New Marantz SA-KI Ruby SACD/CD player

Hey George, hope you have come to port with this one and it is equally good sounding on RBCD DAC and SACD DAC. If the basis is good and the various gadget functions to not mar the core quality of the playback, then you are likely there.
I am with you that the Denon can be a little bit too dry sounding and sometime bordline aggressive on the highs. I have found that a 10 gauge power cable was doing wonder to reduce that aspect. But for RBCD I am still going back to my old Monarchy Audio DAC with Burr Brown PCM-63 K R2R. These higher priced Marantz (outside of too may undeeed for me functions) are quite alluring if I had teh budget for them and you are not helping
All teh best on this one.

 

Thanks, man!

 

Since I never mess with mine I had to go check. Yeah, it's kind of stiff but not really difficult to turn.

 

could you speak to how the ruby articulates high frequencies?

 

There is no DAC in the Marantz Music Mastering system. This is what is interesting about it. It's more like the dCS RingDAC system or PS Audio.

The system upsamples the incoming data stream to DSD, via one of two clock systems. It then directly interpolates this DSD stream via a sophisticated analogue filter for the audio output. It's very simple and very clever at the same time. Review reflect this and some consider the sound to be particularly fine.

 

About how many hours did it take for your Ruby to break in?

To all other Ruby owners: how long did yours take to break in?

 

Just thought I'd chime in as a very satisfied Ruby owner (CD/SACD player only) since last summer. The difference from my previous CD player (a Rega Planet) was pretty pronounced: The Ruby was just more vivid, lifelike, and holographic than the Planet. In fact, I rarely used the Planet, because my turntable usually sounded noticeably better. Now, that is no longer a safe assumption--the Ruby sounds a little different from my turntable (unlike the Planet, which was softer/darker than my turntable set-up, the Ruby is slightly brighter), but they are roughly equal in quality, and which I prefer seems more dependent on specific masterings.

I ended up buying a lot of new SACDs last summer (and already had quite a few hybrids), and have had a blast hearing just how good this format can sound. In some cases, the sense of holographic space has been a revelation. I've also really come to appreciate more fully many of those 1980s early CD masterings, like those for Genesis's A Trick of the Tail, Duke, and Abacab, as well as the original US mastering of Tears for Fears' The Seeds of Love. Admittedly, I haven't really played any modern brickwalled CDs on the Ruby--my guess is that its vivid sound will not be a good match for modern (non-audiophile) mastering, but perhaps I'll be surprised.

I do enjoy the option of the two different filters for playing redbook CDs and digital files. Unlike most who have posted so far, I usually prefer filter 1, at least for actual CDs (as opposed to digital files). Filter 2 sounds more impressive to me at the moment of switching due to its more prominent top end, but I find that filter 1 ends up providing more lifelike depth and midrange subtlety more often than not.

As George notes, I do find the CD loading tray to be frustratingly tricky--it can feel like the CD is in place even when it's actually slightly off, so it seems as if a good third of the times I load a CD (pretty much any time I'm not being extra conscious of it), it ends up failing to read due to not being placed correctly. But I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually.

One area of slight disappointment I have is in its handling of digital files through its USB port. I've only used this with files stored on flash drives, but they don't sound nearly as good as actual CDs/SACDs. This surprised me, as I'd read that the USB DAC was particularly impressive on the machine. On the other hand, the reviewers praising that function were using very expensive digital servers into the Ruby (like just as or even more expensive than the Ruby itself)--I'm guessing that flash drives must be a bad way of playing digital files (and therefore that my understanding that a DAC doesn't discriminate among different sources was incorrect).

Do people think I'd get better results connecting my Macbook to the Ruby's USB port, or would that likely sound the same as the same files transferred to a flash drive? I notice the procedure for using the computer requires some more complex set-up, or else I would have tried this already. The navigation of files from the USB port is also kind of clunky, but one gets used to it. I'm just wondering if the only way to get equivalent (to CD/SACD) sound from digital files is to purchase an additional and expensive component.

 

I’ve experienced this as well, flash drives by themselves are not great transports

 

Here in Germany we have three very similar models for practically the same price: 30n SACD, SA-12SE and SA-KI ruby. What a strange strategy.
I would be very interested in the differences in the sound-relevant technology inside and the sound quality.

(I know, the SA-KI ruby has a list price of 4000,- Euro here. But since it was sold for months in 2020 for the promotional price of 3000,- Euro, you probably won't find anyone who pays 4000,- today).

 

They are most definitely not plastic on the Ruby

 

Mine took a good month or so of occasion playing (I dont't run transports continually, but other solid state, I would do so) for Redbook to sound good. Prior to that, it sounded rolled off on the highs irrespective of which filter was chosen. When it finally opened up, AMAZING! Side note; Filter 2 is my choice.

 

Thanks for sharing that! Can I ask why you don't run transports continually, at least for new CD/SACD players?

 

Just puts unnecessary hours on the pickup assembly that I won't be listening to it. I would advise us all to buy a spare pickup while they are available, that way you already have the part once the original eventually wears out. I did that with my 8004.

 

Thanks, do you know where I would go for that?

 

Are we talking about the same parts? What I'm talking about are what Marantz calls an escutcheon, which are the slightly curved panels on the front.

 

991312100050S Marantz E2a022a Travers Unit Sa11s3

 

Actually, not the PS Audio, as it happens, as that conversion process is at least partly based on a DAC (ESS Sabre).

There is no DAC in the MMM process. Because it is Marantz, this sort of feature is liable to be overlooked, not least because people don't expect this type of advanced digital from a brand that also offers more modest items. I think this batch of MMM may see the start of DAC-less DACs for the mainstream from other brands.

 

Or rather - PS offer both!

 

I just read in a review that the Ruby inserts a pause between tracks when playing them back in program mode. My SA8005 does not do this. This might be a deal breaker for me. I listen to a lot of classical music and program parts of CDs that have multiple works, so need tracks to smoothly segue into each other when they are supposed to without a pause inserted.

 

Yes, it does insert a pause. I can see why that would be dealbreaker for you.

Me, I haven't programmed a CD player (or wanted to) in a very, very long time.

 

Yes, they are clearly metal I would guess solid aluminum

 

Now that I think of it, I could probably do without the program play myself. I only use it occasionally. Thanks for verifying!

 

They look like plastic on the inside with some sort of metallic coating or skin outside.

 

F1nut posted the link for them

 

How are you liking your new Marantz, George? I seem to remember you being more enthusiastic about the Denon 1600 when you got that, than you have been with the Ruby.