Upgrading a CD/SACD player with integral DAC

Congrats skyscraper, sounds like you got a good deal. I'm interested to know how the Ruby compares to your 8005 as well

skyscraper

Nice score! I am looking forward in reading about the comparison between Ruby and 8005.  Happy Listening!

Thank you sebrof and jafant. Once the new Ruby CD/SACD gets burnt in a bit I'll let you all know how it's doing in contrast with the 8005. I sure hope it sounds better. 

Mike

Nice to hear from you again pettyofficer.  Funny you mentioned those blue lights. Is there a switch to turn them off? There's a small blue LED light on my Shunyata Hydra Denali Power Conditioner that's like an eye piercing strobe light. God knows what they were thinking. When I saw the Ruby had more blue lights, first  thought was here we go again. There's no way to turn the Hydra Denali's off, but you implied in your post you could turn the Ruby's off, so you've got my hopes up. If there is a switch those blue lights will never see the light of day. 

Thanks for providing a guideline on the amount of to to burn the CD player in. That's way less than my Magico A3 speakers which take 400 hours, if I'm remembering correctly. This will hopefully be the last component to purchase so collecting CD's should be all that's left to do, which seems to be your preference as well. I'll have to get a few SACDs to try out to see what difference they make.Can any of those be had at less than an arm and a leg?  There are a lot of high quality fifties jazz reissues now were you can get up to eight good quality Redbook discs at a shot for ten to twenty dollars. You can't beat bargains like that.  You just have to avoid sets that are MP3 based rehashes. 

I agree with you that the simplicity of the Ruby helps it to avoid the issues that multiple source players might have. It's almost always better to keep things simple with electronics if you can.Can't wait for the Ruby to arrive tomorrow.

Mike

Funny you mentioned those blue lights. Is there a switch to turn them off?

Yes you can turn the blue lights and the display off.
I would suggest going to the Marantz website and downloading the Ruby manual for answers.

btw, since it's being mentioned: You can set the Ruby to turn off the Headphone amp and the digital output circuits when not in use, and it shuts off power to the optical drive when that isn't being used as default. 

Thanks sebrof. I'll take a look at the manual right now and turn off anything not going to be used when setting the Ruby up after it arrives tomorrow. I didn't know the Ruby had a headphone amp. I should try plugging in my old Pioneer headphones (vintage 1970s') and see if they still work before turning that off. 

Mike

Hello Skyscraper,

     Ditto on the info from Sebrof. I received the paper manual with my unit, and it covers all of your concerns in detail. The lights can easily be turned off, the display can be turned off, the digital output can be turned off, the headphones amp can be turned off, etc. If the blue lights bother you, it is not a deal breaker. They are not stabbingly bright blue, just a nice light glow. I am usually a stickler for such things, but I don't think it affects SQ that much. It just strikes me as a nice asthetic, but for certain turn it off if you desire.
     Just a note on the headphone amp, mine is internally turned off. The output impedance is listed as 32 Ohms, which I heard should be one tenth of the input impedance of the headphones used. Thirty two seems awfully high, not sure if that is a typo ( Maybe 3 to 2 Ohms possibly ? ). It shouldn't damage your headphones, but it might make low impedance phones sound sluggish. This presumes that the 32 is a legit measurement. I heard that a separate Marantz headphone amp/ Dac is a killer for driving phones. Give it a shot and let me know how it turns out. 

It’s been almost two days having the Marantz Ruby CD/SACD player installed in the system. Even right out of the box the player has been impressive, and performing exactly as described by those of you who have one indicated it would.

It has particularly shined when playing well recorded CD’s. On the John McLaughlin/Shakti Natural Elements CD I discovered the high frequency content that my old Marantz 8005 had been rolling off as Mahler aptly indicated it did. L. Shankar’s violin playing in the highest frequencies was exquisitely rendered on that recording.

On good recordings each instrument had a sense of detail, fullness, and space about it that was clearly an improvement as pettyofficer described, including more "air and harmonic content". The clarity sebrof described is certainly there.too

As far as vocals were concerned I almost fell over listening to Emmylou Harris’ Wrecking Ball album. Her voice was so fully realized and beautifully rendered it could hardly be believed. On instrumental jazz, Miles Davis never sounded better on the Seven Steps to Heaven CD, again a fully realized performance that demonstrated nuance without any upper register harshness.

Bass performance has been deep and tight so far on a number of recordings, including Jaco Pastorius’ on Weather Report’s Birdland cut on their Heavy Weather recording, and the baritone sax on Los Lobos’ Kiko album, not to mention White Stripes bass heavy Seven Nation Army cut on their Elephant CD. Scott LeFaro’s bass on Bill Evans excellent in every respect Waltz for Debby live recording, was particularly well realized and taut.

