Do I really need an SACD player?

I have a very high end analog system as I love vinyl. That said, there are some great titles out there on SACD that I've heard some really fantastic reviews of. McIntosh has a new SACD player and has it me wondering....Do I really need an SACD player?

 

Pfft, dunno, mebbes aye, mebbes naw.

 

If you have a great vinyl system you love, my answer is probably not. But are there titles you want that are not available in a corresponding vinyl release?

 

Like you said, there are some great titles out there that are not a vinyl, both CD and SACD, which is why I have an SACD player.

 

Possibly. But a McIntosh? Are you referring to the MCT80?

 

If you are not invested in SACD, maybe it would be best to get a few DSD downloads and see how they are. Maybe you will find everything you need there. I know I have several SACDS, but since I have ripped them with my Oppo, I'll likely never play them again via the disc. I see no reason to buy more and when the Oppo is gone I doubt I will need another player.

 

I'd stick with your McIntosh setup and add a D150 DAC. You'll improve your MVP851 (without giving up the awesome "welcome to DVD world" scrolling message on power up - obviously you'd miss this) by using it as a transport, and you'll likely be able to find most of the SACD titles you're interested in as DSD downloads. Well, probably a lot of them, at least.

That or look at used MVP861s and beyond.

 

Many SACDs sound fantastic, but how many of them sound better than the best vinyl version of the same album? Probably not too many.

Also, how many 'great' titles are actually 'SACD exclusive'?

I mean, I love SACD, but let's face it: At the end of the day, it's all about transferring that 'analog' sound to digital as good as possible. Quite often, this is pretty damn good.

Since you're apparently still addicted to vinyl anyway, I don't see that SACD will hold much value for you. Vinyl is once again the order of the day, so any new and superior mastering will most likely see a vinyl release sooner or later anyway.

As for most older titles: It's out there on vinyl already. So why bother?

 

As someone who is pretty invested in both vinyl and SACD I'd say the real magic of SACD is classical music in surround and if you don't have good 5.1 playback it's probably not that worth getting into DSD but if you do, hold onto your hat. DSD stereo can be pretty sultry as well but I don't know about as an investment.

 

A couple of years ago I would have said definitely. Today, I'm no longer sure. As a former SACD die hard, I have to say that the better my DAC gets, the better old fashioned PCM sounds. I purchased my PS Audio Direct Stream DAC a few years ago, and I find that with each successive update, the less of an edge that DSD seems to have over PCM (which is particularly ironic considering that DSD is what this unit was originally designed for).

So my answer would be that you would be best-off buying a really great DAC. Because the better your DAC gets, the less of an edge SACD/DSD-64 has over 16/44.1 (redbook resolution). And with the best DACs, High res PCM now seems to trump DSD to my ears.

 

Perhaps my experience will help. I've been an analog person. A couple of years ago i bought an Oppo 105 and that encouraged me to buy a large bunch of SACDs as well as add to my CD collection. I listened to them a bit, especially the SACDs, but soon put them aside, used the Oppo for other things mostly associated with video and went back to my record listening, mostly.

Recently I bought a really good DAC. Since I could not play the SACDs through the DAC I ripped them all using the Oppo and now play the DSD files from a computer to the new DAC. For the first time in my experience the digital sound rivals my LPs. Most impressive to me are the SACDs of the old RCA LPs, some of which I can compare to the originals. Many of those SACDs are still available at very low prices.

So, from my point of view, it has to depend on just how good the McIntosh SACD player is. I'm not particularly impressed by face plates. If you audition one and it doesn't appear as good (don't mean exactly the same) as your vinyl pass it by. I don't know what kind of music you like, but it should be possible to find an SACD of an LP that you have. If you're into classical, try a Munch Ravel disk.

 

SACD sounds best in mch

 

Yes and SACD sounds glorious in 2 channel. Multi-channel was an afterthought.

If possible, demo the players used in the fantastic SACD reviews you read.

 

If you are planning to make that investment purely based on the SACD capability then perhaps you should consider getting a real good DSD capable DAC instead?

Regards

 

Horses for courses. I find that's a bit gimmicky, but appreciate people enjoy that presentation. Two channel works very well and is more natural for me.

As to the OP, and aside from my earlier and deeply informative post, I genuinely don't get this question, and others like it. If you want to try it, dip your toe in the water. Vinyl has long been equalled, so once you get past that mindset, then you can move on. The emotional attachment to vinyl, the experience, will always be quite unique, but the subs quality? Equalled and bettered ages ago.

So give it a try. Just avoid the Genesis SACDs...

 

In my experience a high end used SACD player will beat a DSD download on a OPPO 105 every time and it will also do a great job on redbook CDs. I cannot speak for high end DACs but the high end SACD players that have digital USB inputs, according to reviews, hi-rez via USB falls short of the disc player technology. I'm pretty sure that will change over time which is when I'll make the move to a high end DAC for playback. Just my ears opinion.

 

I invested heavily in SACD. I have owned 2 players pioneer and now Oppo. You probably need to ask yourself are you willing to purchase SACD's on a regular basis. If so, I say go ahead. I've now subscribed to Qobuz Sublime + (streams Hi rez audio) and Tidal Hi Fi (MQA). I have not touched any of my SACDs since. I'm sure there are some of my SACD's (like Dark side of the moon) that's not available to stream.

If you want to dip your toe in, you could go used, new cheap SONY Blu-ray or a mid priced player like this Yamaha Yamaha AVENTAGE BD-A1060

When we purchase a 4k TV, I'll probably get the new Oppo

 

No.

 

Nonsense. The Oppo 105 does not process DSD through the USB input. The Oppo 205 does. In any event, good as they are, neither is up to the standards of a high quality modern DAC. I don't know what reviews you are reading, but you are clearly wrong if you think redbook CD or even SACD disks disks cannot be outperformed by hi-res downloads and rips played through a modern high quality DAC. More nonsense. You may be almost 10 years behind the times.

 

I suppose if you want to play SACD's without having someone else rip them for you the answer is yes. Otherwise, the answer is no. Personally, I don't think it is possible to reach a conclusion on SQ of SACD's vs hi res downloads. DSD should be the same or better, depending on the DAC used. Redbook, maybe yes, maybe no.

Many DAC's sound better with Toslink input rather than USB, especially the lower priced ones with Toslink.

 

Never found enough material in the UK to add an extra source... though do have an universal player.

 

Clearly if you are going to invest in and create a SACD library then yes if not no. Or if you have money to spare buy one and use it or not. The longer you wait the greater the chance to pickup a previously owned model featuring last years now inferior technology (ya the new stuff is always better..joke).

 

Are you saying the latest ESS Sabre Pro 9308 dacs in the Oppo 205 will be out performed by a modern high quality DAC, 1. how do you know ? , 2. finally how much would this mysterious high quality Dac cost.

 

Not a good idea to buy a s/hand SACD/CD player.

 

It does if you attach a flash drive to it.