Thinking about getting into sacd soon ,where do I start

polkfarmboy
polkfarmboy Posts: 5,703
edited February 2011 in 2 Channel Audio
IAll I know is that sacd sounds awesome according to alot of members on here ,so I thought after I buy a new HT system I will gear up towards sacd

What kind of connections is best?

I always thought sacd was a multichannel affair but after looking on a web site I saw that there was 2 ch sacd? How good is 2 ch sacd compared to multi ch

How would a 2 ch sacd sound compared to a regular cd, is there a very noticeable diff like when comparing the audio of a dvd to a blue ray?

Do you need multi channel inputs on a pre for the best sound?

What would be a good player to start with thats under $400
Post edited by polkfarmboy on
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,447
    edited January 2011
    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111699

    can't beat this, it's a good place to start before going off the deep end.:biggrin:
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,566
    edited January 2011
    SACD was and still is mainly 2 channel. Every SACD disc made is either 2 channel only or has a 2 channel layer. Multi-channel was an after thought.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited January 2011
    Another vote for the 2910.
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,447
    edited January 2011
    I have to agree on the 2910 also. Although i did not search it was right there when i read the post.

    There're many to chose from i myself have both a 2900 and a 3910 and love them.
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  • LessisNevermore
    LessisNevermore Posts: 1,519
    edited January 2011
    Thinking about getting into sacd soon ,where do I start

    Start by taking a photo of your money, it's the last you'll be seeing of it for a while....:biggrin:
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  • raffi
    raffi Posts: 114
    edited January 2011
    LessisNevermore wrote: »
    Start by taking a photo of your money, it's the last you'll be seeing of it for a while....:biggrin:

    This...if you're even remotely selective about your taste in music, media can cost significant $. Some discs can be had for $15-20, others more, and the popular OOP ones much, much more.
    2 channel rig: MMF 2.2 turntable, Adcom GFP-715, Adcom GFA-555, Adcom ACE-515, Carver M-1.0t, Denon 5900 CD/SACD, SDA-SRS 2.3s (Zardoss modded), AQ Diamondback & King Cobra IC's and AQ Type 4 speaker cables

    HT rig: Panny 50" G20 plasma, Directv DVR, Insignia BRD/DVD/SACD/DVD-A, Denon AVR-890, Fronts: Polk Monitor 70's, Rears: Deftech Mythos Gems, Center: Polk CS1, Sub: Polk PSW-505
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  • Polkitup2
    Polkitup2 Posts: 1,622
    edited January 2011
    Another step up, the Denon 3910 is a great SACD player in your price range.

    http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?homevdeo&1297798157&/Denon-3910-Universal-Player

    http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlplay&1299124767&/Denon-3910-dvd-audio-video/sup
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  • comfortablycurt
    comfortablycurt Posts: 6,745
    edited January 2011
    I love my Denon 2910. It's a fantastic universal player, with excellent SACD playback capability. It has a Pure Direct mode which lets you bypass all unnecessary circuitry for the cleanest possible sound. Aside from it's SACD playback ability, it's also a fantastic sounding Redbook player, as well as an excellent DVD player.

    2 channel SACD is where it's at. As F1 stated, SACD is first and foremost a 2 channel format...with multichannel as an afterthought. I'm of the opinion that music isn't meant to be listened to in multichannel. I've listened to some of the different multichannel SACD mixes...and they have never sounded as good as the 2 channel IMO.
    The nirvana inducer-
    APC H10 Power Conditioner
    Marantz UD5005 universal player
    Parasound Halo P5 preamp
    Parasound HCA-1200II power amp
    PolkAudio LSi9's/PolkAudio SDA 2A's/PolkAudio Monitor 7A's
    Audioquest Speaker Cables and IC's
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  • kevhed72
    kevhed72 Posts: 5,055
    edited January 2011
    How would you all describe the sound of the 2910 vs. say the Cambridge 640V2?
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  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    edited January 2011
    What about oppo?
    Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited January 2011
    Look for a cheap Sony SACD player to start.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • cstmar01
    cstmar01 Posts: 4,424
    edited January 2011
    for a 100 bucks or so you can pick up some older pioneer players. Non HDMI but great for SACD and the like and also good DVD players.
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  • sm88
    sm88 Posts: 353
    edited January 2011
    dorokusai wrote: »
    Look for a cheap Sony SACD player to start.

