increase transparency for philips sacd 1000

DISCLAIMER: I USE FILTER POSITION 3 WITH MY MAIN SYSTEM, AND THE ENTIRE SYSTEM ARE SACD/DVD-A COMPATIBLE. ALSO I USE THE HDAM OUTPUTS.

Infinity: I have stated up front that i did not consider this to be a reference grade player as i experienced it out of the box. To refresh your memory, I had stated that the player had STRONG bottom end output when initially fired up. I also stated that i found the top end to be soft and slightly rolled. The soundstage also seemed to lack dimensionality and air.

I have also stated that i found the SACD 1000 to respond quite noticeably to both interconnect and power cord changes. I also stated that i thought that the construction of the player, primarily the cheezy plastic drawer cover and tray mechanism, is lacking. I also stated that i thought that their was room for improvements in terms of both isolation and damping of the chassis. I have addressed all of those concerns, save the plastic drawer cover and tray mechanism, in my installation.

With that amount of criticism / commentary, i think that i've been quite fair in my assessment of the unit. As to the initial good points of the unit right out of the box, i stated that i thought that the player offered very clean and liquid midrange reproduction and that it appeared to be a unit that would be very worthwhile to modify. You can go back and read all of this for yourself.

As such, i'd ask you to name ONE product that does not benefit from break-in, proper set-up, doesn't respond to tweaking or can't be improved via aftermarket modification. Can you do this ? I think not. As such, i've stated that this is a solid player and would be a good candidate for further refinement / modifications should one choose to go that route.

To add to the above, as time has passed, the player has settled in electrically and i have worked with the system that the player is in. Right now, i would say that i am quite pleased with how things have progressed with this player. Quite honestly, i haven't had to do too much to get to this point either ( compared to some other gear that requires a lot of "support components").

My experience with this player is that the better the rest of the system is, the more that you will like the player itself ( once fully broken in and set up decently ). The resolution of this player has made me re-think a few observations that i had about the system that it is installed in. Quite honestly, some of the criticisms that i had regarding the higher noise floor and slight lack of transparency of the backbone components of this system had nothing to do with the actual preamp / amp combo. Changing the digital source to the SACD 1000 both opened my eyes to this fact AND taken this system to a new level. As such, the aforementioned problems were not within the system itself, but within the source components.

I think that if you were to look within your own system, this might explain some of the problems that you are running into and blaming on this unit. While i HATE "uppity hi-fi snobs" but will end up coming across as one when i say this, i do have to question the performance capacity of the preamp section that you are using, the power amps that you've chosen and the speakers that are in use. The fact that your speakers are large 3 way four driver floorstanding towers that are available for $269 brand new on Ebay may offer some hints as to why you may be hearing what you are. While you may have upgraded some of the crossover components inside of them, it is tough to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. As anyone that has ever built or modified a speaker knows, you can't buy 8 "good" drivers and build a large cabinet and make ANY type of profit of it at $269 ( including packaging ). That is, unless the quality of components and construction is nothing less than bottom of the barrel. That is why i stated that i prefer to start off with a good base unit ( like the SACD 1000 ) prior to modification. Some of you may remember my comments pertaining to this in a previous SACD 1000 thread.

As to your comments about me selling these units on Ebay and Audiogon, i have sold a very small quantity via Audiogon. I have never listed them for sale on Ebay. I have been completely up-front with everyone about where these units have come from, what i paid for them, what to expect out of them, how to break them in, etc... Some have asked me to make comparisons to other digital components within their system and i have told them that they should stay where they are i.e. basically costing me a sale. Rather than sell and make a small profit, i would rather be honest and maintain the level of integrity that i do have.

As to the satisfaction level of these players, some individuals have purchased a unit from me and ended up buying a second SACD-1000. To make things clear, they purchased their second unit AFTER using the first for a period of time. As such, they knew exactly what to expect out of an SACD 1000 and opted to buy another. I think that this speaks volumes of what they as an end user think of the product.

Like anything else though, you will always have some people that do not give the unit a chance, do not allow the unit to settle in, do not work with the rest of their system to accommodate the specifics of a new piece of gear, are not trained listeners or simply have different sonic tastes. Sometimes, it is a combo of all of the above that leads one to dismiss a product. Personally, i have not received anything less than positive commentary about these units via email.

Having said all of the above, who am i to tell you what you should like or shouldn't like ? I've always stressed that one should buy and use what they like as individuals, as they are the ones that have to listen to their choices. Hopefully, people will make choices that they can live with on the long term and enjoy them for the duration of their stay. Sure, i have my preferences and have voiced my opinions / thoughts on more than a few thousand occasions : ) but that doesn't mean that you are forced to agree or come to the same conclusions.

My main concern with your responses to existing threads and threads that you've started regarding the SACD 1000 were that they lacked insight, did not take into account proper set-up of the component and that you did not even bother to familiarize yourself with the SACD 1000 itself OR how to set it up for best operation within the confines of your system. If you had, you would not have asked me to do your homework for you in another thread. There was never any form of consistency to anything that you posted and many of your posts, including threads that you yourself started, are 100% contradictory in nature. The fact that you were quick to jump to negative conclusions about the product, then post a thread that stated that you were happy with the product, then go off on a tirade about the product after one negative post tells me that you lack stability and / or are easily swayed by public opinion. I think that if others were to follow your threads regarding this unit, they might come to similar conclusions. Your lack of integrity is also something that has been hanging out in the back of my mind regarding your "flip-flopping" of opinions on this unit.

As such, i'm glad that i did not sell you the unit that you now own and that we were not able to complete the transaction that you initiated. It has probably saved me a lot of headaches in the long run. Sean
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Well Done Sean!!

This exchange between Sean and Infinity audio { IA } has been good for all audiogone members. Integrity is all we have between us and a disregard for that is treason in our circles. IA is having a good time with this but I see a deeper problem. These threads and exchanges are learning tools for the average audio enthusiast . Many people turn to people like Sean for leadership because it is obvious if you have followed his extensive , altruistic responses ; he takes great pains to help people he will never know. Sean probably insulted IA to provoke a response so this exchange could occur. Bravo Sean. He backs his reasoning with facts and well supported opinions that any seasoned audiophile is familiar with. I follow this because I too am interested in becoming more intelligent and responsible in this interesting field we all love and obsess over. Sean uncovered an all too familiar issue of speaking before thinking and it is an embarassment to IA I feel sure. We all should however swallow pride from time to time and IA , its your turn. We all embrace arguments in that growth results from the dissection of two divergent points of view . That is the essence of intelligent sparring but Sean is eating your lunch. Fess up IA , you need to do your homework and think twice before putting on the gloves when your saftey pins have undone.

I will cut mine and save, yet I agree some of Sean's points and at the mean time I disagree some. As all you say, I am just trying to share my review with you all; wells...