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DAC 4.1LE vs SACD

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Does anyone have experience comparing the better DAC kits with SACD players such as OPPO or others? My 4.1LE is a huge step up from my 10 year old DAC kit 1.2 so I tried a couple of Red Book layers on hybrid SACD discs (Jen Chapin's Revisions and Doug McLeod's Who's Truth, Who's Lies) on my 8 year old Philips DVD 963 SD SACD player (PCM transport for my DACs). The 4.1LE has much more detail, etc than the SACD output on the 963. The 963 playing SACD is somewhat better than the DAC 1.2, so for years I enjoyed it. Now I am looking for good Blu ray player and the new model DBP-95 universal player is interesting at $999.

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You cannot compare! - Audio Pharaoh 06:09:27 05/02/11 (6)
Redbook through an AN DAC (Kit or UK) is a much more satisfying experience; more natural and more involving. What you could do is find downloadable hi-rez material and play it through an AN DAC..another revelation !..:-)

The DAC 4.1LE should be one hell of a DAC. I had the UK DAC 3.1 and it was awesome in every respect.

SACD never cut it for me, but that's my personal opinion.

AP
- RE: You cannot compare! - blueixus 11:58:39 05/02/11 (5)
  I would support everything dyrbye says about the AN Dac's, High Res is a revelation through these dacs even if Audio Note show a marked lack of appetite for this.
  
  I also agree about SACD, never cut for me either, but I suspect that is because the Audio Note Dacs are so very good in comparison.
  - hi rez?? - lokie 09:39:53 05/19/11 (4)
    Stupid me, I just assumed my 3.1x wouldn't play high rez. I use a MAC- do you change the bit rate etc? I also have a 100 or so SACD's just sitting around. I would love to rip them to the computer and play them through my DAC. There's a thread on Audio Circle on how to do this with the new Oppos. Up to now, there was no point.
    
    I have been thinking about buying an SACD player to use a transport for the AN DAC... trying to kill two birds with one stone. Sure would be cool if I could just use the MAC.
    - RE: hi rez?? - blueixus 09:34:17 05/20/11 (3)
      Yes you can use your mac to play CD and high res but not SACDs!
      
      Increasing SACD releases are being reissued/re released as High Res Downloads see HDtracks.com
      
      itunes will play high res BUT it will not change sample rate in audiomidi.
      
      There are players that improve on itunes and change sample rate automatically, have a look at Decibel, Audivarna, Pue Music, Audiogate, Fidelia and Amarra. All I think offer free trial downloads.
      
      You also need to get the this to the dac. So you need either a USB to SPIDF converter. Again lots of choices from M2Tech HiFac or Evo, Halide Bridge, Wavellink Wavelength, Audiophilleo and Musical Fidelity V Link.
      
      Of the players Amarra will soon handle DSD files, the Audiogate does already, but you can't get the files of the SACD, they are unrippeable in native DSD.
      - RE: hi rez?? - lokie 06:34:49 05/22/11 (2)
        
        In Reply to: RE: hi rez?? posted by blueixus on May 20, 2011 at 09:34:17
        
        "itunes will play high res BUT it will not change sample rate in audiomidi."
        
        Are there any adjustments to the typical settings in Itunes when playing high rez? Or Pure Music?
        
        "Yes you can use your mac to play CD and high res but not SACDs!"
        
        Interesting reading regarding SACD files and the new Oppo's here:
        
        http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=82217.0
        
        RE: hi rez?? - dyr 12:03:55 05/23/11 (1)
        
        In Reply to: RE: hi rez?? posted by lokie on May 22, 2011 at 06:34:49
        
        Just received an OPPO 95 universal player - primary need is Blu ray and DVD player with high quality video and audio for movies - it has a good sounding audio section that costs $500 more than the OPPO 93. Watched Master and Commander last night in Blu ray and the audio was terrific, much better than my 1.5 year old Panasonic Blu ray player. I do not have an A/V receiver - I needed a player with analog outputs and the OPPO 95 certainly delivers good analog for movies.
        
        I also want the OPPO 95 to become my transport for my DAC 4.1 LE and after a few CDs it's at least at good as my older transport, but I will learn much more in the next few weeks. I am also burning in new Audio Note Copper coupling caps in my tube amps, so the extra variable is not good for fast impressions.
        
        On a few SACDs played in the last couple of days, the OPPO 95 is much better and far more enjoyable as my old Philips 963 SACD/DVD player, which has served as my DAC transport.
        
        More to come on properly describing the performance of the new OPPO 95 (just released in Canada in early May), but so far so good.
        
        RE: hi rez?? - dyrbye@shaw.ca 13:03:33 05/23/11 (0)
        
        In Reply to: RE: hi rez?? posted by dyr on May 23, 2011 at 12:03:55
        
        Further on the use of the OPPO 95 as a transport for DAC 4.1LE, I should mention that I recognize that a transport is a crucial role for playing discs. Years ago I invested in disc processing systems that improve the playback in any less than perfect sound system, such as car stereos through which I listen to much of my music. The disc processing I use is: the disc edge cutting by Audio Desk, disc ink demag by Furutech and disc cleaning by auric illuminator. Maybe overkill by using all 3 yet the improvement is dramatic on any player I have used, even the cheapest.
        
        Therefore, I have been able to avoid buying an expensive single purpose transport. Eventually I will try computer storage/playback - probably a project for retirement.

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