First SACD Player

DaWoofer

Super Member
I now know what airy sounds like. Bass notes stand out so much better and the rim shots sound like they ought to. I can really hear the wood. No doubt, SACD sounds so much closer to the real deal. Now I have to buy more than one SACD disc, here I go on the new round-de-round with a newer technology. Where will it end. I think we all know the answer to that one. Mmm, what CD should I buy next? Input will be appreciated. :thmbsp:
 
Good, another convert. The more of us there are the better chance we'll have of keeping this format alive. The drawback of coarse over cd's is not being able to tranfer a sacd copy to cd-r. The pickings are slim right now, but with more people on board eventually we might see a wider selection.
Some sites to browse.
Highfidelity.com
Sa-cd.net
Cduniverse.com
amusicdirect.com
elusivedisc.com
redtrump.com
store.acousticsounds.com
Amazon.com
 
You can transfer to a CD-R just like you do a CD. In fact, it becomes a CD because you are using the A/D on your soundcard input. Just can't do it in SACD format.

Also, if your SACD can upsample to 192kHz you will be pleasantly surprised at how good many of your redbook CDs will sound when upsampled. That has turned out to be the best surprise for me when I got my SACD player. Can now listen to about 80% of my redbook CD library.
 
As a matter of fact my cd's do sound better, as well as mp3's. But I never found anything in the manual that says it upconverts, unless I missed it.
 
I can tell also the extended bass, my cheap Optimus headphones can't handle it as well as it does on Redbook Cd's. They rattle even at the lowest volumes in SA-CD mode. I've read about a killer upgrade to this Sony player that makes it perform as well as a 2000 dollar player. This player only costs 149 at Best Buys. But the upgrade 500. It should be well worth it. I also hear it performs better upon its "burn in time." I don't know if I have the ears for that, but I will report on this. I think the company that does the mode is called TRL. "TRL sacd" google and it tells you all about it. Its the Sony SCD-CE595.
 
SACD Recs

some SACDs that i ahve found good and bad

good:
david elias ~ window
ryan adams ~ heartbreaker
rl burnside ~ first recordings
the animals ~ a retrospective
the bob dylan SACD collection

bad (just bad recording)
sheryl crow ~ globe sessions

try www.elusivedisc.com, he has a good selection and has a sale on now and free s/h for first time customers, also he's a site supporter, tell them AK sent ya

Tyler
 
I wouldn't write off Red Book CD just yet, believe it or not the format is still being developed with several high end players easily out-performing SACD.

Likewise upsampling, in the past I have been unimpressed by the high frequency artifacts introduced by upsampling but it too has been evolving with a recent CDP sounding as natural as the best analogue replay.
 
DaWoofer said:
I can tell also the extended bass, my cheap Optimus headphones can't handle it as well as it does on Redbook Cd's. They rattle even at the lowest volumes in SA-CD mode. I've read about a killer upgrade to this Sony player that makes it perform as well as a 2000 dollar player. This player only costs 149 at Best Buys. But the upgrade 500. It should be well worth it. I also hear it performs better upon its "burn in time." I don't know if I have the ears for that, but I will report on this. I think the company that does the mode is called TRL. "TRL sacd" google and it tells you all about it. Its the Sony SCD-CE595.
I would certainly have to think long and hard before putting $500 into a $150 CDP of any sort. For that kind of money I would buy a Sony X777ES, which starts out with the best transport and DACs and then think about an upgrade.
 
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There are cheaper SA-CD players on the market. Hard to believe. But this one is a dedicated SA-CD player. Not progresive scan DVD player like the other SA-CD players. Thats the reason I bought it. It has a very high customer satisfaction as well as professional reviews. It might be worth the upgrade. Besides, the 777es is an older model, all the way back to 91. I didn't even know they had SA-CD disks that far back. So whats up with that respect?
 
Did a quick google search and came up with is other forum feedback stuff on the TRL 595. It reads like the upgrade is to the CD portion of the player and not the SACD portion. Though I only read through very quickly. However, all the feedback I read is very high in its praise of the upgrade. They talk about buying from Tsunami, whomever that might be. Do you have a link to the TRL mod or any reference to the spec's? The older 777/707 series of Sony's are considered to be the best transports available. Built like a tank and with excellent electronics. And many aftermarket upgrades available for them (very similar to the TRL mod, most likely). Nothing against the 595, just wondering how long a product that retails for $150 will operate well? The mechanical parts are what I am thinking of. While one doesn't always get what they pay for, it is rare that one gets more than they pay for.

Perhaps ilimzn will read this and do a little research and comment. He is very knowledgeable on the digital end of things.
 
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It appears that it is the CD circuitry they are upgrading and not the SACD. As stated in the review, "it didn't matter what CD we listened to". But, that is not a bad thing. Most folks have lots of CDs and not lots of SACDs. So anything that helps with CDs is a benefit. Like 192kHz upsampling.
 
I have to say that I am not a fan of changers, practical as they may be - and from the various approaches to the problem, carousel would be my least favorite. Lots of plastic suspended on very little area, many parts that can resonate...

Regarding a mod to a cheap SACD, things can certainly be improved a lot.
I am now on my secod Pioneer 656 multistandard, and it is a very modifiable machine, very cleverly made, too. I modded one of the very first DVD/SACD budget players from Sony for a friend and it has been his mainstay player for the last 2 years. Before that it was a $200 Sony CD player from around 1995, also modded.

It helps to understand that these are really designed from the top model, and then sort of 'stripped down' to cost. Essentially, the electronics is mostly capable of everything the top model can do, provided all the ancillary components are provided in the propper manner. One thing that remains is the mechanics - when scaled down in cost, longevity suffers, and there are almost no ifs and buts about that. As Yamaha B-2 mentions, the old X777 and 707 CD players are still considered the best transports available, even after 14 years - while there are very few then-budget players left today with their transports still standing.

Also, there is something to be said about diminishing returns. I don't think I ever put more than perhaps $60 into a budget (and sometimes not so budget) mod. The trick is spending where it counts, and you would be surprised how far $60 can get you. I don't think I would be prepared to put more than the worth of the original component into mod efforts, so for me a $550 mod on a <$200 component is excessive - but that may just be me. I tend to look at what is actually modded without the 'black arts and voodoo' approach... I would have been very interested to read what the mod is about, but the linked 'review' will rather talk about how the car steered itself to Circuit City, and wax appologetically WHY an audiophile went to buy a budget component in the first place. There is really NO info about the mod at all. And, lets be honest, a review which compares SACD players by which one 'sucks less' sounds just a liiiiitlle biassed to me...
 
I would never seriously consider that mod myself. But I am surprizingly please with the results of this stock unit. I looked all over for a single (non-carousel) Sony sacd disk player with no luck. I hear there is one available but it is also the dvd player which I dont want. Thank you both for you perspective on this issue.
 
Mark B said:
Is there any way to upgrade a Denon DCD-1650AR CD player to SACD?
If you have the money someone could do it. But, it would take a new laser transport system, new DACs, new filters, etc. My guess is that it would be in excess of $1000, as a minimum. Better to get something like a new Denon 3910. Will get SACD plus the other formats and upsampling, as well.
 
Thanks for the info - it's apparent that the mods would cost more than the player is worth. I'll hang onto it for a few more years, and then get an SACD player, assuming that SACD turns out to be the standard.
 
The Denon 1650 is a very nice CDP. There are/were several levels of upgrade available for it. Better DACs, filters and op-amps. Check with the folks who are advertising upgrades for the current crop of Denon CDPs that are listed on Audiogon. They also used to do the upgrades on the older Denons and may still do. That is a fine CDP.
 
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