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

Wait till you see the outcome reverend Joe. Remember all the folks who bought a Sony Betamax because it was superior to VHS? That is what I suspect will happen. This is a software driven race. Notice Sony has a few new classical releases in CD, but not SACD? What the heck are those guys doing? I don't think they know.

Nordostman, the difference here ( if you get the Sony 9000 or somehting like it ) is that if SACD fails you still have a great DVD player and pretty good CD playback. At this price you aren't really loosing anything.

No Money, that is a great idea, i didn't think of it. I am in the market for a DVD myself and will check out the sony. I think in the end however I will go with something like the Cal Audio CL-2500. Fantastic CD player and a good DVD to boot. It's more than the Sony but should cure my upgraditis for awhile. I think I am going to pass on the DVD-A and the SACD. I really don't want to start replacing all my CD's with the new format. Beside's I will be suprised if the music I listen to ever gets released in the new format.

Reverend Joe in a nutshell they said it was on better than the top the line Sony which is now steeply discounted. This was the opinion of two very experienced reviewers who spent time comparing it on two different systems.

I have the Purcell and the Delius so I am biased, but with that many CDs I would seriously consider buying a used Delius/Purcell combo. dCS's service after the sale is outstanding. Later when dCS releases the new SACD Transport you will have both upsampling for all your CDs and I am sure a wonderful sounding SACD transport. This is the path I am taking. If you have an analog preamp the Delius can do pass through as well. The dCS gear is truely wonderful stuff, but again I am biased. Cheers - Dan