It is still too early to say anything definitive. I did say earlier that CDs sound better than I have ever heard. I stand by that. SACD playback is taking a long time to burn in, though. Imaging is a bit blurry and has upper mid/treble glare. It's getting better, but it's still not there yet.
I spent some time today, briefly attempting to see which redbook filter sounds closest to the sound I get from SACD (on hybrid discs.) I think Filter 2 sounds closer to the sound of SACD. I also noticed, when doing the above, that SACD output seems to be a bit louder than CD (on hybrid discs.) Anyone else notice this?
I've rarely compared the cd layer and sacd layer but I don't know if this difference would be consistent between all hybrid discs, for instance. Not sure if you have the same settings on the KI as I have on the SA-10 but these are my favorite settings as of 2020/2021 and I can't see myself changing. Filter 2 Dither OFF Noise Shaping 3rd 1 Phones OFF HP Amp Low (unless you use headphones with regard to the last 2) Digital Outputs OFF
Yeah, I checked a half dozen of them and found that each was a touch louder on the SACD layer. Thanks for mentioning this! I put some comments below. Filter 2 - agreed Dither (don't have this) Noise shaping (don't have this) Phones OFF - agreed (except when I am using them) HP Amp - I use this on High, because my Senneheiser HD580 need a lot of power - Is there any loss of quality by using High vs. Low? Digital Outputs - OFF (Just shut it off, didn't know about this one, so thanks!) I also leave display off all the time
The HP Amp setting suggestion was from another user that claimed it did make a difference. I questioned why if the Phones are set to OFF but the other user wrote that it did. I didn't feel like testing it so I set it to LOW and that was good enough for me. I could rationalize that a feature using less power might influence the noise so I left it that way.
Sure, but I was asking about if High gives any worse sound (than low) when actually using the headphone jack to listen to headphones.
It really depends on the disc as to which filter I use. Just when I think I prefer one over the other a disc comes along and proves me wrong.
Thanks for sharing about the redbook sounding rolled off for about a month. Was the change gradual over that month or did it occur suddenly?
Thanks so much for sharing this. I had been using filter 2 exclusively for weeks now, for each time I chose filter one I felt like I was losing something, I felt like filter 2 was more open. I agree that the filter 1 has more midrange subtlety. I just wish the bass on filter 1 was like filter 2. On filter one, the bass is smoothed out a bit and on 2 it seems a bit more dynamic. The more I listen to filter 1, the more I understand why it is the default. The music sounds fuller, smoother, more analog with filter 1. Still it is cool to have both options, it's like having two CD players in one. How are you doing with this? I feel like I am getting the hang of it. I purposely load the disc a bit off center and then gently slide it onto the tray until I hear the disc make a snap sound, indicating it has fallen into place. Out of hundreds of CDs I have loaded, only 2-3 got misloaded, and even then it didn't cause any internal issues.
Yep, it sounds like we are hearing the same characteristics in the different filters, and I really enjoy having the two choices! As for the tray, I think I have been doing what you describe more often (that is, starting off-center so I can feel it click into place). My initial instincts were to avoid that for fear of scratching the CDs, but I'm getting used to it.
Tonight I noticed something interesting. I was listening to Ticks and Leeches by Tool and the vocals didn't sound right. There's a lot of effects on the vocal, some of which I suspect project back into the mix, for on Filter 2 the image was way off, blurred. Then I switched to Filter 2 and the image snapped into place. I think I will try Filter 1 more over the weekend.
That's really interesting! I'm not sure I've noticed anything quite that dramatic, but I have definitely had the sense that filter 1 seems to offer more image depth and layering than filter 2. That is the main reason I usually stick with filter 1.
The new Marantz SA12SE is very similar to the Ruby, but with less copper (whereas the SACD-30 uses some different components). Has anyone been able to compare the SA12SE to the Ruby ? (The Ruby is now sold out in leafy England).
I have been enjoying the 100 year anniversary universal player Denon had issued as part of their celebration. I wouldn’t describe it as sterile or overly analytical. I think it is pretty true to the recording. I haven’t heard the CD/SACD player however from that series nor have I heard any of the 110 releases.
Speaking of smooth: my ( now vintage) Sony CDP-XA7ES has the most analog presentation I have ever heard by a CD player. I bought this player when it was newly issued at discount by an internet commercial seller -without ever having heard one. It is a wonderful unit built like a tank. Cross fingers it doesn’t break.
I know you have a few Pixies in your collection, how are they fairing with it? For energy, I usually go to old EBM (Front 242/Nitzer Ebb) for testing. New Order's -Blue Monday is a good test track as well.
