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any of you guys using a Marantz SACD player?
Specifically, any of the Limited or Special Edition spinners?
Follow Ups:
I bought one of the first batch of SA7-S1 SACD players released in the UK (2008) and it has run faultlessly ever since. It is without question a fabulously detailed and musical player that for the first time makes digital sound like music and much of the credit for that is down to its analogue output stage where many top marques like dCS are weak and fail miserably. I believe it is here that Ken Ishiwata wove his special magical spell on this rather special machine.
The player is equipped with a Word Clock input and believe me anybody who owns one of these players should not regard it as pointless exercise. As good as timing is on the basic player - it is after all a reference level device - the addition of a good quality Word Clock will amaze you by the transformation it makes to PRT and the integrity and purity of notes and instrument timbre.
For several years I used a dCS Puccini U-Clock having also auditioned and rejected rival products from Grimm and Esoteric. It is so hard to describe the gains in musical enjoyment in words. It was utterly transformative in a holistic way that defies simple description in conventional hi-fi parlance terms. Simply put the concert hall stage is there before you in all three dimensions and even dynamic range and dynamics are stepped up a gear.
Just recently the Puccini was swapped for the much more expensive Paganini Clock also from dCS. I remain in total shock, you just cannot believe that what already sounded damned near perfect could be transformed even more and to a level that I doubt can ever be improved.
So if you can still find a good SA7-S1 do not hesitate, grab it and you are on your way to musical heaven.
It seems we hear differently, I found the obese Marantz SA7-S1 to have poor SQ and sold it after a waste of time 750 hour burn in, furthermore Stereo only , I much prefer the Sony mch XA 5400ES far better on both CD & SACD and has run faultlessly for past 7 years.
Yawn!
Any love for the original SA-14 ?
My everyday player. Love the sound.
Jim
Very nice- JIm.
I've been very pleased with my SA8004. Great sound.
Thanks! for sharing.
And I am very happy for it. Have used it for several years now after buying it second had. Solid as can be and, to my ears, very natural sounding.
Thanks! for sharing- slapshot
sa11 s1 .love it
I asked the Marantz folks at the last two AXPONA shows about the special editions, they said not available in the US. I'll annoy them and ask again this year.
I use an SA8004; very nice, I prefer it (and the newer SA8005) to anything in the price range, except the Sony ES5400, but it can't do dac duty. I'm not an Oppo fan.
I would love to buy the SA-14, but it's just not in the budget right now.
I adore my SA-7S1. It's easily one of the best sources I've ever owned.
If, by any chance, you wind up picking up a 7S1 on the used market, and it's an early production version (like mine), be sure that it's had its firmware upgraded. The early versions were/are prone to developing read problems on hybrid SACDs. I sent my player to an authorized Marantz repair facility, and they fixed the problem for less than $200. Just a heads-up in case you go in the direction of an SA-7S1. I don't know if other "1"-generation players (11, 14) were so afflicted.
Sold my obese stereo only SA7-S1 after a 700 hour burn in, fortunately bought at Trade price so got all my money back. Read first review on PFO where the reviewer Mark Lawton says sending it off to the Mod Man and he lists his expected improvements, unfortunately there was no follow up, probably censored by Dr Sarconicus whose review IMO is totally incorrect.
Edits: 02/06/16 02/06/16 02/06/16
I certainly do like the "house" sound of the Marantz SACD players.
Probably because in my house I have three units. The SA11-S1, S-2, and 8001. I strongly recommend upgrading the fuses in these units. The S-2 responds fabulously to a main power fuse upgrade. Try one of the new Synergistic Research "Black" fuses. Let the unit stay on for a hundred hours and then listen to a significantly improved sound.
The main fuse of the SA11-S1 is not user replaceable. You can replace the inside the chasis- 5 rail fuses. Slow blow, small, use 1.6 amp 250 volt. Here even the original Synergistic Research (SR) SR-20 fuse shows improvement. The SR Black and SR RED fuses show more improvement but cost more.
I keep my players on 24/7 with display led's off. Going strong since 2008.
David Pritchard
Anyone have a KI Pearl player for sale?
can you compare sound quality between sa11s1 and sa11s2?
"The S-2 responds fabulously to a main power fuse upgrade". I'd love to replace the appropriate fuses but would like to know what I'm getting into. Anyone have pics of the S2 innards and fuse locations?
Just remember the extra heat of always on will help dry out caps and shorten their life. Keep it very well ventilated.
ET
TY- David
I've heard all three (and owned the 8001) players you cite, and they each manifest a "music-over-audio" inclination that I personally gravitate to.
Even though I currently run a circuit breaker in my SA-7S1, I've run fuses (HFT) in that player, and the differences have been impressive. I'm sure the Synergistics do a great job.
BTW, I run my player 24/7 and keep the display off as well. Going strong for longer than my brain cells can recall. :)
TY- Quint.
