SACD Players

Check out Shanling. I bought their ET3 a couple months ago and am extremely happy, but it does not play SACDs. They do have a model that does under $1300

rlsammie

Welcome! McIntosh and P.S. Audio both have strong followings. P.S. Audio even has their own Forums as well. Might be worth a look to interpret fans/owners of the Direct Stream Player and DAC MK1.

Happy Listening!

I would look at Esoteric disc players

Thank you for responding. I will go over to PS Audio forum and post this.  

Esoteric is out of my budget :)

Shanling won't send the DSD layer to the DAC

GeerFab Audio D.BOB Digital BreakOut Box (OPEN) – Upscale Audio

I don't think Esoteric players are much more expensive than those options, if you're looking at a K05XD. The discrete DAC on the Esoteric alone will be significantly better than those options.

If you’re open to discontinued products OPPO 205’s are still available both used and occasionally NIB on EBay.  As of Sept 2024.

I am the owner of a PS Audio Directstream DAC MK1 (including output transformer upgrade): it is a great DAC, but I noticed that over time, I could get some listening fatigue. At one point, my old Micromega CDF1 CD player gave out - I was only using it very sparingly with most of my listening being done through the DSD MK1 DAC. After some shopping around for a new CD player, I was intrigue by the Marantz SACD 30n: it was both a CD player and a DAC accepting USB input, and was doing a DSD conversion (which I found much smoother than PCM when properly implemented) using the Marantz Musical Mastering (MMM) digital-to-analog converter as a lesser version than the one available on their Reference SACD and CD Player SA-10. To this day, I have not found one single PCM implementation that did not cause me listening fatigue (be it DAC chips, R2R, Chord pulse-array). To my surprise, after some serious listening, I found that the Marantz SACD 30n provided me with more details, more natural tones, and warmer/richer medium frequencies than the DSD MK1 DAC, so much so that I sold the DSD MK1 DAC and replaced it permanently with the Marantz 30n.

I strongly suggest that you would take time to listen to the Marantz SACD 30n.

Note: I listen almost exclusively to Sacred Choral chants and listening fatigue can come very quickly if the high frequencies (sibilance) are too present. I am now retired, bought my Marantz 30n back in March 2022 (Capitalsound.ca for CAD$3,800), and do not plan to upgrade my sound system any time soon.

@OP The build quality of the Esoteric K-05XD is in a different class to the McIntosh and PS machines and it's much better sounding than the McIntosh. I haven't a/b'd it with the PS, so can't comment there.

rlsammie

Well, I’d say neither McIntosh nor PS Audio. As suggested, Esoteric (better a pair\combination of their SACD transport and SACD DAC like P-0X and D-0X) would be a good solution but price might be a bit out of budget. A Marantz SACD 30n mentioned by brge here highly likely would also be a choice for its ~$3000 and I’d vote for it. Try to listen to one at your local Hi-Fi store if possible; would not buy any component without your own audition.

Maybe just get your foot in the door so to speak with a used Harmon Kardon DVD 47 or something to see how it sounds before settling on a unit that does DSD.

I've been looking at SACD for a long time, wasn't sure which way to go.  For now, I've settled on the McIntosh 8950 and the MCT500.  Full disclosure, I have not heard either yet.  For me, it would make sense to use both McIntosh pieces so that you can use the proprietary connection to get full DSD.  I would also look to upgrade the DA1 to the DA2, which you can do by swapping them out on your MA5300.  When McIntosh comes out with the DA3, then you can upgrade again.  For me, that is the reason why I'm going with McIntosh.  Upgradeable DAC.

OP,

Have you thought of picking a used Sony/Pioneer bluray players from eBay and using that to extract DSF/DFF files from your SACD and then using an external DAC to play them? The initial outlay for the bluray player should be between $30-$100 depending on the condition. Then you can get a great DAC in your budget.

The only part that needs a bit of time is to understand the process of how to rip the SACDs using the bluray player. It's not that difficult.

I might catch some shade for this but Sony's top blu-ray does SACD and is a really good unit.  Maybe just check it out a bit.  Good luck!

Yamaha 1000, 2000, 3000

I think if you are happy with your current MA5300 then it seems like auditioning the MCT500 makes the most sense. You didn't mention if you wanted new or used but there's a good chance a McIntosh dealer in your area can probably help get you set up with a unit to try out. 

As for upgrading your DA1 to DA2, I personally didn't notice much sound difference between them. The DA2 has some upgrades as far as features and functionality but the sound shouldn't change much if at all. So if you are happy with the DA1 just stick with that. 

I use a Yamaha CD S1000 ($850-950 used) for excellent results. 