To be fair, on less well recorded albums there was less for the Ruby to pull out of the digital grooves. On Joni Mitchell’s For the Roses CD, which sounded great on the 8005, I really couldn’t recognize much difference in the playback on the Ruby. I’ll have to try some of her other albums. John Coltrane’s My Favorite Things at Newport was a similar experience. Now when the Ruby has a chance to break in in some, we’ll see what a difference that makes. I’m looking forward to hearing how much better an SACD recording might sound too.

Jafant, you wanted some feedback on the Ruby’s performance so there it is. Thanks for your initial recommendation on the Marantz Ruby CD/SACD. I’m quite pleased thus far.

Mike

Hello Skyscraper,

     I did mention that you might be pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, there is a bane over higher resolution devices. For those few recordings that weren't mastered well, their welts are also magnified. I am a great enthusiast over early John Barry works, especially the early James Bond OST. Unfortunately, the early CDs of Thunderball, Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever, OHMSS, the SQ of these selections sounded atrocious. However, the remastered CDS are like heaven to these ears. 
     I have experienced various SQ of older recordings being released on SACD, basically because these aged recordings were never remastered for SACD. For newer recordings that were mastered for SQ, SACD brings out the best in these releases. Like I said, it is a mixed bag of results between CDs, as well as SACDs. Simply to transfer a terrible master ( CD ) onto a SACD, no remastering, is simply doing SACD on the cheap. No it is not going to sound better, and will likely sound worse. This is not SACD'S fault, it is simply revealing more the errors on the master.
     More recent music that was created with a higher sound quality for SACD, these really show the superiority of the format. I would suggest that you might find remastered  CDs, or even music files, of John Coltrane and Joni Mitchell.
You could also try the alternate digital filter on the Ruby. There is also a setting on the device for CD, Stereo SACD, and Multi-Channel SACD. Make sure you follow the directions when you make your selection. Multi-Channel DSD is a real treat with the Ruby. The Dianna Krall MC release may be expensive, but the SQ is well worth it. I would purchase maybe a handful of such disks, just for a special treat. SD CD's and music files can still sound very impressive on the Ruby.

Hello Skyscraper,

     I just listened to Joni Mitchell's  For The Roses, damn good sounding recording. It was originally released in 1972, and what I heard certainly didn't sound that ancient in SQ. What I listened to had excellent high frequency response as well. This I could tell via Spotify from a non-audiophile Samsung Android A6, feeding an Oppo HA2 SE headphone line in,  with the HA2  driving the Oppo PM-3 headphones ( Not exactly the last word in high frequency response ). Even being this handicapped, the SQ sounded like it was recorded only yesterday on a modern high quality recording rig. I am not kidding you. I was certainly not listening to an early release of this music, I smell a remastered version in the works. Can you tell me which release you are currently using, as this CD has a long history of numerous re-releases, including an HDCD version. I presume that this isn't your version. Normal CD players can't play HDCD, or so I thought.
     The latest CD releases of For The Roses are as follows- Asylum Records U.S. release catalog# 5057-2 in 1990, Electra Records Japanese release catalog# wpcr-831 in 1995, and an Asylum Records HDCD  version release from Japan catalog# wpcr-80281 in 2015. I am not certain,  but I think that the Japanese releases ( Original American Selection ) can be ordered in pristine condition via CDJapan, via their website. You can see how convoluted it is trying to get the best version of your favorite music.  Still, I know that what I am hearing is the latest remastered update. It sounds very clear with no noise or hiss, and the dynamics are certainly not compressed.  
     Take what I am going to say next with a few grains of salt. I once borrowed a Shunyata conditioner with their associated power chords. I found that for some ( Not All ) equipment, it sometimes will slightly compress the dynamics. Usually, this only pertains to Esoteric equipment that already utilize some form of power conditioning themselves, creating an overkill situation. Don't unplug everything. Only try replugging just one component from the Shunyata at a time into bare wall, then listen to the same musical passages , see if you still hear the same effect. It may very well be that this is not your problem, but utilizing a process of elimination might be helpful. Hopefully, this info might be of some use to you.

Pettyofficer. I listened to Joni Mitchell's Blue album last night and that sounded very good. The pressing of For the Roses was done in Germany by Record Service GMBH, Alsdorf. It did not list a pressing date, only mentioning it was a remaster of the 1972 recording in a digital format. It did state on the back cover, "The CD version can reveal limitations of the source tape". It is a Redbook CD, nothing special. I'm guessing by that quote they were confessing they weren't happy with the remastering they did, recognizing it's limitations.

I do have both a CD version and a vinyl record of Miles Davis' Saturday Night at the Blackhawk Volume1, which I played back to back last night on the Ruby and then the VPI Classic 2/ Ortofon 2M black cartridge turntable. It's not the world's greatest recording, but it was interesting to listen for differences. Both versions sounded fairly similar with the analog version sounding a bit more natural or "analog" so to speak, but you really had to be attentive to tell the difference. I could recognize a bit more on the CD version that the bass was poorly miked. Both were equally enjoyable though.

