Reb 1208,
I heard the Marantz SA 11 at an authorized dealer. I requested to hear it out of the balanced outputs as have most of their customers (The dealers words exactly). I "assume" he compensated for the inverted polarity by reversing the cables around. It's a simple thing to do. He was using a $1,800 Audioquest Sky balanced interconnect. I doubt very seriously that he has been demoing this unit balanced to all of his customers incorrectly. But I will ask him and since I plan on demoing the X01 again next Monday or Teusday I will ask for another demo on the SA 11.
You know, you really need to tone down your rhetoric a little bit and have an open mind. I readily admit that when I started this thread I was extremely pro-dvd 50 and didn't want to listen to others in regards to modded units. Admittedly, I'm still pro dvd-50...but I think everyone on this thread would now agree that they've seen me do a 360 degree turnaround. I've pretty much admitted to everyone that the modded Denon's are superior.
Conversely, your first comments on this thread indicated how anti- DVD 50 you were (and still are). Comments like "over the top dynamics" , "poor bass" and "a home theater piece trying to cram high end cd playback down your throat" let everyone know how you felt about this unit. As Sean indicated, to state that this player is not a high end cd player after all of the published glowing professional reviews (I count at least 10, many of which are international),numerous posts on audiogon, audioasylum, etc and consumer praises is absolutely ludicrous. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with your unit (or maybe your dealer) or maybe you lost money when you re-sold your unit...I don't know.
Recently we haven't even heard from until you saw my comments regarding the Marantz SA 11...an item I guess you now own. I didn't even know you owned one (you never mentioned it on the thread) but for some reason you took my comments about your unit personally and started jumping all over the DV 50 again. Nothing that I say on this thread should be construed as being personal. I'm just trying to report the facts.
Now that I know you own the SA 11 (and vociferously praise its performance) I totally understand why you don't like the DV 50. They are at totally opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of voicing, sound characteristcs, timbre, presentation, etc. They're not even close. I described the sound of the Marantz very accurately. They try to re-create an analog sound by being overly warm, soft on dynamics and details and a laid back, less forward presentation. Absolutely no sparkle on the high end and soft,deep bass on the low end. Addtionally, Marantz has never been known for having a "highly transparent" sound. When I say that, I mean in comparision to the very best cd players, amps, etc.
There is nothing wrong with you prefering the sound of the Marantz. Many people do and that's why they're a very successfull company. But the modded Denons', Meitners, Esoteric's Reimkyo's, Burmeisters, etc are pushing the envelope trying to set new standards and levels of performance in digital cd playback. The Marantz SA 11 is nothing more than Marantz's attempt to improve on their highly sucessful SA 14 (vers. 1 & 2). It is by no means a "revoluntionary product" or a "statement piece", nor is it even the best in its class.
The DV 50 has revolutionized the industry by providing a level of performance for a universal player that was not thought possible only 2-3 years ago. As a result, other mfg's are now bringing new universal players to the market in droves trying to duplicate the success of the DV 50. The other mfg's I mentioned before have done the same (at one time or another) in their respective categories. More importantly, these level of achievements are so advanced and superior that years later the majority of their competitors still have not been able develop a product or introduce new technology that is either equal or significantly better.
The Marantz SA 11 is a good player...but on the level of the players we are talking about here. Last night I went to google and did a serarch on Esoteric DV 50. I found at least three reviews where the Marantz SA 14 was one of a list of players compared to the DV 50. In each case, the reviewers comments were "not even close". Again, the SA 11 is only slightly better than the SA 14.
Reb 1208, enjoy the music! I'm actually envious of you because you've found audio nirvana in a cd player and are now able to just sit down and enjoy the music. I, on the other hand, rue the day I started this thread and opened my mind to hear the Denon modded players. I've been miserable ever since and can no longer take solitude in the fact the DV 50 outperforms all others in its class. It doesn't...not by a long shot!
