My DAC shopping is finally done...

[Mike Mcsweeney]

I own the 105D and the SA-14S1 (B-B DSD1792A) - as a DAC, I prefer the Chord Hugo to both of them but I still think the Marantz has the Oppo covered for long listening sessions. Even with Filter 1 - supposedly the 'detail' option - I find the Marantz a more relaxing listen but both dredge all the detail I could ask for from my SACD and CDs. In functionality terms, I just couldnt make a case for the Marantz or any other SACD player over the Oppo - even the most expensive model in their lineup is still well shy of the Marantz' asking price and it really is a Swiss Army knife. Add the fact that I can run balanced XLR from the Oppo into my headphone amp - the Marantz only has single-ended outputs - and I'm afraid I have to give the Oppo the bang-for-your-buck award. DSD has been a mixed bag for me - I occasionally play around with JRMC's DSD upsampling into my Sony PHA-2 or iFi iDSD nano but their own advice is to retain the native sampling rate for PCM and I'm happy to comply.

 

If Chord had put the Hugo in a decent case like the Qute, I believe they would have circumvented a lot of the issues with the case and the negative feedback re the aesthetics. They have a desktop version on the way and I look forward to the reviews. On the Marantz front, I'm still waiting for the NA8005 to arrive at my Marantz dealers but for now I'm content to enjoy what I've got.

 

Edit - almost forgot to mention that the headphone amp in the Marantz is substantially better than that provided in the Oppo, imo - I have no problems plugging most of my cans straight into the Marantz with the exception of the HD800s which still benefit from the Taurus' tight grip.

 

the 105D is about $1400, right? the Marantz I got for about $900. I kind of stretched by spinner/DAC budget with $900, so the oppo 105D was not really in the running for me...but thanks for the info.

 

It may be my imagination or settings, but I like foobar sound better than jriver, and I like audiogate better than both. Audiogate has a very limited interface, but it sounds "cleaner" to me...not sure why, but it does sound different...and "Paul" agrees too (grin).

 

Since you have SACD, what is a good SACD disc that you would recommend that really shows itself off well? I can't afford a collection of sacd's but would like a few. I have a Diana Krall that sounds wonderful, but I misplaced it....any jazz or sampler sacd you could recommend?

 

Also, since you have the ifi nano, how does it compare to the OPPO & Marantz for DAC. Could I give up the Marantz and get the ifi and be happy (if I didn't need a spinner at all)? Maybe I might switch to a SONY spinner and the ifi micro?

[mav52]

I was saying the SONY BDPs790 may be able to play dsd file from usb, and may have multi-channel sacd that the Marantz doesn't, but it doesn't have the usb-b interface....e.g. you can get the Marantz sa8005 or you can get the ifi micro/sony combo ... I really prefer to have one unit, and so for now I am sticking with the Marantz.

Thanks, I'm following you now.

[Ned Kelly]

Mike, i dont believe you can beat this in terms of both the music on the disc and the production values:

 

Amazon.com: Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon, 30th Anniversary Edition: Music

 

I have a few 'audiophile' SACDs but DSOTM does it for me - always has and probably always will. Not sure why you would buy that and sell the Marantz in favor of the nano - that makes no sense at all unless you are really stretched for cash. The nano is a fantastic product but it just doesnt have the level of refinement of either the Marantz or the Oppo - its more in the 'fun' realm than the kind of detail monster the other guys were clearly aiming for.

 

For the record, I paid roughly the equivalent of the US list price for my SA-14S1 - 2500USD - making it the most expensive source Ive ever owned. You will find it listed for some truly crazy prices outside the US so I believe I got a good deal in terms of an SACD player that doubles as a DAC - as competition for the other things the Oppo does however there is no comparison. The ability to watch a stunning BD movie like The Avengers, then slide in an SACD or hook up my laptop and listen to music is just unbeatable.

 

PS I loathe Diana Krall and the other audiophile-approved songstresses - the majority of my music is either singer-songwriter (Springsteen) or metal, and the latter is increasingly extreme metal over the classic bands I grew up with - probably not the best person to ask about jazz SACDs but I do like Jeff Beck's work circa the Wired album, if that helps.

[Mike Mcsweeney]

Mike, i dont believe you can beat this in terms of both the music on the disc and the production values:

 

Amazon.com: Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon, 30th Anniversary Edition: Music

 

I have a few 'audiophile' SACDs but DSOTM does it for me - always has and probably always will. Not sure why you would buy that and sell the Marantz in favor of the nano - that makes no sense at all unless you are really stretched for cash. The nano is a fantastic product but it just doesnt have the level of refinement of either the Marantz or the Oppo - its more in the 'fun' realm than the kind of detail monster the other guys were clearly aiming for.

