Suggestions for a CD/SACD Player

[BlueFox]

You have gotten far too complicated for me

Maybe, but it's all good.

I never got a chance to respond to

or as I learned with my Krell amps, with great power comes high electric bills!

And as I learned with my Pass amps, with high electric bills comes solar installation, which doubles the price of the amps. But, makes me happy every day the bill arrives, and every day in between.

Forget the SACD/CD player, and get a music server, and good DAC.

 

[Mike]

Forget the SACD/CD player, and get a music server, and good DAC.

Or a network music player.


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[socfan12]

^+1!

 

[CPP]

You are right about the Oppo and HDMI, I stand corrected...Thanks. Back to my original recommendation, isn't the Krell Cypher an SACD player? What am I missing about its compatibility with the Analog Dac?

The MSB Analog DAC should work digital out from your Krell to the Analog DAC digital input if it comes with that input module. http://www.msbtech.com/support/analogDacManual.pdf

 

[rbbert]

The MSB Analog DAC should work digital out from your Krell to the Analog DAC digital input if it comes with that input module. http://www.msbtech.com/support/analogDacManual.pdf

The issue isn't with the DAC, it's getting DSD (from SACD's) and hires PCM (from Blurays) out of the transport. Those digital streams will come from an Oppo via HDMI, or from the MSB transport via I2S, or from a Playback Designs (for DSD) via optical, but not from most other disc players.

 

[Design Audio Video]

Agree on the media player. The only reason I keep CD players around is for customers to demo their on music. But now some of them are putting their favorite demo material on a USB thumb drive and inserting that in the front of the bryston and with them about three minutes they have access to all of their favorite demo music without having to hassle with bringing all their CDs with them. My nas drive has a CD Barner built into it so when I get a new CD I just insert the disc and 5-7 minutes later it automatically rips it to whatever format I want. Very simple storage process.

 

[Steve]

Esoteric D02/P02 or just the D02 & a media player.

 

[CPP]

The issue isn't with the DAC, it's getting DSD (from SACD's) and hires PCM (from Blurays) out of the transport. Those digital streams will come from an Oppo via HDMI, or from the MSB transport via I2S, or from a Playback Designs (for DSD) via optical, but not from most other disc players.

Oh I see

 

[rbbert]

One question I would have is that if one wants to stay with a disc player and physical media, will you limit yourself to SACD/CD? DVD-A is not a dead medium, and there is more stuff coming out on Bluray all the time. And not just Bluray Audio; there are many Bluray videos with hi-res audio (24/48, 24/96 and 24/192) which are also easy to use as audio only discs. Often the Bluray concert video is cheaper than the HDTracks download of just the audio.

 

[rbbert]

...One possible answer might be a Cary Audio CD306 professional. Cost effective, warm, single box, plays CD and SACD and keeps DSD native.

Do you know if that is actually true? As has been discussed elsewhere, the DAC chip itself quite possibly converts DSD to PCM (internally) for necessary filtering.

 

[Mike]

Does anyone make a tube CD player that handles SACD and DSD natively?


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[Lefisc]

I would use my Oppo for the blu ray recordings but I have a large library of CDs and maybe 50 SACDs. Would a media server play those?

 

[asiufy]

Does anyone make a tube CD player that handles SACD and DSD natively?

This?

Aesthetix : Products : Digital

And this one too

Welcome to LOIT Design Pte Ltd


alexandre

 

[Elberoth]

The MSB Analog DAC should work digital out from your Krell to the Analog DAC digital input if it comes with that input module. http://www.msbtech.com/support/analogDacManual.pdf

Doesn't make much sense IMO. I'm selling an almost brand new MSB Universal transport for $1700, which not only will play SACDs via MSB Network, but also cost a fraction of what an used Cypher is worth. In fact, an used Cypher will buy you a brand new MSB Universal transort !

If SACD is a must, MSB Analog DAC will give you probably the moast 'analog' presentation around.

If you can live without SACD capability, EAR Acute III and Aesthetix Romulus are a very good options.

 

[Elberoth]

This?

Aesthetix : Products : Digital

And this one too

Welcome to LOIT Design Pte Ltd


alexandre

LOIT doesn't do SACD / DSD.

Aesthetix can only handle DSD stream from your computer.

 

[elegy]

Loit was just reviewed in Mono & Stereo and I don't think it does sacd: Mono and Stereo High-End Audio Magazine: The Loit Passeri CD player review. Reviewer prefers CH Precision, which, to my ears, makes the best SACD player on the market. Accuphase worth considering as well but my preference is CH.

 

[CPP]

Doesn't make much sense IMO. I'm selling an almost brand new MSB Universal transport for $1700, which not only will play SACDs via MSB Network, but also cost a fraction of what an used Cypher is worth. In fact, an used Cypher will buy you a brand new MSB Universal transort !

If SACD is a must, MSB Analog DAC will give you probably the moast 'analog' presentation around.

If you can live without SACD capability, EAR Acute III and Aesthetix Romulus are a very good options.

ps I was not the OP

 

[FlexibleAudio]

Doesn't make much sense IMO. I'm selling an almost brand new MSB Universal transport for $1700, which not only will play SACDs via MSB Network, but also cost a fraction of what an used Cypher is worth. In fact, an used Cypher will buy you a brand new MSB Universal transort !

If SACD is a must, MSB Analog DAC will give you probably the moast 'analog' presentation around.

If you can live without SACD capability, EAR Acute III and Aesthetix Romulus are a very good options.

Good points, I think the plus version is much better than the original Universal Media Transport......well worth the $$$. Based on the OP's comment the Analog DAC is worth a listen and it doesn't get much easier than that that Pro I2S connection. I proposed keeping the Cypher only to avoid buying and selling a piece of gear. But given your point about the resale value of the Cypher and if rbbrt's correct about not being able to get true DSD out of it anyway, dump the Krell and look hard at the MSB gear.

 

[Bachtoven]

Your signature suggests that you have a multi-channel system, and all of the suggestions so far have been for stereo units. Do you want to stay with M-CH? That will definitely limit your choices, as sadly, very few high-end companies make M-CH players. I'm quite happy with my Sony 5400ES, but I haven't compared it to anything except an Oppo 95 and 105; I prefer the Sony. It's hard to imagine that Krell makes anything that sounds unmusical, though!

 

[ctop]

I am not satisfied with my Krell Cypher CD/SACD player. Does anyone have a suggestion?

But first let me explain:
After 18 years I traded in my Mark Levenson 30.5/31.6 combination because it was breaking down a lot and I wanted a smaller easier, better unit that could play an SACD.

I got the ML 512 and that broke down six months later. They couldn’t fix it and six months after that they sent me another, broken 512. This went on for nearly three years!!!!!! They just could not get one that worked, so as much as I like the ML sound, I am not going back there!

The sound that I like perhaps is more musical and less detail. I heard the Esoteric K-3 in my home and did not like it, again great detail, but not musical. I have the Krell Cypher, but again, I have never gotten used to the sound. Does anyone have a suggestion for a CD/SACD player?

The Eera Tentation is a very musical CD player...very near to analog sound. Not as detailed in the extreme frequencies but it just sounds right. Only problem is that it doesn't play sacd. Check out Robert Learner's review at positive feedback.