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SACD sounds worse or CD sounds better or ....?

I have been going through a rather substantial system upgrade over the past few months. The only thing that hasn't changed (yet) is my source: a Bel Canto PL-1A UDP.

Everything sounds better with the new system and I am very pleased.

BUT one thing is puzzling me. Whereas before, with my less capable system, SACDs always sounded substantially better than Redbook CDs. Now the difference between the two formats is not as substantial. And the source hasn't changed. And I was running PL-1A analog out before as well.

The only thing that has changed at the source is that my new pre-amp has balanced inputs, and so I am using the balanced outputs from the PL-1A whereas before I was using the RCA outs.

Does this make any sense? Any thoughts as to why a system that is generally better in every sense (more extension in both directions, better resolved, better balanced, fuller, etc), would end up have less of an apparent difference between CDs and SACDs?

Thanks for your thoughts.

--dan
dgaylin
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islandmandan
1,260 posts
 
Dgaylin, like you, I have a UDP as well, though not in the same league as the Bel Canto on the face of it, but due to excellent modification work on my old warhorse Marantz DVD8300, outboard DAC, and Genesis Digital Time Lens, my Red Book is near the equal of the hi-res formats. I can't concieve of being without a UDP, it's invaluable to those of us with large collections of c/d's and SACD's as well.

Maybe some mods might in order for the Bel Canto? Many, however, feel that is a bad thing to do for resale value considerations, but I tend to hang onto equipment longer than most. To each his own.
Enjoy,
Dan
dgaylin OP
255 posts
 
Islandmandan -- you make an interesting point that provokes a thought (probably part of what Jylee was getting at)....different DACs for different formats in the UDPs mean different capabilities. Your outboard DAC for redbook improves its performance in your system So, as per your initial point, going to different outputs and cables could indeed raise the level of one DAC more than the other, hence redbook CD performance could improve more than SACD performance, even though both improved....plausible anyway.
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,752 posts
 
Noticed the same thing with my modded SCD-1 ......... SACD is still better in most cases .........recording dependent .............. I don't think this is such an unusual phenomenon.
danlib1
819 posts
 
Not surprised. I had a Sony SCD-1 with an Electrocompanient ECD-1 Dac. I played SACD directly via the Sony into my Pass pre and Amp, and fed redbook from the SCD-1 to the ECD-1. On MOST material, the ECD-1 presentation was better to me. It can happen!
dgaylin OP
255 posts
 
Danlib1 and Czbbcl, thanks for your thoughts. Yes I think the consensus is that depending upon the gear and recording SACD and CD can sound very similar. But there's still what I believe is the interesting question about when the source doesn't change and it's the analog output of a UDP, why upgrading other components would cause the percieved difference in quality between SACD and CD to shrink, even as the quality of both increases. Or put another way (and this may be key to the answer) why does CD playback increase MORE thans SACD playback when other parts of a system are upgraded?
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