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Have you heard SACD?

Just spent better part of an evening, picking jaw up off floor after listening to SACD sampler disc about seven times in a row on newly obtained Sony 9000ES. If you haven't heard SACD, please, please, go listen to one. It is a statue of beautiful proportions and curves compared to CD's poster-flat presentation. The sound comes alive, and the music is THERE with you. Tonally, it is awesome, with every detail, nuance, hint of sound clearly presented in its proper place, with no brightness or etched quality. Bass is round, firm, fleshy. Midrange will carress you. Does that seem a bit too sensuous for audio? This isn't audio any more. It's not just electronic junk coming from wires and plastic. It occupies space and has at least four, maybe six sides to it. All this with a $15K SS system. With tubes, I would expect even more life.
madisonears
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Madison, joy to your ears indeed! You are right, SACD is a great leap forward and finally the promise of digital is rising beyond the old snake-oil hype and is beginning to be fullfilled. My ears at least agree fully with yours. The best of SACD seems in a few aspects even truer to the music than the best of vinyl. The only thing which irks me, is the hiss, which obviously cannot be avoided, when transcribing older takes into this new format. Cheers,
gregm
3,396 posts
 
So the mod is finally kicking in, Detlof! I'm between two stools about factory-modding my cdp to play SACD. It's a 2 month, $ 1,5k extra investment...

I too like sacd sound -- particularly the dsd recordings (as opposed to conversions).

Cheers!
detlof
1,899 posts
 
It is Greg, it is! I'm still burning it in and experienced an amazing leap forward in transparency and finesse after about 60 hours of continuous play. Cheerio!
sbruzonsky
25 posts
 
Hi Detlof!!!! I luved SACD, with the Sony SCD-777ES SACD player. HOwever, I sold it because I demod the then prototype (now available) Granite Audio tube CD player, vs my internally Bybeeized Sony 777, and the Granite using the tube analog redbook CD output sounded a bit better across the board than the Sony in SACD. This was using duplicates of SACD/CD dual layer CDs with players volume matched
and hit a button and A-B switch. Now, the same Granite player with analog non-tube outputs sounds nowhere near as good on redbook CD as the Sony on SACD. This leads me to conclude how important the analog output stage is and that the Sony SACD players still have somewhere to go to reach their obvious potential. The Granite tube player is in the SACD player ballpark, at $2900 retail, but a web dealer listed it at $2400, with a thirty day money back guarentee.
I apologize, this sounds like an ad. It ain't, at least I have no affiliation other than being a reviewer/moderator over at www.avsforum.com . But I luv this tube CD player and the option of an outstanding redbook CD player which makes all your regular CDs sound much better should be at least considered.
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Steve, you are dead on! That's why I had the 777ES upgraded at Audience for almost 3k, but they did a tremendously good job especially on its analog stage. I am now burning it in and am truly amazed! Cheers!
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