DVD player with SACD support vs dedicated SACD player

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by neverbe, Mar 14, 2021.

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  1. neverbe

    neverbe Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Poland
    Hi all, Im searching for some way to test SACD compared to vinyl. Don't want to spend a lot of money, maybe I will not like them. I found pretty cheap options in my local stores with used items:
    DVD player - Philips DVD-SACD 763SA (has SACD support)
    SACD player - SONY SCD-XE670
    But Sony is almost 4 times more expensive. Will it sound so much better? Or Philips will provide good sound quality? And in general, how DVD player with SACD support will be compared to dedicated SACD player?
     
  2. vinylontubes

    vinylontubes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Katy, TX
    I would check out thrift stores and pawn shops. Sony had a lot of DVD and Blu-Ray players that had SACD capability. People are now streaming their rental content, so the used market is full of used optical disc players.
     
  3. Dr. J.

    Dr. J. Music is in my soul

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    The thing with SACD-cum-DVD players is that it's very hard to know whether the player converts the DSD signal to raw PCM during the digital to analogue process. Many will tell you that at 88.2khz resolution there is no discernible difference anyway, so why obsess? Maybe. But to my ears, Sony players almost always sound better, especially in width of the soundstage, because as a general rule they don't do an initial DSD to PCM conversion. I've never heard either player so I can't comment on which one will sound better. But I'd go with the Sony.
     
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  4. Bingo Bongo

    Bingo Bongo Music gives me Eargasms

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    My Sony Blu Ray player has SACD, yet I've never tried it or owned any. :shrug:
     
  5. neverbe

    neverbe Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Poland
    So looks like Sony is my choice, very curious how my MFSL/AP vinyl records will sound to their SACD analogs.
     
    mikeyt and Geordiepete like this.
  6. F1nut

    F1nut Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Mars Hotel
    IMO, attempting to judge SACD by using a budget player is a fools errand.
     
  7. TimB

    TimB Pop, Rock and Blues for me!

    Location:
    Colorado
    I have a Sony bro-s360 that I use to rip SACD’s to my computer. The analog out us on the blah side when I compare it to my Sony SACD only player, and the USB dac’s that I have all sound better.
     
  8. neverbe

    neverbe Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Poland
    So to judge I will need 3000$ SACD player ? Is Sony SCD-XE67o so bad?
     
  9. I just bought a 2003 Pioneer DV-757ai DVD player with support for SACD and DVD-Audio.

    The Pioneer was £800 back in the day and is a quality bit of kit...

    ...won a shoot-out in Hi-Fi World magazine for best sound.

    Cost me £70 in mint condition with remote and hi-end scart thrown in!
     
  10. russk

    russk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Syracuse NY
    Personally think any decent regular CD player is better than any sub $1000 dollar vinyl rig if you pay attention to the mastering.

    SACDs tend to have better mastering then the standard CDs. So it does make it a bit easier to sort out.

    When I went down this road I found that most of the time the Marantz SA10 is equal to the the 3K rig I have now as long as long as I am playing well pressed, near mint, clean vinyl and comparing it to well mastered SACDs. Every now and then the the vinyl sounds better. Problem is I can just through an SACD or favorite CD into my Yamaha player and have zero maintenance. Then there’s streaming...
     
    dennis the menace and Fox67 like this.
  11. SACD is just an audio version of DVD, so as long as the transport, etc. works well. It really doesn't matter.

    What matters is the DAC and electronics output.
     
    jesterthejedi likes this.
  12. F1nut

    F1nut Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Mars Hotel
    Do you think you could reach a reasonable conclusion about vinyl by comparing a $300 turntable to a $3000 SACD player?
     
  13. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Get a new Sony UBP Player which will play 5.1 SACDs and output via HDMI. That's where it's at today.
     
  14. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Used Sony SACD, CD/DVD/SACD, and UBP Players for SACD pleasure have reputations for sounding great; but, their laser modules have reputations for going bad so buying used is a crap shoot.
     
    Vinny123 likes this.
  15. head_unit

    head_unit Senior Member

    Location:
    Los Angeles CA USA
    - As @F1nut says, that is probably not a reasonable comparison, depending.
    - Are you planning to run analog out? Or does your Denon have HDMI input?
    - How do you feel about CD vs vinyl? Because it is somewhat likely-not 100%-that your feelings about SACD will be similar. Vinyl has its own distortions that some people find likable and miss with digital. (The digital filtering problems some people don't like are pretty reduced by the time you get to DVD-Audio and SACD).
    - Are you listening in 5.1 or stereo?
    - Yes some SACD titles are just mastered more carefully: our host @Steve Hoffman (and the original recordists) do a wonderful job with Bob Dylan Live 1964, then again the best Sinatra At The Sands is on DVD-Audio.
    --> If you're getting a player get a universal so you can try DVD-Audio, plus some title came out in 24/96 or 24/192 on regular stereo DVD
     
  16. F1nut

    F1nut Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Mars Hotel
    Maybe for you, but I dare say not most.
     
    rbbert and Bill Mac like this.
  17. jkauff

    jkauff Senior Member

    Location:
    Akron, OH
    I'm a little confused about what the OP is trying to accomplish. He didn't give us any information about his vinyl playback system, so we don't know what he's comparing SACD playback to. Does he own hybrid SACD discs, or would he be purchasing SACD discs for the first time (could be an expensive new hobby)?

