DAC or Upgraded Analogue in SACD units?

Bill: There is no truth, just what your ears tell you. Well, so much for philosophy. My recollection is that you are considering the SCD-1, which from my auditioning along with the sonically very similar 777ES I own I would consider as sonically in the same ballpark with the Wadia 850/860, more or less. That ain't bad by itself, my first thought is keep the Sony unit for a while, let it break in (it takes a LOOONNG time, as the other posts on the subject have noted) and see how you like it as is. If after that you still have the upgrade itch, there are a number of upgrades available for the lower priced Sony models that may help and be available for the SCD-1 as well. If you like the sound of the Audio Logic DAC, which I do, Jerry Ozment of Audio Logic has a minimally invasive surgery which I had done to my 777ES where he diverted the power supplies to the digital side, then bypassed the analog stage for a small box attached to the side of the Sony with the tubed analog stage from the Audio Logic DAC, together with another separate box containing the power supply for the analog stage. The result to my ears is a more dynamic, dimensional, "alive" (for lack of a better word) sound which is very close to the sound running from the Sony as a transport through my Audio Logic 2400 DAC. I think he charges $1450 for this mod/upgrade. Stan Warren (formerly of PS Audio) has some excellent modifications and upgrades which he does for the 9000ES, don't know if they're available for the SCD-1 but worth considering; others can comment on this, but I understand his mods are very reasonably priced. Another possibility is Great Northern Sound, you might want to contact them. And there are others mentioned in your recent SACD thread and other threads as well. Like I said in the other threads, there seems to be room for improvement of the sound from these units, but see first if you aren't satisfied with the sound from the stock unit before springing for an upgrade and voiding the warranty, as Sony did a nice job on these players sonically. Hope this is of some help, and good luck!

Kenl, I was only referring to the CD playback, not SACD, which is a different ballgame. Sorry for the confusion. You should listen to both the Wadia and Sony units if you can, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses, but on the whole I felt they were of similar value. Onhwy61's post is well worth emphasizing, I mentioned it briefly but it is a significant consideration.

Bill: I'm not aware of any test/break-in discs for SACD at this time, so you'll probably have to use an SACD. There have been some posts on other SACD threads in the past remarking about breaking in the SACD side separately, although I imagine it might be easier and shorter, as the analog stage is the same for both so you are only breaking in the digital section. Glad to see you're enjoying the unit; I'm astounded at how long it takes for these units to sound their best.