RE: what scares me about this stuff...

Posted by Mudshark (A) on May 4, 2012 at 08:56:57

In Reply to: what scares me about this stuff... posted by Lew on May 4, 2012 at 08:17:23:

Lew -- I have not heard the Esoteric SA-50 and I am not claiming the Denon DCD-A100 sounds better. I just thought I would point out, since I gather you do your own mods, that there is what appears to be a relatively simple mod that (reportedly) improves the sound of the SA-50 and that this mod happens to be installing the same dac chip that comes stock in the Denon DCD-A100.

The Esoteric SA-50 is $4K at Music Direct (and they have one left at last report). The Denon, by contrast, is $1.5K. Is the SA-50 worth $2.5K more? Impossible for me to say, but the Denon sounds so amazing in stock form that, if you threw an additional $2.5K at it in the form of aftermarket AC and RCA cords as well as resonance control (and possibly mods?), I bet it would at least hold its own against an SA-50.

And yes, the Denon DCD-A100 has digital inputs. The back panel has coaxial and Toslink inputs (see picture, below), and the front panel has a USB input, although AFAICT the USB input will NOT work with a computer. Rather, it's for an iPod or similar device.

But, if your Mac has an optical output, you could use that into the Denon's Toslink input right up to 24/192 and achieve excellent results. I am using a Squeezebox Touch into the Denon's coaxial input and have been very impressed with the sound. Formerly, I was running the SB Touch into a W4S DAC-2.

Not yet having formally shot the Denon out against the W4S, I am not prepared to say one sounds better than the other. From memory, though, I would say they are different flavors, but in the same league (although the W4S has the clear advantages of XLR outputs and variable volume and balance controls).

As I was typing the above, it occurred to me that, for the price of the SA-50, you could buy a DCD-A100 AND a W4S DAC-2, get the best of both worlds, and still have @ $1K left over for cables, software, etc.!

Good luck with your decision, and please let us know how you make out.

Denon DCD-A100 back panel (Open in New Window)

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - need 2-channel, audio-only CDP/SACDP - Lew 07:32:05 05/03/12 (26)

Ayre C5-xeMP - RLF 15:31:43 05/18/12 (0)

RE: need 2-channel, audio-only CDP/SACDP - classicalmusiclover 20:03:17 05/03/12 (2)

RE: need 2-channel, audio-only CDP/SACDP - audio39 04:53:39 05/09/12 (0)

Wow! - Lew 06:54:32 05/04/12 (0)

Esoteric SA-50 - Acesn8s 13:28:34 05/03/12 (6)

RE: Esoteric SA-50 - Lew 18:53:39 05/03/12 (5)

RE: Esoteric SA-50 - Mudshark 07:07:53 05/04/12 (2)

what scares me about this stuff... - Lew 08:17:23 05/04/12 (1)

RE: what scares me about this stuff... - Mudshark 08:56:57 05/04/12 (0)

RE: Esoteric SA-50 - Acesn8s 06:15:43 05/04/12 (1)

That does help... - Lew 06:39:24 05/04/12 (0)

Denon DCD-A100 - Mudshark 12:48:35 05/03/12 (2)

+1 - mbnx01 08:57:23 05/04/12 (1)

RE: +1 - Lew 08:24:10 05/05/12 (0)

RE: need 2-channel, audio-only CDP/SACDP - Frank I 11:58:35 05/03/12 (10)

Thanks - Lew 12:13:04 05/03/12 (9)

RE: Thanks - Dave Pogue 05:10:17 05/04/12 (2)

Thanks, Dave - Lew 06:46:17 05/04/12 (1)

RE: Thanks, Dave - Dave Pogue 07:08:53 05/04/12 (0)

RE: Thanks - Mahler and Bach 12:17:41 05/03/12 (5)

RE: Thanks - Lew 13:18:59 05/03/12 (4)

RE: Accuphase, what else? - JohanV 02:57:30 05/04/12 (2)

RE: Accuphase, what else? - SnaggS 04:59:41 05/12/12 (1)

RE: Accuphase, what else? - JohanV 00:31:06 05/17/12 (0)

RE: Thanks - Frank I 14:04:40 05/03/12 (0)

RE: need 2-channel, audio-only CDP/SACDP - Frank I 11:56:48 05/03/12 (0)

Follow Ups

RE: what scares me about this stuff... - Mudshark 08:56:57 05/04/12 (0)

RE: what scares me about this stuff...

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