Digital Drive Upsamplers, DACs, jitter, shakes and analogue withdrawals, this is it.

---

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Digital Drive ]

---

[ Alert Moderator ]

---

RE: new CD player and DAC needed

Posted by airheadair (A) on May 22, 2016 at 13:30:55

In Reply to: RE: new CD player and DAC needed posted by bean on May 21, 2016 at 22:09:02:

Again, thanks for the replies. But now I'm getting a bit confused. "Bean" wrote:


"The SA11S3 does NOT do DSD files via USB. The SA14S3 does, but it doesn't sound as good, and it appears you haven't gone down that path anyway."


Actually I might be interested in DSD at some point in the future, and the SA14S1 is much less expensive, so I would certainly consider it, if the sound is good. Bean, did you mean SA14S3 (perhaps an older model?) or did you mean to write SA14S1? I've seen some fairly negative reviews of an older SA14 and also of a new SA14S1 SE (in a European site.) Can you elaborate on the sound difference?

Even worse, there is a threat on the computer audiophile forum in which several owners of the SA 11S3 have found that the USB B input no longer works with Macintosh computers running Yosemite. This would be very negative for me, since I was planning to use either the USB and/or toslink connections. I do have a fair number of AIFF files on ITunes that I haven't burned to CD and that I would like to play directly from the computer, and thought about higher resolution possibilities in the future too. I don't know if the SA14S1 has that problem too; it doesn't seem to require special drivers the way the SA11S3 does. Further digging reveals utter confusion about which DAC chip is in the SA14S1: Marantz says that it is the CS439, but others say that is wrong and that it is in fact the Burr-Brown 1729A.

Ah., life is complicated.

BTW, I seem to remember that someone mentioned that there is a DSD file of Patricia Barber's "Companion" album. I should mention that I am a huge fan of hers, and paid quite a bit of money for the 45 RPM LP version of that record, which sounds great. Strangely, some of her material that has been redone by Mobile Fidelity on LP sounds worse that than the CD version, (darker with rolled highs) and some sounds better. The original pressings are usually very good. I am a very proud owner of an original LP version of Modern Cool, which is quite fantastic.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

VH Audio

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---