SACD or not
There is no problem getting any kind of music style on SACD. All you have to do is know what you are looking for and then go to a place which sells them, like Acoustic Sounds: https://store.acousticsounds.com/c/8/Hybrid_SACDs or Music Direct: https://www.musicdirect.com/music/optical-disc?category=Optical%2520Disc&format=Hybrid%2520SACD&... Etc...…………... |
Once I figured out how to rip SACDs to DSF files a few months ago, I started to buy them. Mostly 60's and 70's Rock. I have almost 60 SACDs now. The only SACDs I buy are ones that are supposed to have the best masterings and sound the best of all digital releases. There was no way I was going to buy a super expensive transport to play SACDs. Heck, I don't even have a CD transport. I rip all of my discs and play them on my 2 channel system using Roon. The SACDs I have do sound incredible on my 2 channel setup. |
I would absolutely purchase a unit that supports SACD playback. While I love listening to 2.0 stereo, nothing sounds as good as a well produced multi-channel SACD with the exception of the very limited range of a Blu-Ray content that’s out there. OPPO has always been the audiophile market leader in terms of bang for buck but they’ve closed down that division. Maybe you can find one out there on Audiogon or eBay. And for what it’s worth, the single best transport that ALSO supports stereo SACD is the PS Audio DMP player, now unavailable as the company had sourced that transport tray from .....OPPO! So here again, if you can find one of these, it will blow you away. It reads music like no other device on the market. Think of it like this: if a great telescope can deliver images from 10,000,000 miles away, this DMP player can read images from a billion miles away. |
I agree with those who have recommended Oppo. I started with a humble DV-980 and discovered the advantages of not just SACD; but DVDA, which was a really great format and there are still some available on ImportCDs.com; but also HDCD. Quit a few CDs in my collection had HDCD layers I never even know about until I put them in the Oppo. I am now up to an Oppo BDP-105 with EVS mods that cosr me about $1,300, if I recall. Besides the superior sound quality, it has the ability to stream (which I never use) and to play DSD and FLAC files which I download onto a USB thumb drive. That was a real revolution for an old vinyl guy like me. I also have an Ayre universal player that cost about $1,000 more. It sounds slightly better on CDs and SACDs; but has no USB input. Now, it may be that my ancient auditory faculties are no longer able to appreciate the full difference in SQ; but for my money I should have been satisfied with the Oppo. I also had a BDP-95, and with the exception of not supporting DSD downloads, was quite the deal. |