 

For the record, I paid roughly the equivalent of the US list price for my SA-14S1 - 2500USD - making it the most expensive source Ive ever owned. You will find it listed for some truly crazy prices outside the US so I believe I got a good deal in terms of an SACD player that doubles as a DAC - as competition for the other things the Oppo does however there is no comparison. The ability to watch a stunning BD movie like The Avengers, then slide in an SACD or hook up my laptop and listen to music is just unbeatable.

 

PS I loathe Diana Krall and the other audiophile-approved songstresses - the majority of my music is either singer-songwriter (Springsteen) or metal, and the latter is increasingly extreme metal over the classic bands I grew up with - probably not the best person to ask about jazz SACDs but I do like Jeff Beck's work circa the Wired album, if that helps.

 

Funny you mention dark side of the moon. That was my favorite LP growing up, and when i started collecting vinyl again, that was the first one i bought. I have a sealed copy of it now, as i can only see it going up in value as an investment piece. My taste in music has changed since my "smoking days of the 70s", and mostly listen to jazz and chill music now.

 

I am not on an "extreme" budget, but I am nearing retirement, and if i can't say with certainty that one piece of hardware sounds better than another, then I would elect the cheaper option. I loved the SQ from the sony i had, and can't say the marantz sounds better for the SACD or DAC...albeit the Sony i couldn't connect directly to pc (i used dlna, which isn't acceptable for my desires)...which is why i suggest pairing it with the ifi micro. everyone says the ifi micro is great, so i don't believe i would be able to say without a doubt the marantz sounds better. I can't even say the marantz sounds better than my $300 Korg...both are equally impressive especially when playing dsd through audiogate. Anyway, i may try the ifi micro since i have auditioned many others from $200-$2000 and can't say anyone was better than the other. The only improvements i have heard are with speakers, amplifier, dsd, audiogate software. I have not been able to identify one dac sounding better than the other once i upgraded from dragonfly (e.g. every dac from $200-$2000 sounds great with none that i can say sounds better than the other). My $300 Korg used same chipset as the marantz.

 

I will probably hold onto the marantz for now, but if i can get more functionality (e.g. dsd from thumb drive and multi channel and bluray) for less money, and still believe the SQ is as good or better sounding to me, then it would make sense to switch things up. If i do, it will likely be after holidays....i am done with shopping for dac for now.

[mav52]

Mike, I noticed that the SA-8005 does not support FLAC, ( all of my files are FLAC)

[mav52]

Mike what I meant above, is FLAC supported from the front or rear USB port ?

[Mike Mcsweeney]

Mike what I meant above, is FLAC supported from the front or rear USB port ?

 

it supports flac from PC USB (rear usb port) , not from flash drive (front usb port). That was one of the things that upset me. I was quite surprised. I finally got a response from Marantz too, that there is no firmware or update to that. I won't ever use the front usb port...what a shame...shame on Marantz. Still not a big deal, I will just have to play my dsd and flac music (all my music is in those 2 formats) from pc which is where all my music is organized, but sometimes I just download a song from one computer and just want to plug into flash drive....

[Mike Mcsweeney]

it supports flac from PC USB (rear usb port) , not from flash drive (front usb port). That was one of the things that upset me. I was quite surprised. I finally got a response from Marantz too, that there is no firmware or update to that. I won't ever use the front usb port...what a shame...shame on Marantz. Still not a big deal, I will just have to play my dsd and flac music (all my music is in those 2 formats) from pc which is where all my music is organized, but sometimes I just download a song from one computer and just want to plug into flash drive....

 

if you or anyone is thinking about getting one, I will take a $50 loss. Less than 5 hrs on it...never filled out warranty card...

so much for done with my dac shopping (grin).

[mav52]

it supports flac from PC USB (rear usb port) , not from flash drive (front usb port). That was one of the things that upset me. I was quite surprised. I finally got a response from Marantz too, that there is no firmware or update to that. I won't ever use the front usb port...what a shame...shame on Marantz. Still not a big deal, I will just have to play my dsd and flac music (all my music is in those 2 formats) from pc which is where all my music is organized, but sometimes I just download a song from one computer and just want to plug into flash drive....

 

Wow, now that's a real bummer. That is what I was looking for , the use of the front USB port for my 1000's of FLAC files. I won't be getting one. Thanks Mike.

[Mike Mcsweeney]

mav52>>Wow, now that's a real bummer. That is what I was looking for , the use of the front USB port for my 1000's of FLAC files. I won't be getting one. Thanks Mike

 

I would highly recommend the sony bdps790 for that...very musical and detailed....it also supports dsf dsd files from front usb and also supports flac and other formats over dlna...great sound...you won't be disappointed with that.

[Paul R]

Wow, now that's a real bummer. That is what I was looking for , the use of the front USB port for my 1000's of FLAC files. I won't be getting one. Thanks Mike.