Thank you for all the feedback, ideas and suggestions. I will stick with the McIntosh ecosystem and go with a preowned MCT500. It's the quickest and easiest was for me to extract raw DSD layer from SACD to my Amp. I plan on keeping my MA5300 and in the future even upgrading to another McIntosh integrated amp.

I would stay with McIntosh.  More flexibility 

McIntosh and enjoy the music.

I've had the McIntosh MCD85 for two years and am really pleased with the CD and SACD performance.  Not sure if the retro MCD chrome will match your set up but it is a classic look.

One thing to note; the availability of SACDs is limited; several good sources have been previously noted on this site.  Also, not all SACDs are created equal.  Some rival the warmth and detail of vinyl, others just sound similar to a CD version.

Also, I use the MCD85 more for streaming than SACDs.  I prefer the MDC85 DAC, so I have my Marantz NA6005 connected to the MDC85 optical input.  Output to my McIntosh MA352 IA is via balanced cables.  I find this set up to give me optimal streaming sound quality.  

Magnetar universal players are basically the successor to Oppo. I believe the company was founded by the Oppo engineers that designed their UDPs. Their menus are identical to Oppo and you can either play the SACD with the internal DAVs or use them as transports to export the DSD over HDMI to a DAC such as the Bryston DAC3

I like Pioneer Elite line.

https://www.stereophile.com/hirezplayers/515/index.html

Thank you everyone for your feedback and advice. Since I already own and love the MA5300 integrated amp, I have opted to stay within the Mcintosh ecosystem.  I ended up purchasing a preowned MCT500. This is the easiest and the most straight forward way for me to send raw DSD layer from SACD using the DIN cable.

I should be receiving it over the weekend and report back. 

@risammie

The beauty of going with PS Audio, is that they are one of a very few who can transfer the DSD layer from their transport to their upgradable DAC.  Most others have to use a built in DAC that can be of poor quality.

All the best.

@rlsammie I understand that you have gone down the Mcintosh route, but I’d like to comment for others wishing to go down the SACD path.

First thing to be aware of is that most SACDs contain both muti-channel and two-channel (stereo), as well as a completely separate CD layer. Many "audiophile" SACD players only play two-channel stereo so are quite restrictive. I personally do not believe in the argument that because we only have two ears, we cannot hear surround sound, let alone the immersive sound now available on Blu-Ray with even more channels (eg Dolby Atmos).

One route is to buy a universal player which can play (most) silver disks including CD, DVD, Blu-Ray, 4K and SACD. Manufacturers like Panasonic do not want to pay royalties to Sony for SACD, but that is not an issue for Sony. The cheapest Sony universal player starts at about A$250, or for about 10 times as much you get into Reavon and Magnetar. The latter pair are built around the same System on a Chip (SoC) as defunct Oppos, hence the familiar menu structure.

I have Marantz, Sony and Reavon universal players which all play multi-channel and stereo SACD. The Marantz and Reavon have both digital (HDMI) and analogue outputs. I mainly feed a Marantz 8800A AV Preprocessor which has 8 very high quality two-channel DACs.

Astonishingly, the Reavon 200 has one DAC for CD playback and another for multi-channel analogue playback. Neither of these DACs is state-of-the-art. Worse yet, the SACD playback is down-converted to CD quality so you lose all the benefits of Direct Stream Digital (DSD). This is clearly audible!

The saving grace is that you can effectively use the Reavon 200 as a transport, passing DSD over HDMI, just like the far cheaper Sony. My Marantz does a superb job of decoding the DSD!

The Reavon is available without analogue outputs but with SACD playback as the 110 model at a much lower cost. I am not sure if there is an impact on video quality. Anyway, hope this helps somebody

@curiousjim 

Agreed and It's the same with MCT500 transport. They key here is that both the transport and DAC needs to be from the same manufacturer. 

@richardbrand 

I am with you. I also have a Sony Blue-ray player connected to my home theater system that supports DSD multilayer. With the HDMI out from the Blue-ray player I am able to enjoy multichannel music. However, my home theater system fairly basic and is not my reference audio system. 

@rlsammie I only have one system for both music and video ;-(. Probably the only Dolby Atmos capable system in the world with no center channel!

There are some seriously good Atmos sound recordings available too. If you like classical then Norwegian label 2L at www.2l.no has some stunning disks. In my opinion, they are world leaders in how to do digital properly. Elsewhere, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon in Atmos is amazing.

For others embarking on the high-resolution disk journey, HDMI can be used to mix and match transports and DACs from different manufacturers, and supports high resolution audio including multi-channel DSD and Atmos. Mcintosh is an exception, and the MCT500 SACD transport is 2-channel only!