    I actually have one for you on the cheap if you're interested, polkfarmboy.

    It's a 5 disc Sony ES SACD changer, model SCD-C2000ES, silver and I should have the remote for it. I'm in the New England area
    Current System:
    Paradigm Signature S2 v2
    Conrad Johnson MF2500
    Wyred4Sound DAC2
    Audioquest Black Mamba II

    For Sale:
    3x Wilson Cub's
    Conrad Johnson MF2500
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  • Bababouey
    Bababouey Posts: 129
    edited January 2011
    Oppo 83SE is a great player.
    I have been totally pleased with it.
    As for the sacd discs..prices are all over the place.
    I have been lucky to have found some in used CD stores.
    You can usually pick up Dark Side Of The Moon.
    I also found Miles Davis Kind Of Blue in a used bin.
    Amazon sells lots of them.. I am sure you can find a few reasonably priced.
    check this site out.
    www.sa-cd.net
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  • virtualdean
    virtualdean Posts: 286
    edited February 2011
    polkfarmboy wrote: »
    IAll

    How would a 2 ch sacd sound compared to a regular cd, is there a very noticeable diff like when comparing the audio of a dvd to a blue ray?

    I just moved off my easy chair after having a sound test.
    Many people wonder but Im sure many people dont have both versions of the same songs to actually do a side by side comparison.
    I've had the Rolling Stones Best of the Rolling Stones cd for, well, forever.
    I just bought a few months back the DSD (sacd) remastered version of Hot Rocks, 1964-1971. Abko stated they wanted to wait until technology improved before issuing any more remastered cds..
    Both sets have Brown Sugar and Wild Horses on them.
    You will be able to tell the difference immediately.
    Especially onthe Wild Horses track. I found myself falling into the sound stage and listening to individual instruments and sound effects. Clarity, definition, sustain. Loved it.
    No, it wasnt a difference in listening levels.
    Switch back to the normal CD..muted and merged in comparison.
    I never complained about my regular Rolling Stones cd before. I'm not now..I know what I will play though.:biggrin:
    I cant say I have seen the light because I already have.
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  • virtualdean
    virtualdean Posts: 286
    edited February 2011
    ....
    Sorry..Again!
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  • polkfarmboy
    polkfarmboy Posts: 5,703
    edited February 2011
    sm88 wrote: »
    I actually have one for you on the cheap if you're interested, polkfarmboy.

    It's a 5 disc Sony ES SACD changer, model SCD-C2000ES, silver and I should have the remote for it. I'm in the New England area

    I just saw that offer and thanks but silver would not blend into my equipment

    I am still looking and reading and kinda kicking myself for not jumping on them offers on the denons as I was thinking start out with a costly model but I am hunting new speakers at the mo and should just go with somthing cheap to get me started
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  • quadzilla
    quadzilla Posts: 1,543
    edited February 2011
    Seconded on the Pioneers. I picked up an Elite DV45 for 50 bucks off craigslist. The Burr-Brown dacs are hard to beat.
    Turntable: Empire 208
    Arm: Rega 300
    Cart: Shelter 501 III
    Phono Pre: Aural Thrills
    Digital: Pioneer DV-79ai
    Pre: Conrad Johnson ET3 SE
    Amp: Conrad Johnson Evolution 2000
    Cables: Cardas Neutral Reference
    Speakers: SDA 2.3TL, heavily modified
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  • On3s&Z3r0s
    On3s&Z3r0s Posts: 1,013
    edited February 2011
    Apologies in advance because I'm about to play Devil's Advocate...