 

Whoa- that unhappy with your choice? Can't you return it?

-Paul

[prot]

... Less than 5 hrs on it...never filled out warranty card...

).

 

No worries, that's about the average duration of audiophile hapiness

[mav52]

Whoa- that unhappy with your choice? Can't you return it?

-Paul

 

I'm just glad I didn't purchase one. I will stick with my OPPO105D

[kumakuma]

I won't ever use the front usb port...what a shame...shame on Marantz.

 

Mike,

 

I might be missing something here but why won't you use the front USB port? This is typically the easier of the two to access. If it isn't in your environment, perhaps you could use something like an USB extension cable to make it more accessible:

 

10ft USB 2.0 A Male to A Female Extension 28/24AWG Cable (Gold Plated) - Monoprice.com

 

KK

[Audio_ELF]

I might be missing something here but why won't you use the front USB port?

I think he was hoping to use it to play FLAC from a memory stick - it doesn't support this functionality.

[kumakuma]

I think he was hoping to use it to play FLAC from a memory stick - it doesn't support this functionality.

 

Guess I misinterpreted what he said. I thought he meant that only the front USB port supports playback of FLAC files from a memory stick, not the rear one.

[realhifi]

it supports flac from PC USB (rear usb port) , not from flash drive (front usb port). That was one of the things that upset me. I was quite surprised. I finally got a response from Marantz too, that there is no firmware or update to that. I won't ever use the front usb port...what a shame...shame on Marantz. Still not a big deal, I will just have to play my dsd and flac music (all my music is in those 2 formats) from pc which is where all my music is organized, but sometimes I just download a song from one computer and just want to plug into flash drive....

 

That's really weird. What file formats does it support on the front USB input?

[Audio_ELF]

That's really weird. What file formats does it support on the front USB input?

According to the manual: AAC; WMA; MP3 and LPCM / WAV.

[kumakuma]

According to the manual: AAC; WMA; MP3 and LPCM / WAV.

 

Strange choices.

[Audio_ELF]

Strange choices.

Well I think it's primarily there as a iPod interface ... MP3, AAC, WMA and WAV just came "free" in the chip they chose to implement that (I would guess)

[Mike Mcsweeney]

Guess I misinterpreted what he said. I thought he meant that only the front USB port supports playback of FLAC files from a memory stick, not the rear one.

 

louise is correct...you can't play flac or dsd from usb stick.

the front usb port is for usb stick

the rear usb port is for connection to pc

[Rexp]

Funny you mention dark side of the moon. That was my favorite LP growing up, and when i started collecting vinyl again, that was the first one i bought. I have a sealed copy of it now, as i can only see it going up in value as an investment piece. My taste in music has changed since my "smoking days of the 70s", and mostly listen to jazz and chill music now.

 

I am not on an "extreme" budget, but I am nearing retirement, and if i can't say with certainty that one piece of hardware sounds better than another, then I would elect the cheaper option. I loved the SQ from the sony i had, and can't say the marantz sounds better for the SACD or DAC...albeit the Sony i couldn't connect directly to pc (i used dlna, which isn't acceptable for my desires)...which is why i suggest pairing it with the ifi micro. everyone says the ifi micro is great, so i don't believe i would be able to say without a doubt the marantz sounds better. I can't even say the marantz sounds better than my $300 Korg...both are equally impressive especially when playing dsd through audiogate. Anyway, i may try the ifi micro since i have auditioned many others from $200-$2000 and can't say anyone was better than the other. The only improvements i have heard are with speakers, amplifier, dsd, audiogate software. I have not been able to identify one dac sounding better than the other once i upgraded from dragonfly (e.g. every dac from $200-$2000 sounds great with none that i can say sounds better than the other). My $300 Korg used same chipset as the marantz.

 

I will probably hold onto the marantz for now, but if i can get more functionality (e.g. dsd from thumb drive and multi channel and bluray) for less money, and still believe the SQ is as good or better sounding to me, then it would make sense to switch things up. If i do, it will likely be after holidays....i am done with shopping for dac for now.

 

Great insights, thanks Mike, I too have tried a few DAC's and only found differences rather than fundamental improvements in sq. I do think playing a CD on my laptop with Audiogate sounds better than playing the ripped WAV file..

[mantis07]

Mike, I just got an 8005 a few days ago and can play DSD from a USB stick using the front panel. I will try flac tomorrow.

 

Tony

[Mike Mcsweeney]

Mike, I just got an 8005 a few days ago and can play DSD from a USB stick using the front panel. I will try flac tomorrow.

 

Tony

you got a SA8005?

 

What extension did you play from front usb (.dff)?

What about Flac?

 

You are either mistaken or marantz lied and updated the firmware...really curious ....please clarify.

[mantis07]

I returned the Marantz months ago but I was able to play DSF and FLAC - I didn't try anything else.