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Hi-Rez Highway

Trade-offs: Player mod vs. DAC for high(er) rez?

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Given that many of us are trying different source players, modifications, and accessories to get the best out of SACD and CD; there seems to be a disconnect in real life: the transports.
The combo SACD,CD, (and DVDA) players use DVD transports. I have seen many anguished posts about quality players failing, often due to transport problems. Certainly if you use a cheaper DVD player you are lucky to have 2 years before a problem. My Denon 2900 lasted 3 years before a problem (which is still unknown to me since it has been in the shop for 3 months). Nowadays, stores are offering instant replacement warranties for cheaper players because they are just not worth repairing. Are the $10K+ players lasting 10 years?
Here's the dilema: which path gives you highest "rez" for the longest practical time?
1. Modify a decent player. When it fails, spend the money to repair it, since you have sunk investment in the mod. Advantage is better digital AND analog circuitry from mod. Might be problem finding repair shop that can fix modified units.
2. Buy outboard DAC for decent player. When it fails, buy new player and plug in DAC. Advantage is quick replacement. Disadvantage is lower quality digital section before DAC.
Any of you have suggestions? I see this as a long-term problem since CDs will be around even if SACDs aren't!

Follow Ups:

There are no DACs available for HiRez! - Allen Wright 06:09:36 02/01/07 (2)
Several very expensive machines are two box (Meitner, Accuphase, dCS) but their DAC sections cannot be used with anything other than their own transports because to be allowed to output a digital signal carrying HiRez SACD information, it has to be encoded - per the "Scarlet Book" license from SONY/Philips..
There are external DACs availabe at many price/quality levels, but they are only for the PCM 16 bit 44kHz Redbook CD format - which is NOT HiRez - not matter how much they cost!
All SACD players also play RBCD, so pick the mechanically best SACD player you can afford/find after checking it it can be repaired if it fails, and get the electronics Upgraded to get the sound you want.
And I believe SACD discs will be around for long time - just like LPs - which were said to be dead 20 years ago!
Regards, Allen
- NOT true! - Zozo 15:54:20 02/06/07 (1)
  Here is one for a start (which I happen to own):
  - http://www.mother-of-tone.com/attraction.htm (Open in New Window)
  - Where does it say that it plays DSD/SACD? - Ted Smith 16:42:28 02/08/07 (0)
    Howdy
    I read a ways down the page and it talks about a bunch of PCM formats, but not SACD/DSD. Did I miss something?
    -Ted
Interesting question - Joel_Waterman 22:04:37 01/31/07 (0)
I think that if you have the money you should probably go for an Esoteric. Best transport in the biz bar none. Stock they are reasonably good though I did not really warm to them. Literally. They sound pretty cool in unmodified form. But no doubt they are nice machines, especially the (U)X-series (bloody well better be for that amount of money).
This gives you some options. You can add a very high quality DAC. You can have them modified. Expensive in both cases. But a viable long term option in my view. Maybe even the best one.
My experience with modified units is that if they fail the service one gets from what often are 'boutique' shops is examplary. I would not hesitate to buy a modified unit because you are afraid of repair issues.
It takes a pretty special (read expensive) DAC to better what the modification circuit provides you in terms of sonic benefits.
And SA-CD players lasting 10 years ... we don't know yet, do we :-)
Jw

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