School me on CDs/SACDs and players

ipsullivan

So the Sony CD player I have now is junk and I am looking to upgrade to something that can play SACDs. I don't know anything about them so any advice on what direction to go would be great.

I am finding that I am loosing clarity or gaining static/crap noise from certain audio tracks and I am pretty sure it is the mp3/mp4 files. Because I am hearing the same junk at the same time when I play it in my car.

Are SACDs the best format of CDs? Will there be a noticeable difference with a better CD player? Is there a way to burn SACDs?

Thanks in advance,
Ian

F1nut

Are SACDs the best format of CDs?

Generally speaking, yes.

Will there be a noticeable difference with a better CD player?

Always.

Is there a way to burn SACDs?

Not really.

deronb1

There.are some very nice sonys that also play sacd. If your system is mid fi, you might want to consider a sony sacd and see if you like the format. Sony has been doing it a long time

Mikey081057

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Audio_CD

tonyb

Before you stick a knife into the cdp, you say your digital files sound like crap in the car. This obviously means you are downloading the cd's into your computer, yes ? Maybe look at that first, the program and settings your using to do that conversion.

ipsullivan

tonyb wrote: »

Before you stick a knife into the cdp, you say your digital files sound like crap in the car. This obviously means you are downloading the cd's into your computer, yes ? Maybe look at that first, the program and settings your using to do that conversion.

Right now any CDs I burn are done through iTunes, some songs were imported from CDs, some from iTunes and various sources.

tonyb

Do you have the error correction on ? Are you downloading into apple lossless or a MP3 format ?

BlueFox

ipsullivan wrote: »

Right now any CDs I burn are done through iTunes, some songs were imported from CDs, some from iTunes and various sources.

itunes only sells lossy MP3 files. You cannot buy lossless files from iTunes. Buy a real CD from Amazon, or other places.

tonyb

I'm still at a loss here as to why the cdp is at fault when the complaint stems from digital files.

If your dead set on a new cdp, on a budget look for an older Pioneer AVI 59 or 79. They are universal players but are darn good as cdp's and SACD players too. Can be had under 150 bucks also if you look hard .

ipsullivan

tonyb wrote: »

I'm still at a loss here as to why the cdp is at fault when the complaint stems from digital files.

If your dead set on a new cdp, on a budget look for an older Pioneer AVI 59 or 79. They are universal players but are darn good as cdp's and SACD players too. Can be had under 150 bucks also if you look hard .

Maybe it is not the player, it was a dvd/cd player that came with a 5.1 system back in 2007 or 2008. I guess I just figured it was lacking due to cheap price point.

I think it would be worth while getting a player that can do SACDs also.

tonyb

It may be lacking....not questioning that. Hence my suggestion for a player, but also look at how your converting files, what kind of files/programs used, etc. Could be your player in the car is screwed up too or of not great quality.

PolkieMan

The two top Sony Blu-ray players 5100 and the 790 will play SACD and a lot of other things.

Msabot1

Hey guys...have a cd player that is HDCD compatible.....is this the same format as SACD? HK makes it..seems to be good equipment.....thanks!!

PolkieMan

No.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Definition_Compatible_Digital

Msabot1 wrote: »

Hey guys...have a cd player that is HDCD compatible.....is this the same format as SACD? HK makes it..seems to be good equipment.....thanks!!

ratster

ipsullivan wrote: »

So the Sony CD player I have now is junk and I am looking to upgrade to something that can play SACDs. I don't know anything about them so any advice on what direction to go would be great.

I am finding that I am loosing clarity or gaining static/crap noise from certain audio tracks and I am pretty sure it is the mp3/mp4 files. Because I am hearing the same junk at the same time when I play it in my car.

Are SACDs the best format of CDs? Will there be a noticeable difference with a better CD player? Is there a way to burn SACDs?

Thanks in advance,
Ian

There is a pretty good thread about cd/sacd in the learning center on Audiogon that might be worth your time to check out.

sponger

Lately I've been listening to an SACD in 5.1 on my S790. I am aware of the fact that an Oppo or the like would provide a more enriching experience, but for now I have no qualms about this player playing the one SACD that I own.

obieone

A better CDP is a catch-22. A better cdp will make a well recorded cd sound better, while making a badly recorded cd sound worse.
And don't be fooled by the term "Re-mastered". I've plenty of those cd's sitting on the shelf, that weren't even worthy of ripping as a .wav file:rolleyes:

ipsullivan

ratster wrote: »

There is a pretty good thread about cd/sacd in the learning center on Audiogon that might be worth your time to check out.

Can't seem to find it, any chance you could post the link?

Thanks.

PolkieMan

There is nothing wrong with a 790 in fact Sony over Hdmi is pretty good IMHO. IF you want to play only SACD
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1427207/best-and-cheapest-sacd-player

sponger wrote: »

Lately I've been listening to an SACD in 5.1 on my S790. I am aware of the fact that an Oppo or the like would provide a more enriching experience, but for now I have no qualms about this player playing the one SACD that I own.

Tornado Red

PolkieMan wrote: »

There is nothing wrong with a 790 in fact Sony over Hdmi is pretty good IMHO. IF you want to play only SACD
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1427207/best-and-cheapest-sacd-player

Agreed. I have an Oppo 103 and love it, but the Sony 790 is a great machine for SACD/BD play at half the price of the Oppo.

sponger

Like the song goes..."My fellow Polkies all have Oppos. I must make amends."

I do appreciate the positive feedback on the S790. It's the blu ray player that could. I do wish it had glowing buttons, but other than that I have no complaints. Nice to know that I'm not missing out.

ipsullivan

I have the opportunity to buy a Sony DVP S9000ES for $150. I did some research and its seems to be a great player. Any thoughts on it? Anyone have or used one before?

billbillw

ipsullivan wrote: »

I have the opportunity to buy a Sony DVP S9000ES for $150. I did some research and its seems to be a great player. Any thoughts on it? Anyone have or used one before?

The S9000ES has a good reputation for sound and build quality, but the optical pickups go bad and are expensive to replace, and (worst of all), they are known to have difficulty playing CD-R/RW. I'd stay away from it if you like to burn music.

Some of the older CD/SACD only (not DVD) Sonys are very good sounding and have no issues playing CD-R/RW. I have a SCD-C333ES that I've had for about 7 years and it has never had an issue with a CD-R. Very nice sound as well. If you want to stick to single disc players, you may also consider some of the Pioneer Elite DVD/CD/SACD and/or the Denon equivalents. I've had the Denon 2900 and the 3930CI in my systems at one point. Both were nice units. In fact, the 3930 is right up there with some of the best players. It runs hot though and I was having over-heating problems due to lack of cabinet clearance. Eventually I settled on my Pioneer PD-D9. I LOVE it.

However, reading the entire thread, I do believe your problem lies with source material, and not your player. Itunes is not a good source for audiophile reference material. If you stick with downloading, take the effort to find FLAC files of well mastered material (ie Steve Hoffman/DCC, MFSL, etc.) You have to be resourceful though since many of the best recordings are out of print. You can often find original (ie: CDs) of them on Ebay, but be prepared to pay dearly for those.