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RE: Marantz SA-10si Reviewed

3 months in and delighted with the SA10-S1. By any measure this is an outstanding SACD player and has fully justified my gamble in buying without trying.

Using DSD recorded SACD as data source, the sound from this player is almost indescribably realistic. I can find no flaw in its presentation. Suddenly, all the hi fi characteristics that we have used to pinpoint the gains and shortfalls of all previous players are consigned to the bin. This player in this mode plays music as it should be heard.

The sense of presence is uncanny. Stereo only or not and we will argue that one until the cows come home, this system lights up the back wall of your listening room and the room itself in a way most of us have never experienced before. There is no sense that the sound you hear is coming from the boxes in front of you. In essence it creates its own hall ambience that renders mch almost unnecessary, it is truly difficult to imagine what else could be added by the 5-channel experience in a small room listening in the near field.

Musicians are arrayed in front of you, each player or section exactly in its place and firmly glued to the floor. You can literally listen to any section you choose or prefer and follow their tunes and this effect can be startling even if you think you know a piece of music well. Often you just do not appreciate all of the details that go to make the whole even in concert but boy does this player educate! Nothing is missing. This is musical heaven on Earth.

It is less accommodating on PCM recorded SACD even 'though the player reads a DSD signal from the disc. Sadly the damage has been done in the PCM mode with frequency cut offs at 48kHz and up depending on mode chosen by the recording engineers. The transcription into SACD for the Super Audio disc format cannot turn lead into gold. Images are far less precise and stable and the soundstage is always limited in width to between the speakers (at least on my system) although some DXD recordings approach the DSD standard but the latest DSD throughout recordings are simply sublime to hear.

This is the best SACD player yet in my experience and not by a small margin. It is head and shoulders above the SA7-S1 and all its high end offspring like the SA11-S3 and SA14 SE. Marantz have produced a real gem, a musical marvel that will satisfy even the most demanding of listeners.

This is no background music player by he way. You must really love sitting down, clearing your mind and listening to music for an hour or two without distraction. If you have that level of dedication then the £6K investment is well worth the candle. In fact that is only the same level of dedication needed to get off one's backside and go listen to a live performance!



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