Marantz SA-10 arriving Monday!

@stereo-one , my SA 10 was a "factory refurb" from MD, so I really do not know what its previous history was prior to me buying it.  In other words, it may have already experienced its breakin period.

What struck me first and foremost was that with the SA10 my system had way more gain than with my previous CDP and I believe that this was due to using the balanced outputs of the SA10 into the balanced inputs of my preamp.  I originally thought the sound of my system with the Sa10 was more "aggressive" (if that's the correct term), but I do not have a golden ear and what I am describing as "aggressive" may be my perceptions due to the extra gain of my system with the SA10, or it may be possible that my "factory refurb" did actually need some break in time.  Regardless, it now strikes me as a smooth presentation and I  find most SACDs to be a step up from most red books.  I have read that the "SA 10 presentation" is "laid back," but, again, "laid back" may mean different things to different listeners.

Personally, with a good disc (be it red book or SACD) I do not find my system to sound edgy with the SA 10 in place; however, I do hear a lot more detail now.  But the detail I am now hearing I think may be more due to a recent preamp upgrade I made (SLP 05) than the SA 10.  

I am generally pleased with the sonic presentation of my system with the SA 10 in place, but perhaps I should not be used as a barometer as my standards are probably not as high as those of others due to, as I stated previously, my lack of the golden ear.

@jayctoy , how do you have your phase switch on your SA10 set?  Do you set it to "Inverted" or to "Normal"?

The instructions in the manual have me a bit confused on that subject.

Iamatthewj.i just put it on normal phase.

@jayctoy , here's my question about that:

The manual explains that the USA system is pin 2 is cold, pin 3 is hot; versus the European system which is pin 2 hot, pin 3 cold; on both systems pin 1 is ground.

The manual states that "This unit employs the European system."

Then it goes on to state that "If a product that employs the USA system is connected with this unit [the SA10] via a balanced cable [which I am using], the signal may be phase-inverted. To correct the inversion, set the "Phase" to "Inverted" at the menu setting."

My SA10 is connected to my preamp, which is a Cary SLP 05, via balanced cable, and Cary is not saying in their manual whether they are employing the European system or the USA system so I am ASSUMING that they went with the USA system.

So as I understand the SA10 manual, I should be setting the Phase on my SA10 to ’Inverted’? Since my preamp is using the USA system?

Iammatthewj, I will try the inverted  phase on my SA10 see what happen.My Krell krc3  can be inverted as well, I think.

@jayctoy , it seems to me that as far as phase goes, there can only be one way that is right and then that the other way must be wrong.  When I first got my SA10, I did try it both ways, and my ears are not good enough to discern the difference.  However, with that last typed, even though I consciously am not hearing the difference, it still may be that my subconscious would find one way more pleasing.  (That subconscious/conscious thing gets a bit deep, but I do believe in it.)   Anyway, you are right, @sharri is quite knowledgeable on this stuff, and I reached out to him in your SA10 thread.

@jayctoy , I have a couple of test CDs (at least a couple) with the in phase/out of phase track on it. I don’t have a real good grasp of this stuff, but the more I think about it, I do not think that this is quite the same thing.

I believe that the test track we are talking about would identify if one speaker was hooked up red to + black to - and the other speaker was hooked up red to - and black to +.

However, I THINK that what the inverted/normal switch on the SA10 does would be to essentially change the signal from red to +/black to - on BOTH speakers to red to -/black to + on BOTH speakers. In other words REVERSING the way the phase was supposed to be set up. I THINK that this may be known as absolute phase, but I am not sure because as I typed previously, I do not have a tight grasp on this.

In other words, what I THINK is that although you could hook your speakers up red to - and black to + on BOTH speakers, the system would pass the in phase/out of phase test track and would not sound all over the place when they performed the "in phase" announcement on the CD. However, I THINK that by hooking up the speakers as I just described, that would still have them out of absolute phase. At least this is what I THINK.

On another audio forum I once asked a question about a preamp I was kind of interested in that I had read the specs on (I seem to remember it being a modded Cary SLP98) and I remember reading that it was wired internally with the phase reversed. (Once again, I THINK that this would have been absolute phase.) My question was why would a manufacturer intentionally do this, and I do not remember the answer, but the solution was suggested to be, when using that preamp, to hook BOTH speakers up red to -/black to +. And that is what I am THINKING happens by switching around the INVERTED/NORMAL switch on the SA10.

Referring back to my original question on this subject, does "the European model of the wiring the balanced outputs on the SA10" mean that it is out of phase with equipment with the balanced inputs wired to the "USA model" and therefore, ideally, should the phase be inverted?

@stereo-one , actually I am the one who was inquiring about the SA10,phase setting when connected to a SLP 05.  I read your reply, thank you.  I got into my SLP05 manual (again) and my bad--on page 11 it clearly staes that pin 2 is hot.  So I am going to switch the phase setting on my Marantz back to 'normal.'  Thanks again for that.

But as far as speaking a tech guy from Cary on the telephone, that was in the old days which I remember fondly.  Now who ever answers the phone will tell you to email tech support, and my experience has been they are in no big hurry to reply to emails.