Would you purchase a SACD player right now?

[Paul R]

(side note)

 

I expect the magazine you are talking about got the idea to do the testing from here. In fact, I am about 90% sure of it.

 

(/side note)

 

-Paul

 

 

[Mark Powell]

However, the editor of the magazine is also the proprietor of 'Miller Audio' who sells much audio-specific test equipment, both hardware and the software packages that go with it, to many of the world's high end manufacturers.

 

But you are probably 90% correct

 

Maybe he does it to broaden his market!

 

[Panelhead]

Now is the time to gobble up discs. Prices are falling and quality is up. The Miles Perfect Columbia Collection arrived last week. Twenty albums, 22 discs. Mini LP

Sleeves.

Already had several albums. These sounded at least as good as the premium quality discs. Of the 20 albums, never heard half. Never heard of a quarter of them.

Best part is price, 45.00 delivered.

 

George

 

[ted_b]

when I commented, on another forum (my Audio Circle HiRez sub-forum), that I saw some energy around 30-40k in one of the Rolling Stone HDtracks downloads, so I surmised that it might just be NOT upsampled redbook; that the jury was still out. They just about called me a charlatan! Seems like a "protest-too-much" agenda, frankly. They never contacted me, etc.

 

I think their testing capabilities are hit-n-miss, as all they do is look at a basic spectrum analysis and if they see any semblance of brickwall they throw it on the "Hdtracks has upsampled" pile. When in reality, if that music was indeed upsampled it was done wayyyyyy before HDtracks got a hold of it...like at the DSD console. And in many cases, if the source was analog tape the "upsampled from redbook" moniker is completely inaccurate and misleading analysis. I realize they are trying to dummy-down this analysis for readership, but it's not always the best thing to do!

 

[Mark Powell]

I have wondered. It's an odd magazine. It is one of three in the UK and likes to make snide remarks about the other two. Because it is the oldest. (When I retired from IBM after many years you get a clock. It is inscribed. I wanted '40 years older but none the wiser' on mine but they would not do it.)

 

One of their reviewers seems to think that any low or mid price equipment is not worth reviewing. Any woman who does not appreciate a living room full of equipment is 'The bitch wife from hell who is only interested in shoes.' If you don't have things like Magico speakers and the new D'Agostino amp you had just as well use an iPod.

 

But it is entertaining. Same as music really.

 

[Kevin_O]

@elscoro.. Mr. Wicked has already admitted there is a bug that will allow clicks/pops between tracks of continuous music.. he is working on a fix now.

 

 

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?3341-Ripping-SACDs-the-right-way/page2

 

[elcorso]

@Kevin_O, I don't have any clicks/pops between tracks of continuous music. On DSD native playback, a minor inoffensive 'interruption', maybe.

 

I saw your graph on Pyramix DXD, thanks.

 

Roch

 

[wappinghigh]

Noob q elcorso....

 

Please tell us how you are playing your dsd tracks. Are you playing them via audiogate?....or within Audirvana. Please confirm your not using a DAW to play them.....right? And what is USB-X? Thanks. Wap.

 

[barrows]

As I noted, the companies you note distribute only their own recordings (in the case of Naim, which I understand records everything to tape, and then digitizes from there) or mostly their own recordings (Linn). BTW, you apparently have not noticed the problems Linn has had with a few releases, selling them as high res when they were not? This has been well documented elsewhere on this site. To Linn's credit, it appears that their response and CS when made aware of the problem was excellent, pulling the titles and offering refunds/credit.

Both of these companies offer very limited selection, just really a small sample... I would be willing to wager that HDTracks has ten times the titles of Linn and Naim combined in real high res. But it is not a contest, I am happy to get high res files wherever I can.

I believe you refer to HiFi News re testing of high res, it is cool that they are doing this, but it does appear that they often declare something is "upsampled redbook" when even their own published analysis shows the file to clearly not be redbook-files often have low content at very high frequencies due to the original recordings having limited bandwidth-redbook files will always show a brickwall, which is a quite distinctive, steep cutoff, with nothing at all above 22 kHz. Just because a claimed 24/96 file has little content above 24 kHz does not make it "upsampled redbook", as noted by Ted below.

 

[Mark Powell]

No, I have not paid much attention to Linn, whether it be their downloads or anything else they produce, mainly for 'political' reasons, such as years ago they manufactured, as a subcontractor, many parts for another turntable supplier. Then they stole the design in totality, even down to the shape of the acrylic cover, started to trade under the name 'Linn', and sold it as the Sondek/LP12. There was never anything wrong with that turntable, but it was not theirs. I don't like that. When it is my money I am free to indulge my own prejudices.

 

I have purchased very few downloads so far, being more immediately occupied with ripping my CD collection. Shortly I will probably purchase quite a few, and no doubt some of them will be from HD Tracks - I don't actually care about whether they are upsampled or not, but I did not like their 'Sorry we did not know' excuses. Of course they knew, Chesky was not born yesterday. It is (A) whether I like the music (B) how they sound that is important.

 

I most certainly take your point about Linn and Naim being very small suppliers. Thus it is 'easier' for them.

 

BTW - both Linn and Naim have much of their (admittedly small) catalogues available on vinyl. Linn even cut the masters and press the discs themselves, on machines built or modified by them. I have never purchased any 'audiophile' vinyl. Perhaps I should. Might be a revelation.

 

Regards

 

[elcorso]

Wap, I'm playing native DSD with Audirvana Plus, like this DL I bought:

 

 

USB-X is the USB interface build by Playback Designs for their DACs series 5, connects to the Mac by USB, an to the DAC with an HD-15 cable.

 

This interface allow DSD playback with Playback Designs DACs only

 

Then, I'm not on a DAW.

 

You are welcome,

 

Roch

 

 

 

 

[dallasjustice]

Roch on!

 

[goldenpiggy]

Getting back to whether to buy a SACD player now...yes I would, but only higher-end units. I mostly playback via computer these days, from from time to time I still pop in a physical disc, be it CD or SACD.

 

1) Instant gratification...I buy many used CDs (they're giveaways) and first thing I do when I get home is to pop it into the player.

2) I buy many audiophile SACDs overseas (HK, Korea, Japan). Some of the titles are not available anywhere else, not even HiRes downloads. For example, listen to Emiri Miyamoto's contemporary violin SACDs on a good player and you could be blown away.

3) To get the best possible transport (although you have to get a fairly high-end SACD player.) Good SACD players not only play SACDs, but play regular CDs very well due to the robust transport. This is where Esoteric's VRDS Neo mechanism rules.

4) This may sound insane, but it's like collectible watches...these honking 60lbs players with jewery-like finish and smooth-as-silk drawers are fascinating work of mechanical engineering.

 

Certainly if you have a strict budget, it doesn't make sense to buy an expensive SACD player. Except in Thailand, HK, Korea, and Japan where CDs (and SACDs in the audiophile market) still sell very well, physical discs are becoming less significant.

 

I think at the minimum, get the Oppo BDP-95 if you don't want to spend a lot for SACD player. That would be my minimum player.