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SACD v Streaming

I just recently hooked up my new (to me) McIntosh MCT500 via MCT (din) to my C53 (DA2).  I have an MC312 driving a pair of B&W 702 S3.  I then played a couple of SACDs - Van Halen (I) and then Carole King Tapestry - both high quality MoFi discs from original master tapes.

Holy heck, I was blown away.  This was the closest to analog I have ever heard from digital.  The detail in the timbre of guitar, bass, and piano was stunning to my ears.  And the voices of both David Lee Roth and Carole King were so real.  The soundstage was deep.

This was the first time I have heard true SACD.  I'm normally streaming through an Eversolo DMP-A6 or straight from my Roon Nucleus One (via USB to the DA2).  My internet connection is really good, though there is wifi and ethernet (versus fiber optic) in the chain.  I also have several dozen CDs and some DSD recordings on an SSD as well.  The sound from streaming is really terrific....but the SACD experience with really good recordings is clearly superior.

Am I just imagining this?  What do I need to do to match or exceed this SQ with my streaming?  Better streamer? DAC? Streaming connection? Power?  Curious as to your thoughts and your experiences.

mattsca

Showing 2 responses by mattsca

mattsca's avatar
mattsca OP
29 posts
 

Just thinking this through, my disc-based front end is maybe ~$9,500 ($5,500 MCT 500 and call it no more than $4,000 for the DA2 portion of the C53).  But a few of you suggest that matching this SQ might take $20K for a streamer/DAC combination?  I suppose from a consumer value standpoint, the convenience and flexibility of streaming versus discs accounts for the additional expense.  200 SACDs might cost $7,000, whereas Qobuz is $160/yr....

Nevertheless, it also seems there is a wide middle ground between my current streaming front end and a $20K setup.  I guess Christmas is coming, lol!

mattsca's avatar
mattsca OP
29 posts
 

I'm not ready to spend $20K, but I already have a Denafrips Pontus II 15th and I just ordered a Lumin U2 Mini, which would be about a $4,500 streaming front end before interconnects.  I'll be able to compare DSD streams and I expect I'll have a nice improvement over the current streaming setup.

But I think there will still be a gap to the SACD setup that can be closed further with a separate LPS, fiber optic, better interconnects, and perhaps even better clocking that I will get from the Mini.  At some point I would expect my Denafrips DAC to show up better than the DA2.

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