I'll try taking the Shuyata Denali out of the loop a component at a time as you suggest, but I'm not experiencing any detectable issues with it otherwise, and I do love the noise-free inky black backgrounds I attribute to its use. But it would be a worthwhile experiment as the absence of background noise might be attributed to the other components. This new system is a marvel though noise-wise, compared to my old Phase Linear, Dahlquist DQ 10 and Bang and Olufsen 4002 set up, that I had for forty years or so. No hiss or hum at all any more. 

I actually like listening to CD's more than records now, not for the sound quality, but for the absence of pops and crackles of other vinyl surface noise you get no matter how well you take care of your records. I should dig out my old Burwen Transient Noise Eliminator and try that out again on some records for fun. It would probably be an audio disaster though. 

By the way, where do you get your SACD's. I tried to find some on Amazon last night but they kept routing me back to their standard CD and Vinyl selections when I typed in SACD. That's a good point you make that newer recordings expressly made for SACD pressing would likely to yield better results than reissues of old material might. Some of those older jazz remasters are surprisingly good though. Take care,

Mike

Hello Skyscraper,

     I usually shop at Silver Platters,  a local  retail outlet in Seattle WA.  They have Blue-Ray audio, BR. Movies, DVD audio, SACD Stereo, SACD multi-channel, and CD's out the wazoo. They have every silver disk that you can think of. I am not sure of what retailers there are in you area. Best Buy ( Egads! ) used to have a large inventory that you could special order recent releases of remastered CD's and Records. High end audio retailers used to carry some SACD's and High-Rez. Audio. Check to see if there is a Silver Platters in your area. You might try CD Japan, as they have re-issues of many out of print disks. You would have to special order them as an import from their website. These suggestions are a decent outlet for pristine stock. I don't  know if you want to take a risk on the used market. Everything is going streaming these days, limiting options.
     I hear the Ruby has an excellent USB port for your computer. The instructions tell you how to download the appropriate driver onto your computer from the Marantz website. Streaming is not my favorite thing either. However, I wouldn't  know about my favorite musician Adrian Von Ziegler without streaming his music videos via Youtube. There are new and innovative musicians out there. How do they reach the public with a dwindling inventory of physical media? They are still going to have to pry my silver disks from my cold dead hands; because I resent anyone who thinks they have the right to limit my options. Separate me from my music? Who do they think they are? Sorry, it remains a sore spot of an issue for me. The ' For The Roses '  version on Spotify sounds like an audiophile dream, and I will be downloading the album onto my Android device tonight. I will also be looking for a CD. copy at Silver Platters, getting the best I can out of it on my Ruby; now that is what having options is all about.
     I could look online for the selection at Silver Platters, or you could do the same. They can take your special order online and ship disks to you, whatever you desire. 

eBay seems to be pretty good at differentiating between standard and SACD, that’s where I got the several I have. I just searched for SACD IIRC.

BTW I am listening to my $2 Goodwill John Prine CD (I have been hitting Goodwill hard since I got the Ruby and started listening to CDs again) on my new $60 Philips headphones via the HP amp on the Ruby. I am impressed but I suspect if I had any reference of what a good headphone setup actually sounds like I might have a different opinion.

I have an Oppo 105 that I purchased primarily for SACDs and DVD-A discs.

When my trusty 20 year old Pioneer PD 65 died I started using the 105 exclusively: stock, it was decent but no cigar. While searching for a red book player, I stumbled across parts upgrades on E bay that looked fairly easy to do.

First, I moded with a easy to install silver IEC to power supply jumper. I was so happy (and now familiar with the power supply area) that I then replaced the crappy OEM power supply with a Linear Power Module. These were both sonic game changers. The icing on the cake was when I installed Machina Dynamica New DARK Matter to the tray, which IMHO is an absolute must for any transport/player

Also, I use the Oppo via its XLR outputs (there’s a huge difference between token XLRs and true deferentially balanced circuits) directly into my dual mono ES 1200 class D amp. I have owned many SS ans tube amps over the decades, the EVS is at the very top. If interested see my thread

hth

Pettyofficer, you're lucky to have a good retail outlet for CD's in Seattle. I Iived nearby in Monroe and Bothell throughout the eighties. I used to love driving there to shop at Towers and Peaches and that place under the monorail that specialized in imports. There was a great used record store in Everett too at the time that had lots of rare material. Here in Roanoke the last place left selling CD's was the Barnes & Noble book store at the mall and they might have quit too for what I know.  Thank goodness for online shopping and thanks for your suggestions on where to search. 

