Redbook Audio Aero Prima vs SACD palyer?

I've had the same experience CD vs SACD. My Wadia 861 sounded much better playing redbook CDs compared to a Sony SCD-777ES playing SACDs. Same music/album, of course. This was in my friend's system using his cables (TARA, V-D), his pre (Spectral) & his power amp (Plinius SA-250).
My experience was brief (few hrs one evening). Many people write that one has to live w/ SACDs for a long time to perceive just how good they are over CDs.
That's bollocks! In my experience, if something is much better sounding, I can tell immediately. It takes me about 1 track on a known CD (music known to me) to figure out whether the sound is better or worse (to whatever I'm comparing it to - electronics to electronics or CD to CD). If one has to live w/ SACDs for a while before perceiving their superiority over CDs then I don't consider that any sort of superiority! It's a slight difference/improvement that I cannot justify as a major expense in my system.
Over on a EMM Labs thread, I read a whole bunch of owners just brown-nosing each other informing all those who read that thread just how good the EMM Labs modified Philips transport is for SACD!! Looks like people justifying their huge investment into SACD (if they didn't justify their postion, they'd look foolish spending this much money!). Most of world has seen marginal (consumer ROI) improvement in SACD. Many people in the audio biz have also written about SACD's marginal improvement over CDs.
Some articles:
http://sound.westhost.com/cd-sacd-dvda.htm
http://www.iar-80.com/page17.html
My intention is *not* to touch off a battle over this subject (it's been flogged already in another thread on Audiogon) but to suggest that the investment in SACD is probably not worth your hard-earned money. Atleast not right now.
If you insist on getting a SACD player, get something inexpensive so that it doesn't pinch you should it not pan out for you for one reason or the other.
FWIW. YMMV. IMHO.

I've had the Wadia 861, the DCS stack(w/o dsd) Sony SCD777ES, Marantz SA-1, PassD-1 with a CECTL1-X transport and I have to say that anyone who doesn't hear the difference between a high-end sacd player and high end cd is just missing something. I just bought a Krell SACD Standard and I'm here to tell you that for 2800 used the cd is equal to the stock Wadia (although you need a pre-amp) and the SACD is equal to the Marantz SA-1. Even the DCS Delius and Purcell with a CEC transport on cd can't touch SACD. I don't mean pcm -sacd conversions(which still sound great), but true dsd recordings can't be beat by anything except vinyl. Really expensive vinyl. Why the hatred for sacd? It's our only hope for a large hi-fi play list. My suggestion would be to buy a sony scd777ES $1300 used(great transport); run the digital out to your dac of choice (1000-2000) and run the sony sacd into your pre-amp. Get both for not much$

I think you have to ask yourself, "how much music am I willing to lay down my hard earned money to buy that is in SACD?" If the number of discs you are acutally willing to pay money for is significant, in proportion to your whole collection, you should seriously consider a good SACD player with excellent redbook (or a very good SACD player and an outboard DAC).

I now own about 85 Hi-Rez discs (80 SACD+4 DVD-A+1 XRCD). All of the music I purchased in these formats is essential to me; it is amongst my favorite music that I spend most of my time listening to. I have about 400 redbook CD's as well. So, before too long Hi-Rez discs will make-up about 20% of my collection. A significant proportion.

Most SACD discs, to me, in my syestem, sound vastly superior to their redbook counterparts. That said, there are some that do not sound that much better than their remastered (20/24 bit)counterparts. But this has been the exception, not the rule. I buy almost all my Hi-Rez discs used or on sale, and will shop around for a good price.

Since I acquired the Exemplar Audio modified Denon 2900, I do not hesitate to buy a remastered redbook disc over a SACD that is priced significantly higher that I don't want to wait to find on sale or used. I recently did this with two Miles Davis CD's when the Borders Store near me had their Jazz Music Sale in August.

That's my 2 cents, good luck,

it probably depends on SACD player my SONY 9000ES (new in 2002 was $1500) really sounds worse them my Arcam ALPHA 6 (new in 1996 was $900) CD player. It was not that big difference on MF A300 (on sale on Audiogone), but since I have Supratek/Clayton combo + Thiel3.6 difference is huge. SACD is just lifeless, non-involving to me, sounds like hifi not like music (I was comparing it on hybrid discs).
So I will be upgrading source next year, I do not have courage to buy expensive SACE player I will take easy and safe route and will by good quality CD source. (Thinking about Audio Areo)