I have the McIntosh 8950 and MCT500. The pairing is amazing. I now strongly prefer to listen to cd over streaming. Using the DA2 DAC I’m the 8950 for everything. Flipping between optical and the MCT din cable, the din cable sounds best. It was a little finicky at first where if I push it in too far it can drop signal. McIntosh said this cable is like that. It was not a short in the cable either as I have 2z 

What kind of a connection is that between the 2 McIntosh components?  I used to have a Sony SACD player that had a proprietary connection to a Sony AVR and then later a Pioneer Elite DVD/SACD player with a similar link to a Pioneer AVR.  These links were FireWire and sounded very good indeed 

@richardbrand 

:) It's all good. My surround system is a very basic Dolby Atmos Yamaha receiver. Thank you for the suggestions. I will definitely check them out. 

@upstateaudiophile 

I am really happy to know, I am also glad that I went with the MCT500. It simplifies things with my setup and leaves some extra money on my account. I am super excited to hook it up and spend some time with it over the weekend. 

@mahler123 

Hi,

The proprietary connection is called MCT. The McIntosh MCT500 CD/SACD player comes with the DIN cable which you plug into the MCT port on both ends. 

It looks something like this:

https://mww.serial-cable.com/din-cable/8-pin-din-cable/8-pin-mini-din-plug-to-8-pin-mini-din-plug.html

It looks like a FW connection with 8 pins.  As I mentioned such a connection can sound very impressive.  Both my above mentioned players sounded much better that I would have expected from AVRs and other components inputting by conventional means into the Sony and Pioneer AVRs were distinctly less vivid.  Hopefully McIntosh will continue to support such a format going forward 

Great machine.  Enjoy.   The MCT connection is the way to go if you listen to SACD 

Get the Mac. You already have Mac stuff. Stick with the stuff you know and love.

FWIW I have an OPPO 105D into a Bryston DAC3 and I hear no difference between the 2

Esoteric X03

Hi, I too am looking to upgrade to SACD. I'm not looking at home theatre, I mainly watch the news channels, and soccer. A sound bar will suffice. But I learned a lot reading this post. And as I'm saving to buy something permanent. It is the Marantz AS30 or 10, I am chiefly interested in. Am I wrong in this train of thought? RICHARDBRAND, What do you think?

Thanks IAN.

@rlsammie

Congrats on the purchase. Please share feedback on the setup experience. 

I have an Oppo 205 and it sounds really good, especially with high quality SACDs like Mofi. They still service these players, just in case you need it. I have owned two Oppo players and they are really well built and I never had any problems with either one. I also use it for watching concert Blue rays or Dvds with sound going through my stereo. It's also made for surround.

The 105 also has the HDCD chip and the HDCDs sound really good too. The 205 sounds better than the 105, but no HDCD chip. I prefer the 205. I recommended oppo to a friend of mine and he bought a used 103 which he loves and it was cheap. Read about the features of each player if you are interested.

Oppo 105d should do the trick. You can only buy them used.

Japan is the home of SACD production and listening today. As a result they have the most quality players available. Marantz is a quality brand with high quality players from $3K to $12K. Available on the used market as well

@wturkey 

Hi.. I received MCT500 yesterday and I spent some time listening to my old CD's and newly acquired SACDs and all I can cay is that I am beyond impressed. Even the old CDS sound so much better than FLAC and Streaming. The integration between the MCT500 and MA5300 was as simple as it gets with the DIN cable. I am super happy with my purchase and I can truly say that I have never heard my CDs sound this good. 

I also wanted to reiterate one point here. There are so many great CD/SACD players in the market, however my use case was simply sending the raw DSD layer from SACD to my Amp and not PCM (to get the best possible sound). PS Audio SACD transport and a PS Audio DAC via I2S connection or McIntosh SACD transport and McIntosh DAC via MCT/DIN connection are the only way to accomplish this.

I was able to accomplish this with the least amount of $ spent since I already own a McIntosh MA5300 with DA1 module. Oh, and the MCT500 I purchased was preowned and it looks virtually new.  

Dear fellow audiophile,

Whatever you get, make sure it has user adjustable digital output filters.  The filters have a subtle effect on the overall tone.  A little like tone controls.  I have two sacd players.  I like some filters more than others.

I purchased a used Meitner/EMM Labs XDS1 and could not be happier. It is by and far the best SACD player I have ever heard. It is as close to vinyl as you can get. Google it for plenty of reviews.

Mike

First thing to be aware of is that most SACDs contain both muti-channel and two-channel (stereo), as well as a completely separate CD layer. 

"Most"?  That has not been my experience in the time I have been buying SACDs.  I'd go with "some."

I use McIntosh amplification (two systems) and settled on the Philips 963SA. I have found no flaws with the SACD playback, and my redbook cds have never, ever sounded better. Plus this deck is no more than $300 on the used market.