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I would appreciate any advice.Does the Marantz SA-1's CD playback fall short in any way compared to $7500 to $4000CD players like the Bow zz8/Wizard, the Moon Eclipse, the Linn Ikemi, or the Muse Model 9?
If so, I will simply choose to purchase another CD player, instead of an SA-1
I won't get this month's Stereophile until three weeks later, so I don't have access to Jonathan Scull's review. I'd be interested if anyone who has read it would share Scull's findings with me. I need to decide on the SA-1 within the next few days.
I spent a day enjoying the SA-1s utterly grain-free and unusually arresting performance, but did not have a chance to compare its CD playback DIRECTLY with a really good player
Thanks for the help.
DKb
Follow Ups:
After having the SA-1 on on home loan for three days, there was no question that I had to purchase it.SACD, as presented through the SA-1, offered me that lifelike continuity and emotional animation that I have worked in futility to attain for years through expensive upgrades and excrutiating tweaking that provided some degree of pain relief, but never cured the harsh flatness of digital. I feel I have just awakened from a horrible Nightmare.
In addition, I find CD playback of the SA-1 so incredibly better when compared directly with the EMC-1 and Meridian 508.24. For the CD players, subtle musical detail seemed to be loped off at the most subtle dynamic levels. It is these details that are needed to provide ambient cues and expressive nuance. With the SA-1, subtle nuances seem to project, hang and extend downwards into an endless abyss of silence. Not quite up to SACD level, but reaching towards it. The 16/44 data is also processed by the great sounding 1547 bitstream DAC that processes the DSD signals, which gives it that analog smoothness.
When first installed it, its cold performance is EXACTLY as described by other posts: pinched, dense, muddy. However, I do believe that transparent sounding equipment is not more immune to break-in and warm up, but even MORE SENSITIVE to such preparations.
i saw your post yesterday but didn't respond since i don't have direct experience of the marantz vs the cd players you mentioned. but you are obviously looking for feedback so here goes.
i have owned the marantz sa-1 for 3 months. i also own the linn cd-12 which i use for my cd player. the linn is several levels above the marantz on cd playback but it should be. the marantz is however on par with my previous cd setup; the levinson #37 transport and #36s dac, which i owned for 4 years and liked alot (until i fell hard for the linn). detail, dynamics, and frequency extension at both ends are very good. the marantz might be bettered by more expensive players in ultimate refinement and smoothness. my opinion is that it would be hard to justify a $5k cd only player that doesn't also do sacd as good as the sony and marantz are. the marantz is always musical and not hard or etched unless the cd is recorded that way. last month at our local audio club we compared sacd and cd using my marantz and a wadia 27x. we also compared cd playback between them. i was surprised to hear that many members thought the marantz equaled or bettered the wadia on cd only playback. i cannot say whether the players you mention are significantly better than the marantz, but from my experience i would guess you would need to spend over $10k to go to the next level of cd performance, imho. good luck with your decision. mikel
what did you actually pay for the $20k CD 12? I don't mean to be rude, but I saw your system and couldn't help but wonder? Also, as Juergen asked, what is your street cost for the $7.5k Marantz? 20% off is not unheard of, but just curious, as there aren't too many people outside the industry buying them. Heck, maybe you are in the industry? I don't hold 'spending' against anyone, so that's not my motive, just wanted to know what someone could actually get each piece for if they plopped down their cash.Thanks, Chris
as far as i know, the list price for the marantz sa-1 in this country is $7500. in japan i understand it lists for the equivalent of $6000. i paid in the mid-$6000's for the marantz. i had been hot on the sony scd-1 since it had come out but ultimately decided to wait for the second generation machine. when the marantz was announced it looked like it was, at least on paper, a little more developed design. so i pre-ordered it from a dealer i have done previous business with. i was comfortable with the price based on a brand new product at introduction. i am in the retail business and i like a good buy as well as the next guy, but i also value relationships. i have been a good customer and have also recieved special treatment that can come from that from time to time. as far as the linn cd-12, i traded in the levinson 37/36s on the linn and paid a little more than a $10k difference.my wife agrees with your inference that maybe i have spent to much $ on this crazy hobbie. but if i had similar $ invested in a sailboat or summerhouse it might be more respectable but would not offer me as much daily enjoyment as my 5 years as a learning audiophile. anyway, i guess i don't need to convince anyone here on this issue.
bottom line...i believe both products have given me good value for my money. mikel
Stereophile magazine quoted US$7500.00. I would like to know the
actual retail price. Thanks.
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