Should I get a cheap SACD player or a Nice CD player?

mikejz84

Okay so I am about to blow most of my budget on a H/K AVR 525. That leaves about $150-$200 for other stuff. I have been thinking of getting my feet wet with SACD, on the other hand I am thinking that a nice higher end cd player would also be a good investment. I have no problem buying used on ebay. I am wondering what your suggestions are, any recommendations of a good cheap SACD player, etc.

STUFFMD

I don't know Mike, not that many SACD titles out there yet, and I don't see any big increase soon...the titles are all over the place in types of music, not a lot of any, although I don't know that your going to get a very good CD player in that range unless you get a good deal on used.....which is a good way to go.
My 2 Stuff

gatemplin

I believe that Pioneer makes a universal player for about 200 dollars.

steveinaz

Personally, I don't see a future for SACD or DVD-A. Think of your average consumer, most of us now have in excess of 400 CD's. I think the average "skeptical" consumer is gonna say "hell no, I'm not gonna start re-buying my audio collection again."

People are tired of format changes, and SACD/DVD-A is worse in that you still have 2 formats battling it out. Both require surround systems to really exploit thier potential, which again means spending MORE money.

Let's face it, music is main-stream now. Those of us "audio-nuts" are the lunatic fringe anymore. With the money it would cost to buy a surround speaker setup, I could have some SERIOUS 2-channel speakers.

To make a short story long---I would buy a high-quality CD Player.

$500 and under: Cambridge Audio; NAD
$501-$800: Adcom, Arcam
$801-$1000: Rega Planet 2000
$1001 and up: Whatever you want, you got some deep pockets in this category. (can you tell I'm cheap yet?)

DynamiteD

Get a good CD player. I have the pioneer DV-563A universal player. It's not the best player for playing both SACD and DVD-Audio but it does sound good to my ears. From my experience these new formats excel only on material that is 5.1 surround. Darkside of the Moon sounds amazing on SACD. The problem is a lack of material on DVD-Audio and SACD. Most SACD's I have are two channel only. They sound slightly better than CD but I don't have a great CD player to play them on. If you get a great CD player and A/B with 2-ch SACD or DVD-Audio I would doubt you'll find a great difference if any at all. Personally I would get a good univeral player such as the Yamaha S2300 or the Denon 2900 so you can have all your bases covered. There is something to be said about having a few SACD's and DVD-Audio's that give a huge WOW factor.

dcarlson

Have you ever thought about going vinyl? For a couple of hundred bucks you can bag a decent Turntable off ebay and your off and running. You'll have to get some records though.

Otherwise, I'd get a decent CD player or DAC.

steveinaz

My next CD Player will be the Rega Planet 2000. Rave reviews, a Stereophile recommended component, and a relatively good price considering what your getting ($895). It's another outstanding bang-for-your-buck component, and since I can't convince Bill Gates yet that I am his **** son from his wild college days, it fits my budget.

shack

Go for SACD. There are some ok players for under $200 (just to get your feet wet). There are some nice 2-channel discs and the multichannel mixes are becoming more common. I don't think SACD is going away. There are currently 1400 + titles available with more announced. Many new titles are coming out as hybrid so they can be played on any CDP. There are several new high-end SACD players that have recently or soon will hit the streets. Just like vinyl, as long as there is a demand for high-resoultion music they will produce the discs. Sony obvioulsy has a big stake in the SACD market and will probably keep it alive for quite a while. SACD has been much more accepted than some of thier other failed ventures such as Beta and Mini-discs.

As for vinyl...The only reason I own a turntable is to listen to the music that I can't replace (or choose not to replace) on CD. Many here disagree and some are "rediscovering" or discovering for the first time the joys of vinyl. To each his own...but once down that path was enough for me.

Here are some SACD sites to check for current and future titles:

http://www.sacdinfo.com/

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/bmoura/msacdnow.htm

If you decide on SACD look for a used Sony SCD-CE775 or SCD-C222ES. I have them both and they are SACD/CD only changers that are great SACD players and are not too bad on redbook. The 222 is an ES model and very nice. I bought my 222 new for $325. Another option may be some of the universal models for less than $200. The offerings from Panasonic, Pioneer and Philips (and Sony DVD-SACD) players have been disussed here and places like Home Therater Forum, Audio Asylum, etc...

Good luck on whatever you decide...

brettw22

I just got a flyer in the mail from a shop that I made a purchase from last year that has the NAD T532 DVD player on sale for $299 (from $499). Just listing what it has as features:

DVD, CD CDR MP3 Compatible
Composite, S-Video, Component output
(4) 10-bit Video Digital to Analog Convertors
Coax and Toslink Digital Outputs
Progressive Scan with 3:2 Pulldown for Movies
12v DC Trigger in for automated on/off
Enhanced analog stereo outputs for CD listening and more...

The name of the company is Audio Designs of Albuquerque and their number is 505-298-9185 if you're interested.

They also have the T752 and T762 receivers, for $699 and $999 respectively.

shack

I'm hoping NAD makes a SACD/CD only player in the near future...If they do, I'll be forced to buy one !

F1nut

I'll have to take exception to the statement that SACD's don't sound much better than CD's and DSOTM sounds effn awesome in 2 channel on my rig. It must be your gear, because on mine, all SACD's blow away anything on CD.

I agree with Shack, the 222ES would be a good choice to get your feet wet. All the record companies are going hybrid sacd/cd meaning the SACD is here to stay and you don't need a multi-channel set up to enjoy the full benifits of SACD. All the discs are 2 channel first, multi-channel second.

mikejz84

Just as a reference: My mains are Polk RTA 11ts
Surround: JBL N26s
Center: AR PSC25 (I do need to get a matching one, I know)
Sub: Cambridge Soundworks PSW-1 master and slave.

deano41

i purchased a dvd/a player, a jvc 900 7 disc changer with playing svcds in mind ( so i dont have to get up between discs to watch a movie) ive seen refurbs on ecost.com for $99, and i got 2 dvd/a discs to go with the player included in the box,well since then ive totally upgraded my h/t system to enjoy dvd/a, at circut city the dvd/a titles are a bit thin but they were retailing for 14.99, a buck more than cds!

Notorious

Originally posted by dcarlson
ave you ever thought about going vinyl? For a couple of hundred bucks you can bag a decent Turntable off ebay and your off and running. You'll have to get some records though.

That wouldn't work with his 525 though, none of those receivers have phono inputs

dcarlson

Good catch. I've seen some cheap Nad phono stages go for around $50. A buddy of mine has one hooked up to a Yamaha receiver and it does a decent job.