Marantz SA-10 arriving Monday!

 I seem to have been asked to post about XLR connections and phase. I would follow what the SA-10 manual states regarding the phase setting.

@jayctoy I have owned Cary equipment preamps before.

I looked up your manual on the Cary SLP 05, via balanced it says that pin 2 is hot.

If that's the case chances are it's the same as the European settings that the SA-10 comes with by default.  So if you have your SA-10 in default which is European standard you're fine.  But if you have any questions call Cary Audio.  They're very nice people and they'll help you out with it.

I’m reading that the SA-10 is as good as the Esoteric? Which is not good! From what I understand the Esoteric is cold clinical sounding. I’ve also read the SA-10 being closely compared with Ayre CD players. I know Ayre makes smooth equipment but it’s VERY BRIGHT! When I bought this Marantz SA-10 that’s not what i was looking for. I’m looking for the opposite.

I’m not a Detailed Hound. Detail is one part of music it is not all of music. I’m not sure if it’s because of lack of hearing highs or what? My hearing unfortunately is impeccable. So I’m wondering if the SA-10 is gonna be unforgiving with lesser CD recordings of red book and show flaws as opposing to rolling them off as the SA-11s3 did. The SA-11s3 was a very nice player! But I really wasn’t happy with it because it was flat, meaning one dimensional. It had the bass the richness and everything, very smooth but it wasn’t engaging.

That’s what I was helping the SA-10 would be. A warm three-dimensional sound, Like Vinyl. Now I don’t know. I am wondering if the unit I sent back was flawed because I talked to a dealer and they stated right out of the box it should be smooth but tight maybe bright, so you have to burn it in somewhat which is understandable.

But when my $700 HHB 850 burner is listenable compared to the SA-10 which is not, that’s pretty depressing. Even after 50 hours of burn-in time. Detail to me is a nasty word. I prefer separation, that has no reference towards brightness. Beautiful smooth rich separation is what I was looking for in the SA-10.

Am I wrong?

Is the SA -10 warm sounding or more center cold sounding?

Either way the SA-10 I had was not smooth.

@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.