What is the best sounding SACD/CD player?

-E- said:
Said it before... gonna say it again...

AVOID DISC SPINNERS. Spend your energy/$ on a DAC!
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MDP said:
It's kind of funny E, we both don't want a spinner. But we have opposite views on how to get it done. I love my Linn streamer and you love your computer and DAC combo !!
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Mike said:
Barry - unless your SACD collection is massive, I agree with E. Bite the bullet, rip your CD's to a NAS and you will never look back. I haven't spun a CD in almost 2 years. No desire to either. But if my SACD's weren't ripped to DSD (an arduous task not for the faint of heart), I would admittedly still have a spinner. I have the Oppo has my backup, but its duty is mostly Blu-Ray movies. The DAC in the Oppo is good, but not great.
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Interesting. Why do you guys recommend that? Is it more out of convenience or SQ? I actually think spinning CDs on my K03 sounds better than playing the same ripped CD using the K03 as a DAC. But then again, I'm only using a modded Sonos as my media server, so that could be the weak link in the equation....
 
socfan12 said:
Interesting. Why do you guys recommend that? Is it more out of convenience or SQ? I actually think spinning CDs on my K03 sounds better than playing the same ripped CD using the K03 as a DAC. But then again, I'm only using a modded Sonos as my media server, so that could be the weak link in the equation....
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You are probably feeding the player via the SPDIF input. Then it will almost never sound as good as the CD, since you introduce additional SPDIF interface jitter to the equation. Only the USB input has the potential to equal the internal CD drive - but only if the implementation is stellar.
 
socfan12 said:
Interesting. Why do you guys recommend that? Is it more out of convenience or SQ?
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Both.

socfan12 said:
I actually think spinning CDs on my K03 sounds better than playing the same ripped CD using the K03 as a DAC. But then again, I'm only using a modded Sonos as my media server, so that could be the weak link in the equation....
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Your assumption is correct.
 
Let's see... The best SACD player for 10 grand? I tell ya what, if you're willing to send me a few components, then I'll be more than happy to tell ya how they stack up! :D

As for notion of throwing most of your purse towards a DAC... I dunno guys. I've come to find that the transport is nearly as important as the DAC itself. Skimping on either will typically not do you any favors.
 
For me, being a hardcore multi-channel classical music lover, such DACs and m-ch downloads are an issue. Well, I guess exaSound has solved the hardware problem with its m-ch e28 DAC:

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but that still leaves the issue of very few m-ch classical hi-res files to download. I know that Channel Classics, for one, offers m-ch DSD files, but they are much more expensive than the SACD version. For now, I'm sticking with my Oppo 105 connected via m-ch analog outs, and for RBCD my Sony 5400ES.
 
NorthStar said:
But a good quality CD/SACD transport is useful too. :)

...In particular for people like I who have over 5,000 spinning discs of them varieties.
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Same here. It's not that CD player sound better. ( Actually in my experience YES! ) I just prefer to own some thing that I can touch with...Digital files: to me I have/own them but I don't have/own them coz I can not physically touch them ( I know sounds silly but Hey It's my ears and my feeling ~! )
 
I've heard that they are starting to design loudspeakers that would be able to handle DSD and hi-res 128-bit/1,408kHz analog/digital audio files from your PC or Mac. ...And that the speakers would come with a USB port at the rear bottom, near the binding posts.
...Version 3.0 asynchronous DAC type, 3D.
 
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