Marantz SA-1 SACD player....worth it ?

I got a demo of the SA1 yesterday and was very disapointed with its CD performance. However, the SACD was pretty good. The demo system consisted of N801, Krell FPB200 amp and KCT preamp. The CD sound was just way too warm and it lacked detail and air. Until there is alot more SACD software, I will put off buying a SACD player. I guess I will be keeping my cd players a little longer.

I have no doubt that the Marantz is good, perhaps it is better than the Sony. Why don't you simply look at the numbers and take a deep breath.........Sony $1075.00..............Marantz with huge discount.......$4750.00. The Marantz had better be several models ahead of the competition, or you are setting yourself up for a fairly sizable loss when new models come out. SACD is still in it's infancy. You should ask yourself, do you really have enough of a software library to justify the difference between the two (assuming the Marantz IS any better performance). I hope I do not sound harsh, I just had to make this decision myself. I bought the Sony 9000, shamelessly, due to it's low selling price and great DVD image quality.

I have the Sony SACD-1, I'd go with the advice of Albert and check out the 9000. I love my unit, but given the fantastic reviews of the 9000 here on Audiogon, I think it would be silly to spend more! J.D.