Thiel Owners

The problem with a transport with digital outs is hi-rez formats.  PS Audio has their Perfect Wave Transport but the current model which does SACD too is way beyond the desired budget..  Many people seem to like the Audiolab 6000CDT.  I believe Cambridge Audio also makes a transport.

@tomthiel

Playback of SACD disks via a disk player using an external DAC is a special use case. To my knowledge, there are essentially 2 ways to turn this trick aside from the PS Audio solution, both require that the disk player have an HDMI output (such as a SACD capable Blu Ray player like the Oppo’s).

To use the HDMI output directly requires a DAC with an HDMI input, such as a Bryston BDA3 or a NAD M51 (which like the Oppo is discontinued).

The second is to use something like the Geerfab D.BOB (digital breakout box), which is a $1000 item, and sits between your SACD player with HDMI output and a DSD capable DAC which supports DOP (DSD over PCM). There are modestly priced SACD capable Blu Ray players which can serve as your transport.

A totally different approach, and the one I utilize myself, is to rip the DSD layer from the SACD, and then stream to a DSD capable DAC. If interested in this later approach, PM me, and I’ll be happy to point you in the right direction.

tomthiel

Excellent advice as above. Oppo, PS Audio or separate Transport  / DAC are the choices per your System requirements.  Oppo and PS Audio offer excellent customer service (repair) as well.

Happy Listening!

tomthiel

2nd Note;

what became of your Sony ES SCD-1 ?

Happy Listening!

Thanks, guys. I suppose I hoped that I had missed a simple, digital-only spinner that cost less due to absence of D-A conversion. Semi-portable would be nice to pair with a PS Sprout 100, etc. But, I guess optical discs diminished before separate DATS got rolling.