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Is SACD really this lousy?

Bought a Sony SCD 1 and this is boring me in my system. Have had it for 2 weeks and just cannot get interested. Previously I had a CAL CL2o and we were astounded by how the DVD DAD's sounded-fall into the soundstage, reach out and touch the performers. Also the dynamic range used every bit of the VTL's 275 watts into the Maggies. The 44/16 side of the CL20 was at best lukewarm. This after coming off a Meridian 508 20. Then I tried the Wadia 270/27ix. In my system, all the write ups were proven wrong. Then I went to the Linn Ikemi. It was great except I couldn't forget that sound of the DVD's with the CL20. Sooooo....off I went to get the Sony SCD 1. I don't have a dealer here but trusted it wouldn't dissappoint. WRONNNG! I called Steve Huntley at Great Northern Sound to see if he could do anything. He said it was a great player, it's just that Sony missed the boat when it came to the analog section. He is in fact drawing up a mod to deal with this very thing that he says will approach the Accuphase. That however will cost anywhere from $1500 roonies for the SACD side to $3500 for both. Anybody have any comment on this or am I the only one experiencing disappointment?
jmazur402f

Showing 5 responses by carl_eber

carl_eber
1,425 posts
 
I've been laughing at the SCD-1's op amp output stage since it came out last year. Go back and read "CD-vs-SACD-vs-DVD-vs-vinyl".
carl_eber
1,425 posts
 
Let's hope that consumers just happen to agree with you...perhaps if the retail price of each title were lowered to match that of CD (and also if more than merely a couple of labels released titles in the format), we would see if this format can gain wide acceptance. I doubt it will happen, though. I like vinyl, and it trounces over CD just fine, and yet CD's are still enjoyable to me also. I'm glad the majority of audiophiles feel the way I do, frankly. We like to enjoy what's available NOW, and not wait for it for years and years, helplessly hoping...
carl_eber
1,425 posts
 
It's good to know that you know this for a fact, John.
carl_eber
1,425 posts
 
Albert means that music in real life hasn't been digitized. Look, I feel like I'm beating a dead horse here, but only a handful of people seem to know that the SCD-1 has horrible op amps for its output stage! An op amp would destroy so much of the musicality and fidelity of the signal upstream from it, that there's no way the SCD-1 would allow you to hear what the SACD process really sounds like anyhow...It only allows you to experience the "sony sound", and that's not worth listening to except with a Walkman, IMO.
carl_eber
1,425 posts
 
DACs are designed many different ways by highend manufacturers, and I was referring to the op amps that comprise the line level output stage. There's no reason to use op amps in this stage, other than to be chaep and stupid in your audi philosophies. Sony has such attitudes, and they primarily are a mass market conglomerate. We all know this, and are not naive about it.
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