Blu Ray player versus CD/SACD player.


No info on my system, just a general, straight-up question for those that would like to offer some general, straight-up input.

I have a decent analog system, but when listening to CDs or SACDs I have been using a hold-over from my home theater days, an Oppo BDP-103 Blu Ray player which can play a variety of discs, including switching between PCM and DSD.

I have been very happy with the Oppo but now it’s getting a little long in the tooth, I’m wondering should I stick with it or start researching a CD/SACD stand-alone player for my digital discs?

Should I get a unit that specializes in music playback or stick with the Oppo as “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” Will I notice a difference between the Oppo and a unit that is built for primary music purposes?

Just looking for a general sense of peoples thoughts, especially those that have maybe made a similar switch?

Thanks for any feedback!

Ian the BigE

 

ianhorseman

How many SACDs do you actually have?  Are you really going to get more?  Is it time to turn to Tidal, instead, and just keep the functional Oppo? Think about that...  

An inexpensive thing to try would be to get an inexpensive CD player, say a Yamaha from Crutchfield which you could return if you want, for example, for less than a couple hundred bucks, and A/B them for CDs... heck even get something off craigslist locally, cheap.  Then, see if you can actually hear a difference; that would be educational...  I mean, I run an old industrial-type Sony CD changer directly into my Marantz Ruby amp and it sounds amazing - everybody who has heard it agrees; I paid $100 for the Sony, used, and it keep chugging along and sounding beautiful all the while, all day long, five discs at a time one after another.  In my other system, I run with a three-cd changer by... JVC!  It's been running reliably for years and years, I bought it used at least fifteen years ago, and again my guests sit up and take notice without me even pointing out my system... they ask about it, without prompting.  (I entertain 16 - 30 guests two or three times per month, low-stakes poker get togethers... some of those low-stakes players are high-income people who just like poker for fun and could afford whatever stereo system they would desire -- the audio-interested ones are consistently taken aback by how little I've spent for the sound I get, when that discussion has come up, so it's not like the JVC ain't cuttin' it).  What I'm saying is that your OPPO might be better than you think, comparatively to expensive new gear, when it comes down to it... 

Likewise, what about trying a new bluray player as your all-in-one... if you don't need the SACD capabilities.  Perhaps a Sony 700 for about $200, or that top of the line Panasonic bluray player for about $1000... get everything all in one.  

That said, I also have a Marantz Ruby CD/SACD/DAC that I recently got, just to match my Ruby amp... it, too, sounds amazing but I haven't had it long enough to really analyze how "much" better than the old Sony it actually sounds in practice in the home not theoretically ... my guess is that for everyday sort of use it would be tough to tell, but in my dedicated listening sessions I'll hear a diff.  But you know what even if I don't hear much of a diff I still like the Ruby thing, it's gorgeous, it's built for a lifetime (although so is that Sony apparently, at 17+ years old and ticking), smooth as silk operations, and the DAC will come in handy for my Bluesound Node 130.

ianhorseman

 

As above, do you own a large library of CD and SACD discs? If so, yes, seek out a dedicated Player. There are a plethora of spinners in the secondary market place.

 

Happy Listening!

 

 

Find an oppo 205 universal player or Marantz universal.player, ie. 5007, 7006, etc. 

Curious, so many here seem to act like SACD is still a "thing". Is it?
Where are you buying these, and what kind of releases? Jazz, pop, classical?

Who is still releasing music in this format, and if it is so limited, is it really worth it when you can get DSD downloads (often in higher bit-rates)?

Online blurbs say, "Although SACDs are still being produced in limited quantities for a niche rock/pop market, the glory days of the format (approximately the years 2000 – 2005) are gone."

And, "Many SACD discs that were released from 2000-2005 are now out of print and available only on the used market. By 2009, the major record companies were no longer regularly releasing discs in the format, with new releases confined to the smaller labels".

Instead of finding new music on one of the streaming services to like and perhaps buy to support the artists in any format, vinyl or CD, do you actively seek out only SACD releases and then hope that you’ll like the music?

Just curious...2009 was well, a long time ago...

I could see it if someone was heavily invested in and had a large library of SACDs from "back in the good old days", but now?

I have about 400 CDs and about 30 SACDs.
Its only in the last 2-3 years when I have really been getting into Classical have I been actively seeking SACDs. Certain classical labels still issue this format, so it definitely is not dead! However, as many people have pointed out there are other options out there to listen to high quality digital formats, which in some ways has resulted in my creating this initial post.

I also sometimes listen to these in surround mode also, but this remains an occasional desire, and results in my switching some cables to pass things thru my AVR, which is still present in the rack but gets minimal use in recent years.

This is where my overall conundrum comes in……should I stick with physical media (in which I have a huge history and feel very comfortable with) or go streaming, HDD, etc?

All the info, feedback, and questions raised have all been great and have helped me starting to narrow down what my main interests/requirements are.

Keep ‘em coming!

E