SACD player upgrade below $1,500

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by deniss, Jun 12, 2018.

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  1. deniss

    deniss Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Princeton, NJ, USA
    Thanks! It's a daunting task, especially when you're buying blind. I don't know any local audio enthusiasts to audition their gear, so I trust the reviews and the return policy (if it's truly awful). I have some decent AV stores within driving distance, but none had an SACD player to audition.

    Audio-Video Synergy in Clinton, NJ. They are quite relaxed, no-pressure, will work with you.
     
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  2. NorthSky

    NorthSky Active Member

    This is a good informative thread.

    Question: Can you readjust a laser that is misaligned?

    I too had experiences with lasers that could no longer read discs, or record (Yamaha CD-R/RW CD player/recorder), an old Denon CD player, a Panasonic BR player, ...
    They have three adjustable screws for the laser assembly/reading.
    I am not an expert but I was wondering if I can adjust/calibrate them myself?
    I've seen some YouTube videos with some people having success.

    Once I started a thread over @ AVS Forum but a moderator closed it, and I just don't know why. I wanted to learn.

    I like to learn how to fix my disc players that could no longer read some or all discs.
    When my lasers are dirty I open the top cover and clean the laser.
    But when it no longer reads, instead of buying a new player (cheaper than getting it fixed, or parts are no longer available), can I refocus the laser from the three adjustment screws? I know it can be done by trials, or with instrumentation.
    Anyone with experience?
     
  3. NorthSky

    NorthSky Active Member

    Example:
     
  4. NorthSky

    NorthSky Active Member

    Another:
     
  5. NorthSky

    NorthSky Active Member

    This one is hard to see, but it's to illustrate what I'm talking about:
     
  6. NorthSky

    NorthSky Active Member

    The scientific method, with a clear view on the three small potentiometers:
     
  7. NorthSky

    NorthSky Active Member

    That's it. Some of you earlier were talking about replacing laser mechanisms that can no longer read some discs, one layer, or all discs.
    We know that some disc tray mechanisms are prone to failure after a certain time, from certain brands...Denon had its fair share in the past...I had few of them....DCD-1500MKll and a universal DVD player...DVD-1920, and a 3910 and 3930CI.

    And of course we also have some lasers that fail to read discs after a year or two; my Panasonic DMP-BD55 Blu-ray player quit on me just after a year. Some Panasonic model BR players were notorious for laser failures from that era. ...BD35, BD55, BD30, BD60, ...

    Did anyone adjust the laser potentiometers with success in refocusing the laser so that it can read and play discs again? They adjust the electric current.

    AVS Forum was zero help, with some negativity members and moderators too.
    Diy audio forum couldn't help me, nicer people.
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2018
  8. Usually the American service centers for companies like Panasonic and Sony had these huge technical manuals to guide the technicians in fixing each component. I haven't seen much of the info circulate on the internet, as even the service centers have shrunk in size and scope over the past two decades. Most electronics companies now aren't particularly interested in helping customers service their own stuff - it's all made to be disposable. Many people in that field seemed to learn their craft in the 1980s and 1990s, only to retire or move on in the past decade.

    AVS has very tight moderation in some of the sub-forums, probably too tight.
     
  9. olschl

    olschl Forum Resident

    Location:
    NJ
    With all the new SACD players coming out has anyone heard of any new SACD releases other than Jazz and classical? The newest I see on Mofi were released in 2009!
     
  10. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    There have definitely been quite a few rock SACD releases since 2009. Not sure how you're searching.
     
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  11. Kostas

    Kostas Forum Resident

    Location:
    Athens,GR.
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  12. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Do you happen to know if the DCD-800NE should have the same CD sound quality as the DCD-1600? The DAC the same and the specs are almost identical.
     
    soundboy likes this.
  13. F1nut

    F1nut Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Mars Hotel
    You're definitely looking in the wrong places. Try Acoustic Sounds or Music Direct.
     
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  14. CraigVC

    CraigVC Senior Member

    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Every catalog title with "UDSACD" is an SACD release in the following URL. Just Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab alone has probably released over 100 rock titles in the last 10 years.
    https://www.discogs.com/label/35095...genre=All&limit=500&sort=year&sort_order=desc

    Add in Audio Fidelity, Analogue Productions, Intervention Records, Dutton-Vocalion, Japanese reissues, and other labels and I'd guess at least 400-500 rock titles on SACD in the last decade or so.
     