Jafant thanks for the info on how to search for SACD's on Amazon. I'll do that today.

 Sebrof, I'll check out Ebay too. I've had pretty good luck with used CD's so far, way better than second-hand records which so often are crackly sounding even if they look perfect. I did get one used CD online from our local Goodwill recently. I haven't yet figured out if there is a physical Goodwill store to go to to check out their stock, or if it was only an online venture. 

Tweak, I'll look up the Machina Dynamica New Dark Matter today. Sounds like you've had some good luck with system improvements and modifications.

Mike

@skyscraper If you're curious, there's a review of your Marantz in the February issue of Absolute Sound.

I'll check it out, Thanks. Are you meaning in the new issue or last years?

Mike 

Brand new issue, just recently out.

Hello Skyscraper,

     The bad news is that Silver Platter's inventory of SACD disks is mostly depleted, I just checked. The good news is that the Acoustic Sounds website has various multi-channel SACDs available. There are disks by Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, Dave Brubeck, The Doors, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Miles Davis, Jeff Beck, Jacintha, and various  classical  artists. The Dianna Krall " The Look Of Love " multi-channel SACD is available for $20.00. A few other disks can run from $30.00-$35.00. The Eagles " Hotel California " runs right up to $55.00. As much as I want that disk, that is way too pricey for me. There are plenty of deals to be had from $12.00 to $23.00. I wouldn't buy more than two or three, pretty pricey disks. I am just not sure, with streaming and all, how much longer these disks will still remain available. According to Acoustic Sounds, just about their entire inventory of Joni Mitchell has been switched to download available only. Some Artists are just going that way, but to pay as much for a download as a disk? Just one tiny computer virus can wipe out your entire expensive music file collection, and you will be left with nothing to show for it. What in the he'll are they trying to do to us?

Twoleftears, thanks,

Pettyofficer. I agree with you completely on how vulnerable a downloaded music collection might be, even if backed up. I had a computer crash on me once and lost tons of saved information. Never again. I'll take a look at the Acoustic Sounds website you suggest. Eventually we might have to depend on the used market to obtain the CD's and SACDs we want. 

Mike

Hello Mike,

Congrats on your SA-KI Ruby purchase. I don’t have SA-KI Ruby, but I have 2 units of SA-10 in different locations. The break-in time is very long, but it sounds good out of box and it gets better over time. DSD files sound the best, either playing physical SACD layer or playing downloaded DSD files from its iPod/USB port. I suggest you download demo hires files from various sites, format USB stick as FAT32, then copy the downloaded hires files into it. If you use external SSD, please ensure it consumes less than 1A at 5V, otherwise it will not get recognized.

https://dsd-guide.com/where-can-you-find-dsd-music-downloads#.Xhz3A8gzZaQ

Please try download free DSD demo files from Blue Coast, NativeDSD, and many others.

These are some of my recommended SACDs:

Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin’ (transferred from master tape)
Freddy Cole - Merry Go Round (directly recorded to DSD by TELARC)
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (get the 2012 version which was transferred from master tape, not 2003 version which was made from redbook)

All the best.

Anwar

Thanks Anwar. I wasn't aware there were free DSD downloads anywhere. That's interesting. You're lucky to have the SA-10. I wonder how they compare to the Ruby's. Do you ever utilize the wide variety of filters the SA-10 has? I've yet to check out the Ruby's two filters. I do like Norah Jones music and just saw her on TV a couple of days ago. That would be a good SACD choice for me. Thanks.for the recommend,

Mike

Hello Skyscraper,

     I once had a computer that crashed from a virus, it also took out my external hard drive back-up. Oh-yeah, remember when they tried selling us those things as protection to back-up our files; against potential intrusion? Anti-Virus programs, defragmentizing, maintaining  updates on OS and anti-virus, continuously scanning and maintaining firewalls; all of it was a joke to even an amateur hacker. It was all a paper tiger, just a pacifier to give us a false sense of security while the thieves robbed the shirt off of our backs. They sold this lemon of music file downloads to the public, as a Trojan horse to rape the security of the unspecting  public. The final insult to injury is that the public is now trapped by their false pride; against admitting that they have been grifted wholesale. They will continue to give these thieves access of the keys to the kingdom, pretending to be oblivious; hoping that it will be the other guy who gets victimized, just so long as it isn't them. You want your music ( File ), better cough up a credit card number so I can use the Internet to rape your personal information; then sell it, sell it, and sell it again!
     Sure, I regrettably use downloading; since disks are being squeezed out. Given very little choice, at least I know what is really going on in the background. Your hands are tied while the grifter vultures pick your carcase clean. I may love my music, but it shouldn't cost me my soul to have access to it. The silver disks at least didn't give the father of lies access to everything that I hold dear. Can't put that genie back in the bottle, and what a reckoning that he will be indulging in.