Low-end SACD player vs. mid-range CD player

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by CBackley, Sep 15, 2018.

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  1. TarnishedEars

    TarnishedEars Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Seattle area
    All of the Oppos play SACDs, DVD-Audio and Redbook. The 93 and higher numbers also play Bluray too.

    You can go for a new 203 if that is what you really want. But all that it adds is 4K video, and its DAC is not quite as good as the models which end in a 5. And it drops HDCD decoding.

    So I'd personally recommend either a 95 or a 105 as being the best values right now. The 105 has essentially everything that the 205 has, except for 4K video. And the 95 only drops the digital inputs which allow for it to be used as a DAC.
     
    Bingo Bongo likes this.
  2. I'd likely go for an Oppo 95 or 105 at the moment as well, if you can get one under $500. If you are willing to go used, there are many fine SACD/CD players available from a few years ago that people are selling to move ahead with newer CD players that can double as DACs.

    If you ever see a Sony XA-5400ES below $800, snap it up without a second thought. It has amazing SACD and CD sound.
     
    caupina and CBackley like this.
  3. arcamsono

    arcamsono Senior Member

    Location:
    MN
    Well Amazon just had em $129. Big drop from what they've been going for. I'm so damn tempted to buy another for myself. I mean 129 for that sound,,,,well its unheard of. Now time to check price.
     
    tmtomh likes this.
  4. tmtomh

    tmtomh Forum Resident

    You're referring to the Onkyo C-7030 CD player, yes? If so, for $130 it's hard to see any downside to that. Great player for $200, fantastic deal for $130.
     
    CBackley likes this.
  5. arcamsono

    arcamsono Senior Member

    Location:
    MN
    Still $129. Amazon Cd 7030.
     
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  6. CBackley

    CBackley Chairman of the Bored Thread Starter

    Thanks! I just picked up the Onkyo C-7030 for $129 on Amazon. Great advice! I’m going to use the rest of that budget to set aside and hopefully pick up a nice used Oppo at some point soon.

    In the meantime, I’ll reserve my old Sony DVP-NS775V for playing only SACDs. I did some more testing last night, and there seems to be only one disc in particular that gives me the most consistent problems with detecting the SACD layer. Very odd.
     
  7. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    This. :righton:

    Or a NOS Cambridge 752BD, or CXU (note: NOT the CXU-HD) which is transport only (and a waste of time IMO). They use five of the venerable Wolfson WM8740 DAC, and, if it's relevant for you, come with multichannel analogue out too.
     
    CBackley likes this.
  8. PhilBiker

    PhilBiker sh.tv member number 666

    Location:
    Northern VA, USA
    I have a stack of SACD compatible DVD players like your Sony in my basement. (make me an offer I'll be willing to ship one to you - I have two Sony DV-C875s). They are easy to find and sound great - I'd look for something like that. Check your local thrifts and your local craigslist you'll probably find something. I got the Denon DVD-1920 in my office and the Yamaha DVD-V961 in my living room at thrifts. The Yamaha needed a belt replacement and they Denon needed a remote from Ebay but they both work great.
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2018
  9. Synthfreek

    Synthfreek I’m a ray of sunshine & bastion of positivity

    That's weird, my 83 does too. :D
     
    TarnishedEars likes this.
  10. bean_counter

    bean_counter Well-Known Member

    I went the Computer Audiophile route alst year, and bought a refurbished Pioneer BDP-80FD for $150 and ripped all of my SACDs. Some older Oppo units also work, but they're more $; I think the SACD rip capability has since driven up the price of the Pioneer. It's a pure DSD rip, not PCM conversion. The Pioneer isn't known for longevity, but it should live long enough to rip any more discs I buy. I had already ripped all of my CDs.

    There are some silly cheap (for hi-fi) DSD capable DACs out there that sound a lot better than even some better spinners. I use a TEAC UD-503 DAC and it absolutely walks all over my Marantz SA8004 and a low-end Sony universal. Computer is a dedicated old Windoze desktop running JRiver.

    SACD Ripping using an Oppo or Pioneer? Yes, it's true!
     
    matthewp and PhantomStranger like this.
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