit, and it covers all of your concerns in detail. The lights can easily be turned off, the display can be turned off, the digital output can be turned off, the headphones amp can be turned off, etc. If the blue lights bother you, it is not a deal breaker. They are not stabbingly bright blue, just a nice light glow. I am usually a stickler for such things, but I don't think it affects SQ that much. It just strikes me as a nice asthetic, but for certain turn it off if you desire.
     Just a note on the headphone amp, mine is internally turned off. The output impedance is listed as 32 Ohms, which I heard should be one tenth of the input impedance of the headphones used. Thirty two seems awfully high, not sure if that is a typo ( Maybe 3 to 2 Ohms possibly ? ). It shouldn't damage your headphones, but it might make low impedance phones sound sluggish. This presumes that the 32 is a legit measurement. I heard that a separate Marantz headphone amp/ Dac is a killer for driving phones. Give it a shot and let me know how it turns out. 
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