Are there big differences in SACD players?

Forum friends,

Please help me out. I have an elaborate surround system with standalone CD recorder, and also a great CD burner for my computer. Now I am planning to purchase a SACD player.

I saw one at a mass-retailer the other night for 149.00 (S***) which plays DVD and SACD. My receiver has multichannel capability. The price seemed too good to believe. They tried to sell me the display model which would come with no remote, box, or cables for 99.00 but when I found out the remote was 44.99 alone and they would not go any lower on the price, I just walked out.

Now, the BIG question is, though the S*** SACD player is just 149.00, would it be "good enough"? Or, do you think there would be too many design compromises where the improvement in sound would not be realized?

Please let me know!!!!

Paul

 

Paul,

Don't you think that's kind of like asking if there's a difference between a Realistic SS Receiver and a tubed MacIntosh?

From what I understand there are big differences between the bottom end players and a modded 555-ES, but you won't be getting that one for under 5 times as much I'm afraid.

Although, I don't own one yet myself, so what do I know.

 

Dave,

Thanks!

Great point! Think I'll "liberate" my budget a little more for this indulgence.

Best,
Paul

 

I'll get the air pump Paul. Pump up the wallet! Pump up the wallet!

 

Paul,
I picked up the Sony 333 ES (discontinued lower end ES stereo SACD) & have never looked back. Even with regular CD's it blows away my other CD players.
My only complaint is it's not multi-channel but at the price I got it for it was well the worth the price. I also want to recommend better cables. Others on the board have more knowledge on cables, but I stepped up to the Monster Cable Reference 2 RCA cables & have found out you get what you pay for in cables.

The 333 ES was replaced by the Multi-channel 222 ES which I've seen for about $500.

 

If you can find a floor sample CE775, go for it. It's a steal at well under 200.00, and Stereophile has praised it highly (as have many members of the forum).

The combo DVD/SACD players are also nice--but not as nice. I have one that I purchased just before I got my deal on the audio-only player (the 500V, now discontinued), and I have to say that the CE775 audio-only player sounds significantly better: a more transparent midrange, tighter bass, bigger soundstage. The difference isn't night and day, but it's significant.

YMMV, of course!

 

Yeah, the 775 is great for the $!!!

 

Hi Paul!

After 20 years with my first Phillips 10bit DAC CD player I finally got fed up
2 years ago and picked up a SCD-777ES at a Tweeter close out for $1,500.
Sound wise it was the best move up I had made in years. In October of
2001 Sony released The XA777-ES Multi-Channel Player. At the time the
price was way out of my budget until I found a store in Georgia- Oade Brothers who was discounting them for $1,900 shipped. I thought no way
am I going to spend another $400. Then the reviews started coming in on the outstanding sound quality of the XA777-ES. I 've been eating budget
meals for the last year or so but the step up from the SCD-777ES to the
XA-777ES was more than I ever expected. For the first time ever, regular
redbook CD's sounded great. And of course SACD's are another story
all together, but I will admit that the Redbook playback is so wonderful
that I haven't felt the need to buy SACDs yet.

Hope that answers your question buddy!

 

"Expert Advice"

An "Expert" and highly regarded "Audio Legend In His Own Mind" stated more than once in a widely read magazine:

"If they measure well they should all sound the same so, make your choice according to the features that you desire."

BTW, that magazine is now defunct along with the "expert" (I believe).

 

Hi, Gary,

Thanks!!!! You've said it all. Think I'll manipulate the budget to accommodate a "proper" player!

Thanks again,
Paul

 

I had the Sony NS500V, and, even after extensive burn-in time, never liked it. I thought it was a fault of the SACD format, and I vowed never to buy SACD's again. I sold the 500V, and stayed with CD's. But then my living room CD player died, and I needed a replacement. I found a Sony CE775 for $169, so I picked it up. I love this player. There is no comparison between this and the 500V. I can only say that for the SACD playback at this point, as I have an external DAC for CD playback. I have never tried CD's on this player without my DAC, but I have heard it is very good as well. In addition, the CE775 is easily modified (try SACDmods.com) for even better sound.

 

Hi Chris,

Mods improved the sound substantially. I've often thought about getting
a player modification but I'm afraid to void my warranty.

If I did go for a mod there is a nice mod where they add a tube stage
to the audio ouput section. That type of mod gets me excited.

 

One of the salon mags--Stereophile or Absolute Sound, I don't remember which--praised the NS500V highly, but noted that another review sample was bright and edgy and remained so even after break-in. Interesting results, though I have to say that my own NS500V started out as highly listenable and does a terrific job with video DVDs, so I kept it even after I bought my CE775. I don't use it for CD or SACD playback now, so I can't say if the sound has improved after breaking in. I should note, though, that another nice feature of the NS500V is that it will pass 96khz/24bit digital signals on to my Denon 3802, whose converters will decode the higher-rez signal without downsampling. If a DVD-A has a high-rez 96/24 stereo layer accessible to all DVD players, I can take advantage of that with this player.

I agree wholeheartedly, though, that the sound (redbook and SACD) on the CE775 is significantly better than the sound on the NS500V, with the largest improvement (to my ears) on redbook. I'm very, very glad to have the CE775. Paul, nose around and see if there are any left at the mail order houses: J&R Music World, or even Crutchfield's Outlet. As recently as six weeks ago, there were still a few floating around at Northern Virginia Circuit City stores.