AVGURU
I heard the Marantz SA 11 at an authorized dealer. I requested to hear it out of the balanced outputs as have most of their customers (The dealers words exactly). I "assume" he compensated for the inverted polarity by reversing the cables around. It's a simple thing to do. He was using a $1,800 Audioquest Sky balanced interconnect. I doubt very seriously that he has been demoing this unit balanced to all of his customers incorrectly. But I will ask him and since I plan on demoing the X01 again next Monday or Teusday I will ask for another demo on the SA 11.
You know, you really need to tone down your rhetoric a little bit and have an open mind. I readily admit that when I started this thread I was extremely pro-dvd 50 and didn't want to listen to others in regards to modded units. Admittedly, I'm still pro dvd-50...but I think everyone on this thread would now agree that they've seen me do a 360 degree turnaround. I've pretty much admitted to everyone that the modded Denon's are superior.
Conversely, your first comments on this thread indicated how anti- DVD 50 you were (and still are). Comments like "over the top dynamics" , "poor bass" and "a home theater piece trying to cram high end cd playback down your throat" let everyone know how you felt about this unit. As Sean indicated, to state that this player is not a high end cd player after all of the published glowing professional reviews (I count at least 10, many of which are international),numerous posts on audiogon, audioasylum, etc and consumer praises is absolutely ludicrous. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with your unit (or maybe your dealer) or maybe you lost money when you re-sold your unit...I don't know.
Recently we haven't even heard from until you saw my comments regarding the Marantz SA 11...an item I guess you now own. I didn't even know you owned one (you never mentioned it on the thread) but for some reason you took my comments about your unit personally and started jumping all over the DV 50 again. Nothing that I say on this thread should be construed as being personal. I'm just trying to report the facts.
Now that I know you own the SA 11 (and vociferously praise its performance) I totally understand why you don't like the DV 50. They are at totally opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of voicing, sound characteristcs, timbre, presentation, etc. They're not even close. I described the sound of the Marantz very accurately. They try to re-create an analog sound by being overly warm, soft on dynamics and details and a laid back, less forward presentation. Absolutely no sparkle on the high end and soft,deep bass on the low end. Addtionally, Marantz has never been known for having a "highly transparent" sound. When I say that, I mean in comparision to the very best cd players, amps, etc.
There is nothing wrong with you prefering the sound of the Marantz. Many people do and that's why they're a very successfull company. But the modded Denons', Meitners, Esoteric's Reimkyo's, Burmeisters, etc are pushing the envelope trying to set new standards and levels of performance in digital cd playback. The Marantz SA 11 is nothing more than Marantz's attempt to improve on their highly sucessful SA 14 (vers. 1 & 2). It is by no means a "revoluntionary product" or a "statement piece", nor is it even the best in its class.
The DV 50 has revolutionized the industry by providing a level of performance for a universal player that was not thought possible only 2-3 years ago. As a result, other mfg's are now bringing new universal players to the market in droves trying to duplicate the success of the DV 50. The other mfg's I mentioned before have done the same (at one time or another) in their respective categories. More importantly, these level of achievements are so advanced and superior that years later the majority of their competitors still have not been able develop a product or introduce new technology that is either equal or significantly better.
The Marantz SA 11 is a good player...but on the level of the players we are talking about here. Last night I went to google and did a serarch on Esoteric DV 50. I found at least three reviews where the Marantz SA 14 was one of a list of players compared to the DV 50. In each case, the reviewers comments were "not even close". Again, the SA 11 is only slightly better than the SA 14.
Reb 1208, enjoy the music! I'm actually envious of you because you've found audio nirvana in a cd player and are now able to just sit down and enjoy the music. I, on the other hand, rue the day I started this thread and opened my mind to hear the Denon modded players. I've been miserable ever since and can no longer take solitude in the fact the DV 50 outperforms all others in its class. It doesn't...not by a long shot!
AVGURU