Have you heard SACD?


Just spent better part of an evening, picking jaw up off floor after listening to SACD sampler disc about seven times in a row on newly obtained Sony 9000ES. If you haven't heard SACD, please, please, go listen to one. It is a statue of beautiful proportions and curves compared to CD's poster-flat presentation. The sound comes alive, and the music is THERE with you. Tonally, it is awesome, with every detail, nuance, hint of sound clearly presented in its proper place, with no brightness or etched quality. Bass is round, firm, fleshy. Midrange will carress you. Does that seem a bit too sensuous for audio? This isn't audio any more. It's not just electronic junk coming from wires and plastic. It occupies space and has at least four, maybe six sides to it. All this with a $15K SS system. With tubes, I would expect even more life.
madisonears

Showing 1 response by sbruzonsky

Hi Detlof!!!! I luved SACD, with the Sony SCD-777ES SACD player. HOwever, I sold it because I demod the then prototype (now available) Granite Audio tube CD player, vs my internally Bybeeized Sony 777, and the Granite using the tube analog redbook CD output sounded a bit better across the board than the Sony in SACD. This was using duplicates of SACD/CD dual layer CDs with players volume matched
and hit a button and A-B switch. Now, the same Granite player with analog non-tube outputs sounds nowhere near as good on redbook CD as the Sony on SACD. This leads me to conclude how important the analog output stage is and that the Sony SACD players still have somewhere to go to reach their obvious potential. The Granite tube player is in the SACD player ballpark, at $2900 retail, but a web dealer listed it at $2400, with a thirty day money back guarentee.
I apologize, this sounds like an ad. It ain't, at least I have no affiliation other than being a reviewer/moderator over at www.avsforum.com . But I luv this tube CD player and the option of an outstanding redbook CD player which makes all your regular CDs sound much better should be at least considered.