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  15. soundboy

    soundboy Senior Member

    Whether a SACD player is available (or not) in a certain geographic market is dependent on the "popularity" of the SACD format in that market.

    For example, the Denon DCD-2500NE is available in Hong Kong, but not in the US:

    CD/SACD Player

    Same with Pioneer's UDP-LX800:

    UDP-LX800 | 藍光影碟/DVD播放機 | 產品系列 | Pioneer
     
    Last edited: Dec 31, 2018
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  16. Hundreds and hundreds of pop and rock SACDs have come out in the last decade.

    Here is HRAudio.net's list of the last 1000 Pop/Rock SACDs in their database.

    HRAudio.net - Music

    The same list for SACD.net, HR's ancestor, which unfortunately stopped updating around 2015.

    SA-CD.net - Titles
     
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  17. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    Looking at those lists is really depressing because there are so few titles I actually want + many are not even as good as their CD counterparts (HK SACD's take a bow):mudscrying:

    Looking at it further is even more depressing as they are practically all specialist ltd releases or ltd Japanese releases. Looks to me that SACD for rock and pop is all but dead!
     
  18. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    For sure, while I first search for music I want to own on multi-channel SACD, I know I will likely not find it, so I buy it on CD or download it. This does not however thwart my desire for music on SACD, it just makes me appreciate SACD even more, since it just sounds better; and, multi-channel SACDs breadth and depth is so life like.
     
    TeleCaster likes this.
  19. Espen R

    Espen R Senior Member

    Location:
    Norway
    OMG!

    Can’t belive this laser problem is again happening in 2018:shake:
    I had the exact same problem with my first SACD player bought in 2000, a european model Sony Xb-940. Laser had to be replaced every 18 moths or so.
    The problem is caused by a slight ring of plastic that surrends/cover the laser lens. The shifting heat/cold temeprature inside the player will make the plastic material change over time, so the lens can not focus properly. It always starts with hybrid discs...

    This problem would never happened if they spend $0,50 more on the lens.
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2019
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  20. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    I had to have my laser assembly replaced with the Chinese model for my circa 1999 Sony DVP-S9000ES. It would not read the SACD layer of hybrid discs. Now it works. I no longer keep the player in standby mode however. Either its full on or full off. I'm hoping that works to save the laser.
     
  21. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Do you know which models have this problem, or even a partial list?
     
  22. TarnishedEars

    TarnishedEars Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Seattle area
    The Sony DVP-S9000ES is infamous for this issue. Although this may vary depending on when a given model was produced because while probably 90% have this issue, roughly 10% never do.

    And many models of Marantz and Denon players have had similar issues with their lasers, although I do not recall which models off the top of my head.
     
    George P likes this.
  23. deniss

    deniss Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Princeton, NJ, USA
    So, since I started this thread, I thought I'd report on my experiences with Denon 1600 NE.

    I've had my 1600NE for over 6 months now, and I'm very happy with it. It appears to be really transparent with wonderful openness and full dynamic range. In my system, I wouldn't characterize is at bright, boomy, or laid-back: it feels balanced, unbiased, and precise in how it reproduces music, at least to my ears. It's revealing of the source material; nevertheless, I feel this player is very well balanced. I play all kinds of different music on it, from country to jazz to blues to classic rock, and I really like its presentation. I realize the assessment will probably vary from rig to rig, but it's giving me very pleasant results in my system.

    And yes, my player was Made in Japan.
     
  24. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Since there are so few reviews of the DCD-1600NE, I thought I would post this one of its predecessor:

    http://i.nextmedia.com.au/Assets/denon_dcd_1520ae_cd_player_review_test_lores.pdf

    I have been trying to find out if the DCD-1600 converts to PCM (like the Arcam CDS50) and found this in the above review:

    "As for that Texas Instruments PCM 1795 [same DAC used in the DCD-1600NE], it’s a monolithic CMOS IC in an SSOP-28 package that uses segment DAC architecture to achieve 123dB S/N and improved tolerance to clock jitter. It accepts both pulse code modulation (PCM) and direct stream digital (DSD) data."

    Does that mean that it plays the DSD layer direct, without conversion?
     
  25. TarnishedEars

    TarnishedEars Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Seattle area
    Without looking at its spec sheet to be certain, I think that odds are very high that it is just a typical modern Delta Sigma DAC which is equally happy to receive either PCM or DSD.
     
    George P likes this.
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