    I'll +1 the Oppo, actually any Oppo BDP since they all read SACD and DVD-Audio. The advantage there, especially in an HT is that you have one box that does everything. The other interesting thing that Oppo lets you do (not sure how many older SACD players do this) is decide what layer you want to play. Most SACDs issued recently have an SACD layer (or maybe multiple if they're multi-channel) and a Redbook layer. Then you can go back and forth for yourself and see if you can hear a difference.

    One thing that really sucks about SACD (IMHO) is the limited number of offerings in that format. This is one reason why you'll spend a lot on SACD's, cause they're rare and picking up out-of-print issues even used is expensive. (You can pick up a Brubeck Quartet Time Out SACD right now for a little over $100 new or $50 used for 40 minutes of music. :frown:) Plus, they can't be ripped. I have maybe a dozen or so SACDs and maybe 20 purchases of downloaded high resolution (96khz/24bit) music from places like HDTracks.com. I've pretty much stopped buying SACDs because I just don't listen to them that often. The hi-res tracks are not as cheap as Amazon or iTunes, but you don't have the rare/collectible premium either. Plus, in a digital media player they're just so much more convenient that this is where I spend my program material money now.

    So anyway, it sounds like your decision to go with SACD is pretty much made, but my vote is for going with a cheaper or used player to start. If you love it and build up a huge collection you can always upgrade that easily later.
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  • quadzilla
    quadzilla Posts: 1,543
    edited February 2011
    The Pio Elites all let you do the same thing, and they're cheap.
    Turntable: Empire 208
    Arm: Rega 300
    Cart: Shelter 501 III
    Phono Pre: Aural Thrills
    Digital: Pioneer DV-79ai
    Pre: Conrad Johnson ET3 SE
    Amp: Conrad Johnson Evolution 2000
    Cables: Cardas Neutral Reference
    Speakers: SDA 2.3TL, heavily modified
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  • josliver
    josliver Posts: 2
    edited February 2011
    The best price/ performance SACD player, I ever heard, is the Sony SCD-XA5400ES.
    For less than $1500 USD it is a freakin steal, nothing compares to the sound quality and the features including HDMI output.
    Around 200-300 hours are needed before it achieves stable performance but after that is excelent.
    Later we can have it upgraded by a modder and that will bring it to "another league".

    My 2 cents ....JO
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  • TNHNDYMAN
    TNHNDYMAN Posts: 2,145
    edited February 2011
    I'm in a similar situation and so reading thru these opinions is appreciated. Anyone have any expierence or opinion on a Denon 5900 around $100?
    2-ch System: Parasound P/LD 2000 pre, Parasound HCA-1000 amp, Parasound T/DQ Tuner, Phase Technology PC-100 Tower speakers, Technics SL-1600 Turntable, Denon 2910 SACD/CD player, Peachtree DAC iT and X1asynchorus USB converter, HSU VTF-3 subwoofer.

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  • raffi
    raffi Posts: 114
    edited February 2011
    TNHNDYMAN wrote: »
    I'm in a similar situation and so reading thru these opinions is appreciated. Anyone have any expierence or opinion on a Denon 5900 around $100?

    I've got the unit in question, and for $100 it would be hard to beat IMO.
    2 channel rig: MMF 2.2 turntable, Adcom GFP-715, Adcom GFA-555, Adcom ACE-515, Carver M-1.0t, Denon 5900 CD/SACD, SDA-SRS 2.3s (Zardoss modded), AQ Diamondback & King Cobra IC's and AQ Type 4 speaker cables

    HT rig: Panny 50" G20 plasma, Directv DVR, Insignia BRD/DVD/SACD/DVD-A, Denon AVR-890, Fronts: Polk Monitor 70's, Rears: Deftech Mythos Gems, Center: Polk CS1, Sub: Polk PSW-505
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,447
    edited February 2011
    TNHNDYMAN wrote: »
    I'm in a similar situation and so reading thru these opinions is appreciated. Anyone have any expierence or opinion on a Denon 5900 around $100?

    For that price run don't walk they still bring 600.00 used on ebay and other places. You could also look at the 3910 it is basically the same player there is some difference but the 3910 still brings 200-300 used.
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