Are "Redbook Only " CD players Obsolete?


With the advent of Universal Players ;ones that play DVD..CD..SACD..and DVD-A; Are standard "cd only" players OBSOLETE.......The "NEW BREED", like the MARANTZ DV 9500 can play ALL these formats and do it Better than most of the cd only and dvd-cd players at ANY PRICE...and all for under $2000.....why would anyone want to limit themselves......SACD and DVD-A are awsome for us audiophiles..and how much better can the "video" get?...Combine this State of The Art technology with the Fact that the Redbook CD playback is totally natural sounding..very analog like....and better than CD only players I've heard costing much more.... IS This is a NO-BRAINER........
dennish
I've had the Marantz dv 9500 for a week now. It's gotten a lot of use so I would say it's broken in. I have several sacd's and cd's of the same title that I've compared very carefully. I can't tell the difference, they sound identical!!! Excellent, but identical. I also have a half dozen dvd-a discs and they all sound inferior to the same title cd. All listening has been in stereo. I was going to sell my Sony cdp-707es, but now I'm thinking I should sell the Marantz. I believe the Marantz sounds as good as the Sony, but no better, and the Sony is 11 years old and works perfectly. The Sony also weighs around 40lbs and may outlast me. The only reason to keep the Marantz is the convenience of an all in one player, plus the ability to play surround sound sacd's which I will soon be able to play. Overall, I believe the Marantz is a fine product if you don't have a high quality cd player, but I am disappointed that sacd's sound no better than cd's, and dvd-a is inferior to both.

All I want is a player that plays redbook, SACD...AND HDCD (the best sounding format). But it won't happen.