Stunning on sacd and great at redbook. Stereo only if that's important. I would say Marantz in general is warm which I prefer over bright.
Compared to my Marantz dv8400 the sa11s1 is better at sacd but the dv8400 does surround. FWIW the dv8400 can be had for pennies and is almost equal at redbook. DVDA on the dv8400 beats out everything but that might be my preference of pcm over dsd.
I once had a Marantz DV8400. At the time, I thought it was very good at 2-ch DVD-A, but not so great at CD and SACD where it exhibited a general softness (especially in the bass) and lack of dynamics. Also, if I remember correctly, it didn't offer bass management for DVD-A. I tried a lot of mid-priced universal players back in those days and the best of the lot was the Pioneer DV-59AVi. But by modern digital standards it's not very competitive.
For stereo, you could probably do better by ripping your DVD-As and playing back the files through a mid-priced modern DAC. I recall the first time I played my DVD-A rips through a Linn Majik DS I had just purchased in 2010. The sound was at another level completely relative to the Pioneer and a step ahead of my Alex Peychev modified Philips SACD 1000 on other hi-res PCM discs such as HDADs.
The dvd8400 is a very good dvda player. I thought cd was pretty good and sacd sounded similar to cd but clearly not as good as the sa11s1. Considering you could probably find one for a couple hundred bucks it's still a good value, even for just playing cds. It doesn't do bass management but I find the passive crossover on my sub works just fine.
I guess it's inevitable that I will get a DAC at some point to play downloads and streaming. Maybe it's my age but I still find spinning a disc to be the most convenient way to listen to music.
I didn't know you could rip a dvda. Does that require special software? What I would really like is to make my own dvda from a hirez download.
I ripped all my DVD-As using this:
http://www.dvdae.com/
Also my Classic Records DADs and HDADs.
Dave_K
I use a Pioneer Elite 59-AVi for DVD duty only! It is a killer.
/
It was recommended on the Linn web site. Did a test with Protools recording software that I use in a novice home studio setup. My skills are lacking to make any real evaluation but I was able to make a 24/96 dvda. Next will be a hirez download. Only using the free trial for right now.
Thanks! for sharing.
Thank You- guys for all of the info on Marantz.
My main Silver Disk Spinner is a DV-9600 Multi-Disk Spinner I picked up used on ebay a couple years ago for about $350 and it arrive virtually germ free as the guy no longer used it because it didn't do BluRay.
But even with this DVD player, Ken Ishiwata took the time to put his magic touch on the audio section, shutting down the video circuitry when playing music alone. It uses the same Cirrus Logic CS4398 DAC chip as his now-legendary KI Pearl.
Ivan-
I wonder if the DV-9500 has some, possibly all, of the tributes of your DV-9600 ?
Thanks! Ivan.
anyone using a SA-15 S2?
I would love to own a KI Pearl spinner!
Never bothered with Marantz dedicated SACD players as they were Stereo only, has anything changed ?
I've had a Marantz SA-11S2 in my system for over 8 years now and its been on for nearly that entire time (I almost never turn it off). I love this player - very natural sounding. Still plays everything I put in it save for a couple of CD's that seem to have given up the ghost (cd rot?). Sounds wonderful on RBCD and SACD (stereo only). Never even thought about replacing it or upgrading. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will keep working for a while.
Thanks! for sharing- krisjan.
I really like the Esoteric spinners for SACD playback only.
I did not want to miss a (potentially) better player in the Marantz!
SA 11s2 here. Works perfectly, sounds great. Why do you ask?
I wanted to get a census on how much (or not) you guys like the Limited/Special Editions of these machines. And wether or not you find them to be of good value for your dollar. Every so many years, the chief designer-Ken Ishiwah- releases one of the models w/ upgraded caps, resistors...etc.
I seem to recall that the Ken Ishiwata Special Edition modifications are not necessarily available in all markets. Historically Marantz seem to have made them available mainly in the UK or (other) European markets.This policy appears to continue. A (the?) current "Special Edition " player here in the UK is a version of the SA-14S1. However only the plain vanilla variety appears in the Marantz USA catalogue as far as I can see.
Regarding their players in general, my best friend runs an SA-8005 which I find to be very good sounding indeed and which also offers high value IMO (using UK price comparisons).
Edits: 02/06/16
I'm using a SA-11S3. It's quite nice. Haven't had it that long, so I'm still getting a feel for it.
Jack
Guys-
anyone using Audioquest cabling w/ your Marantz spinners?
Which models?
TY- Jack.
I had a Marantz SA-17 years ago and have subsequently bought a SA8005 modified by The Upgrade Company. It has the standard modifications + 3 Bybee Purifiers. It sounds much better than the SA-17 and cost a total of $1,798.00. The Upgrade Company also modifies the more expensive Marantz players.
Make that SA-14.
TY- duck.
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