SACD player?

[Kevin Bresnahan]

These days, I highly recommend Oppo Digital. Best bang for the buck. I have an older BDP-80 and it sounds great. It looks great for BluRay video, too. Depending on your budget, you could go for the BDP-93 ($499) or the BDP-95 ($999). Both come highly recommended by the majority of the hifi world.

Outside of Oppo Digital, there are some fans of Cambridge Audio, but a lot of insiders are saying that it is just a re-badged Oppo Digital player.

Denon has quite a line-up of players and they sound pretty good but I have had two out of three Denon DVD-2900 players die on me. I don't think I could recommend them any more. I still play the last one and it sounds great but I think their transport is weak.

Marantz makes some players that seems to have a large following but they have the same parent company as Denon so they may use the same transports.

If your budget allows, there are some high end models out there but I have not heard them.

[jazzbo]

I recently bought the 100th Anniversary Denon SACD player, the Denon DCD-A100, at a discounted price of 1400 dollars. It's now hard to find, but the sound if this player is exceptional for SACD and you can access its 32 bit DACs to use with other components via coax, toslink and USB (handles iPod if you're into that). If it's in your price range, I recommend it. Weighs 32 pounds, and has extremely good build quality. Long warranty.

Edited June 4, 2012 by jazzbo

[jazzbo]

At a less expensive price point, this Onkyo SACD player has gotten a lot of really good reviews on the Hoffman board and elsewhere, discontinued but available new (half original price) for 349 at amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002C73WRM/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

[skeith]

  On 6/4/2012 at 12:52 PM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

These days, I highly recommend Oppo Digital. Best bang for the buck. I have an older BDP-80 and it sounds great. It looks great for BluRay video, too. Depending on your budget, you could go for the BDP-93 ($499) or the BDP-95 ($999). Both come highly recommended by the majority of the hifi world.

Outside of Oppo Digital, there are some fans of Cambridge Audio, but a lot of insiders are saying that it is just a re-badged Oppo Digital player.

Denon has quite a line-up of players and they sound pretty good but I have had two out of three Denon DVD-2900 players die on me. I don't think I could recommend them any more. I still play the last one and it sounds great but I think their transport is weak.

Marantz makes some players that seems to have a large following but they have the same parent company as Denon so they may use the same transports.

If your budget allows, there are some high end models out there but I have not heard them.

Kevin

Are these Oppo units sold in stores or is there any way to demo them? Do you have one?

Edited July 9, 2012 by skeith

[spinlps]

  On 7/9/2012 at 3:46 PM, skeith said:

Kevin

Are these Oppo units sold in stores or is there any way to demo them? Do you have one?

The only place you might be able to demo Oppo is at Magnolia stores attached to larger Best Buy stores. Otherwise, they're only available via mail order.

[RDK]

Unless you already have a stockpile of SACDs, I'm not sure why anyone would buy a new SACD player in 2012 - at least specifically for SACD playback. And I'm saying that as someone who owns two of them.

[.:.impossible]

What do you mean Ray?

[RDK]

Well they're barely making new SACDs these days; I haven't bought a new one in a couple of years. It's not that the technology isn't great, but it's also kinda dying on the vine as the biz is moving toward digital downloads. And with record sales picking up, I'd recommend someone buying a turntable over an SACD player if they're looking forward to that "audiophile" experience. Don't get me wrong: I think it's a good idea to perhaps buy a new CD player that might also play SACDs for the occasional SACD you might have, but to buy one now primarily for SACDs is, to me, like investing in a new cassette deck. But it's really about the buyer's priorities.

[jazzbo]

Well, to be a bit contrary, audiophile lables have put out a lot of Blue Note and Impulse! SACDs the last few years, there are some more Verve titles coming out, and they are still putting out great classical SACDs (EMI just put out about a dozen multi-SACD sets of classic material in excellent sound, and cheap ---two SACD sets for about 15 dollars, three and four cd sets for 17 to 22 dollars or so). I really don't think the format is totally dead. For rock and pop, maybe. But classical and some jazz. .. still seems to be releases available and forthcoming. Not going like gangbusters, but not dead.

Also, If one hasn't yet moved to Blu-ray, the latest crop of Sony Blu-ray players also handle SACD. A great way to get both if you have a combined audio/visual system.

Edited July 9, 2012 by jazzbo

[Hoppy T. Frog]

  On 7/9/2012 at 6:27 PM, jazzbo said:

Well, to be a bit contrary, audiophile lables have put out a lot of Blue Note and Impulse! SACDs the last few years, there are some more Verve titles coming out, and they are still putting out great classical SACDs (EMI just put out about a dozen multi-SACD sets of classic material in excellent sound, and cheap ---two SACD sets for about 15 dollars, three and four cd sets for 17 to 22 dollars or so). I really don't think the format is totally dead. For rock and pop, maybe. But classical and some jazz. .. still seems to be releases available and forthcoming. Not going like gangbusters, but not dead.

Also, If one hasn't yet moved to Blu-ray, the latest crop of Sony Blu-ray players also handle SACD. A great way to get both if you have a combined audio/visual system.

A lot of classical SACDs are still being made by the indie labels (BIS, Harmonia Mundi, etc). The major labels have given up.

[jazzbo]

Yes, and in the last few years there were literally hundreds of SHMSACDs released in Japan, and I hear more are planned. So there's still life in the SACD world.

[spinlps]

  On 7/10/2012 at 3:45 PM, jazzbo said:

Yes, and in the last few years there were literally hundreds of SHMSACDs released in Japan, and I hear more are planned. So there's still life in the SACD world.

I just wish those SHM's were's so expensive...

[jazzbo]

Me too. I've picked up a few SHMCDs used, cheap for them actually, but not any of the SHMSACDs.

[Jay]

Random - and I suppose this is more directed to Lon. Have any of you or Lon used the ipod digital input on the Denon? I played hirez stones downloads via the FLACplayer app on my ipad and it sounded good. Wondering what the resolution was, of course and whether it was true 24/96 or downsampled. Do those access the 32bit DAC?

[jazzbo]

I hardly ever use my iPod and mine is an older one, and it doesn't output digital files to this Denon or a Wadia iTransport I've used, it's either incapable of doing so or defective. I tried it, no go. So I can't really answer that question. It has a "Restorer" circuit to use with the USB input, so I figure that it will have whatever resolution the file type has (this input supports 24/96) and a bit of audio fleshing out. Probably sounds great, definitely accesses the 32 bit DAC. I've used the coaxial and optical inputs and get great sound. But can't comment on the iPod sound.

Edited July 10, 2012 by jazzbo

[Jay]

Thanks much, Lon.

[skeith]

Just to close the loop ... I ended up getting an Oppo BDP-95 from Music Direct, mostly because of the great recs I have seen and because MD has a 30 day money back guarantee.

I have only had it a couple of days, but I really like the sound so far.

I had originally wanted to get the Decware Cd player, but regrettably they have a 3 month wait time and my current player is skipping. But I am loving the sound on this Oppo unit.

THanks to Lon and to Kevin and others for your many helpful suggestions.

[jazzbo]

Great news! Enjoy!