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The Ultimate SACD Machine

I'm considering getting an SACD player again. I have a number of SACDs but abandoned the format a couple years ago in favor of vinyl.

I am considering mainly the EMM Labs CDSAse or a Marantz SA11S2 or SA7.

Critical information:

- I'm concerned really only with jazz. 40s-60s jazz. (All the new titles on the format has me interested again.)

- As per above, my priorities are truth in timbre and tone and total lack of HF grain or glare. "Analog-like" may have become a cliche but it's what I'm after: though vinyl as a medium is shirley flawed (yes, I meant to call you Shirley), for me it has always given the best sound - meaning the most natural, realistic, and fatigue-free sound.

I expect that the EMM Labs machine has a gap over the Marantz in these qualities. It should, for the price. How large is the gap, for those who have heard both extensively?

Is there another machine I should consider? ($5K used would be absolute top budget and a bit of a stretch.)
paulfolbrecht
4musica44107
520 posts
 
Paulfobrecht - Thank you. My obviously SUPER UNDERSTANDING wife would say they are irrefutable evidence of my addiction! She is of course right.

I hope you find the player that meets your needs. If you had asked for redbook only CD player recommendations I would have suggested the ARC CD7, which I find to be better than even the Ayre.

Good Hunting!
hififile
236 posts
 
This is a great question,

I have auditioned or owned the Ayre, The McIntosh MCD-500 & MVP-861, the Linn Unidisc, a Marantz 11, And a Marantz 8260. And a Pioneer Elite DV 79.

The player that did the best SACD was & is the Sony SCD XA-5400ES. It sounded better in my system than all of the others mentioned above.

Just my 2 cents.
paulfolbrecht OP
603 posts
 
I just read a bit about the 5400. I have always liked the Marantz SACD house sound but this player seems to really impress a lot of people. (Of course, in this game hearing "component x is the best thing ever" from one or two or even three people does not necessarily mean anything but when you read it from 5 or 6 or 10, there might be something there.)

It seems American Theater sells them for under $1200 brand new even. Wow.
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billspecfoc
103 posts
 
Paulfolbrecht,

I'm a big backer of the VSE-modded Sony players. I'm obviously biased as I had one (a level 5 777 ES), sold it, and regretted it greatly. I considered it one of my greatest mistakes in this hobby.

About a year later, I bought another 777 ES and had it brought up to Level 7 status with the Turbo Lite clock. It just plain has no digititis. While the mods certainly improved SACD playback, they tremendously improved RBCD playback.

I cannot compare it to the other machines you mentioned as I haven't heard them. IIRC, you live not that far from me. If you're interested, maybe we could get together for a listen. I'm in Racine, WI. Just email me through the Agon system.

Bill
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