    A few years ago I bought a used Denon DVD player for about $40 on eBay, mostly because it decoded HDCD, but it includes SACD playback. I bought a couple of SACD-only discs to try it out, and was pleased enough at how they sounded on my modest system that I bought a few more. Total investment less than $200.

    If the OP has an outstanding vinyl system, he's going to need a high end SACD player to compare them (maybe he can borrow one). If he's just curious, like I was, I think an inexpensive player is the way to go.
     
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  18. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    There is no point! SACD and records both need considerable investment (hardware and software) to work well and you don't want to do so.

    If you are looking at budget solutions I would recommend CD's if you need/want to own something, downloads/streaming if not.
     
    dennis the menace and F1nut like this.
  19. Ham Sandwich

    Ham Sandwich Senior Member

    Location:
    Sherwood, OR, USA
    Buy an older Sony or other Blu-ray player that is able to rip SACD. Use the player to rip the SACD to an ISO file. Then use your current DAC to play the rip. The current DAC could be PCM only or could support DSD playback. You won't be tied to, or limited by, the quality of the DAC in the disc spinner player. You'll be using an external DAC that can be upgraded and improved on later. You can use software like Foobar or JRiver Media Center to play the ripped ISO files.

    Info on how to rip and the compatible Blu-ray players are here: SACD Ripping using an Oppo or Pioneer? Yes, it's true!
    And here: Rip SACD with a Blu-ray player

    The quality of the DAC does make a big difference in how DSD sounds. The built-in DAC in an inexpensive DVD or Blu-ray player that can play SACD is not good and not a fair way to judge to sound quality of SACD.

    So rip the SACD and play it with your best available DAC. Best if that best available DAC also supports DSD playback. But even then you need to keep in mind that a better DAC would demonstrate the sonics of SACD and DSD even better.

    But please, don't judge the sound quality of SACD using the DAC and analog outputs of a budget DVD or Blu-ray player. Use a good DAC for comparisons. The better the DAC the better that SACD and DSD sound in comparison to CD.
     
    GerryO and Sterling1 like this.
  20. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    To be more specific, what happens with the Sony players is they stop recognizing SACDs as SACDs and play only the conventional CD layer of hybrid discs. If you decide to consider a used Sony player, do yourself a favor and bring an SACD with you to test it. Put it in the player and see if it lights up the indicator for SACD. If not, the laser has gone bad, and it will probably cost more to replace than the machine is worth. If it does light up, the player is still reading properly, but figure you're on borrowed time.
     
  21. neverbe

    neverbe Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Poland
    My plan is to go with analog output and connect it to the same amplifier that Im using for my turntable (Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB with 2M Blue ). Except vinyl Im using Tidal (most of my favorite albums available in Masters quality), I have a DAC with MQA support. But, a lot of people say that SACD (DSD) provides the best possible quality so I want to try and spend more for a better player if I like it. Of course I will purchase something from MFSL SACD releases to be sure about source quality and for sure something what Ive already have on vinyl.
     
  22. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    I've been on-board with SACD since 2000 and still play my stereo SACDs occasionally from my 21 year old Sony DVP-S9000ES CD/DVD/SACD Player. Back in 2017 I purchased an OPPO-205 for 5.1 multi-channel SACD pleasure. The depth and breadth of 5.1 SACD better distinguishes SACD entertainment than from comparisons of CD to stereo SACD, which quite often end in a stalemate. So, with a mechanism for multi-channel being at hand for future multi-channel exploration; plus, your desire right now to output stereo analog from the SACD Player, consider the Sony UBP-X1100ES. It will deliver exactly what you want, stereo SACD via analog output to your amp and it will also deliver multi-channel via HDMI to AVR or Pre-Pro, which might be compelling to you at some point in your future. At any rate, this player only costs about $500 and it plays most any kind of disc you can throw at it. Some here who have this unit say it delivers a more pleasing sound from stereo SACDs via analog output than does the OPPO-205.
     
    Last edited: Mar 15, 2021
    Stone Turntable likes this.
  23. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Replacement of laser module for my Sony DVP-S9000ES was $40 back in 2016.
     
    Stone Turntable likes this.
  24. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    When my Sony went kaput a couple of years ago, I took it to a top-notch service outfit and was told "Needs a laser. I can get a genuine Sony laser from Sony (as opposed to a cheap Chinese knockoff), but the repair would wind up costing about $350 and that would be a serious judgment call on your part." In further discussion, the upshot was that the Chinese substitutes are generally unreliable, with a high failure rate right out of the box. Maybe the story would have been different at a less exalted shop or in a more moderately expensive general area; we have high cost of living around here.

    [edit] That was in April 2019, by the way.
     
    Stone Turntable likes this.
  25. Sterling1

    Sterling1 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisville, KY
    Sorry about your luck.
     
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