Looking for a cheapish sacd compatable player in the uk

The concepts are set up as rears and centre in 5.1, 2 channel is Harbeth SHL5+ With the Luxman 509x amp.
I’ve only done a small amount of testing so far. My streaming setup is a RPi3 with a hifiberry digi+ hat acting as a Roon endpoint, feeding a Schiit Yggdrasil Dac. I thought the player acting as a transport only feeding the Yggdrasil sounded marginally better than playing flac across the network. But was slightly disappointed with the players sound using its own Dac and feeding the amp directly, it was a little muddy sounding. I’m pretty used to the Yggdrasil sound now and as it’s a £2200 Dac, you’d expect it to sound better too. I’ve not tried SACD yet.
The player itself is pretty nice and very responsive.
I’m still suffering a bit of bass boom in this new room, which I’ve tamed using some DSP via Roon, but I currently don’t have a solution for direct source (looking at mini dsp boxes) until I do, I doubt I’ll do much more head to head testing. Looking at picking up some 5.1 mixes though!

 

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I came upon an opportunity of sorts however not with the electric service on your Island nation:

Music Direct has an factory refurbish SA14s1 or was SA14S2 - original price $2400 - available for $2000
There is also an HDCD player description: OPERA CONSONANCE CDP5.0D [Droplet] CD PLAYER ABSOLUTELY MINT IN ORIGINAL BOX REMOTE MANUAL eBay stated as slightly used - $1500.00 plus $100.00 shipping anywhere in the U.S.

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In the U.K.: HiFix Phone number: 02476 631 707 has an:
Marantz SA8005 CD Player Silver (Display Model) Our Price £900.00 [ IF this was available in the U.S. I would not be able to get it because a few hundred people would be ahead of me]
SA-CD / CD playback, USB-A and DAC-Mode (USB-B, opt & coax in) for HD-Audio

• USB-B port works in asynchronous mode and capable of handling PCM up to 192kHz/24bits and DSD2.8 & 5.6Mhz direct streaming

• Analog audio circuits featuring Marantz HDAM®-SA2 for high quality audio

• High Current Audiophile DAC CS4398 and low jitter dual system clock

• Toroidal Transformer and high quality customized components

• Double layered bottom plate for extra stability

• Headphone Amplifier with HDAM®-SA2

• Total harmonic distortion 0.0018%
  
  Signal to noise ratio 110dB
  Dimensions (HxWxD) in mm 106x440x341
  Frequency Response 2Hz - 60kHz
  Dynamic Range 101dB
  Channel Separation CD 100dB
  Remote Control RC002PMSA
  Power Consumption 29 Watts
  Weight 8Kg
  From your date of purchase your product is warranted against faulty materials or workmanship a period from 24 months

 

They were selling the black one for £599 -Marantz SA8005 CD Player

 

Instead of the refurbished SA14S? - I went for the SA-KI Ruby. Now If only I can find the funds for the PM KI..........................

 

still looking for one, tempted by the denon dvd players but I'm totally blind and worried I'd have to mess about with menues every time I play a disc. Is this the case? I can't see therefore can't deal with menues...

 

I have the Denon DVD-2930 (purchased for $30 - seriously). SACD is plug-and-play. You can select the layer you want with a single button on the front (no need for it to be connected to a TV) - options being SACD Stereo, SACD multichannel, CD layer.

I am yet to be persuaded by the benefits of SACD in stereo. In multichannel, it is truly something else.

 

That settles it for me. I’m strictly two channel: 2.2 is as far as I’d venture. I’ll forget about a dedicated SACD player.

 

I haven't tried a dedicated SACD player, mostly because they seem to go for silly money in the used market.

I have tried DSD files into my Chord 2Qute. They do sound very good, but it's hard to separate this from the mastering. How similar would they sound in PCM? Hard to say.

However, you really haven't lived until you've heard Dark Side Of The Moon in multichannel on a good system!

 

Having watched Alan Parsons and Nick Mason on YouTube yesterday discussing in great detail the gestation of DSOTM, I’ll stick with 2 channel. I don’t go to the Louvre wearing 3D glasses to see the Mona Lisa YMMV

 

SACD is superior but as usual dependent on the mastering. I have one or two that are brick walled similar to CD. It depends how many SACD discs you have if it is worth it. As said preciously old Denon DVD/ SACD players can be purchased cheaply.

 

Please take a look at the Pioneer PD-70AE:

Pioneer PD-70AE CD Player | Audio Emotion

Very good sounding high quality SACD/CD player.

 

But is the Mona Lisa intended to be viewed in 3D? In other words people don't put on 3D glasses to watch a non 3D movie. Poor analogy in my opinion. If music is mixed in multi-channel and one has a well setup surround system it's an excellent experience. Not sure if you've ever experienced a well setup surround system. But I see many pan the idea of multi-channel music who have never even experienced it. Almost like a fear of the unknown .

 

Are any of these players reasonably portable/small? it also needs to have buttons no touch screan stuff.

 

Bad analogy? Perhaps, but you got my drift.

I’ve got a two good 5.1 AV systems.

However, I prefer listening to music in stereo. And two-channel SACDs rock! They do sound better than the CD layer, probably a function of the mastering.

 

Get your drift ? No not really. That's cool if you prefer two channel music. But the 3D analogy still doesn't fit IMO.

If you have two "good" 5.1 systems then you should know how great well mixed multichannel SACDs sound.

Not sure if you knew this but most hybrid stereo SACDs have the same mastering on the CD and SACD layers.

 

Bill, no worries if you don’t get my drift. Let’s move on.

I don’t listen to music on my 5.1 systems for the the same reason that I take my RS6 on long trips and not my Golf: horses for courses. My stereo systems have been tweaked and optimised, the 5.1 systems provide the audio component when I’m watching a movie, no more. It’s simply a matter of personal preference and priorities.

As far as the “same mastering” is concerned, I have no idea whether that’s the case. My ears tell me I prefer the SACD layers to the CD layers on my SACDs on my two channel system.

As I wrote previously, YMMV, your hearing acuity, your system’s resolution.

You’d be welcome to pop around for a double-blind listening test to hear the difference here for yourself. Im sure an interesting discussion would follow on whether any difference discerned was caused by expectation bias or mastering ;-) Bring some SACDs!

Audio is a broad church.

 

Can the Marantz be plugged in via rca/phono cables?