Hi-Rez Highway: REVIEW: Cayin (Spark) SCD-50T SACD Player by krisjan New high resolution SACD releases, players and technology.

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Model:	SCD-50T
Category:	SACD Player
Suggested Retail Price:	$1800
Description:	2-channel cd/sacd player with tube and solid state output
Manufacturer URL:	Cayin (Spark)
Manufacturer URL:	Cayin (Spark)

Review by krisjan ( A ) on February 28, 2006 at 11:34:33 IP Address: 65.90.36.214

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I originally posted my original impression of this player shortly after I got it. I now have well over 100 hours of playing time on it and thought I’d post an "official" review.

Appetizer

Some years ago, I moved from solid state (ss) amplification to an all-tube set-up (see below). The only thing missing in the chain was a tubed front end which for 5 years now has been a stock Sony SCD-777ES (with the exception of having the chip replaced under warranty to fix the noise burst problem with some SACD’s). The Sony has performed flawlessly during this time and provided a good start into the realm of SACD. I have also been reasonably satisfied with the cd playback of the Sony player. Nevertheless, I knew that there was more to be had in terms of harmonic realism and so I have been thinking about switching to another front end player. My bias for tubes greatly played into this search. When I saw the specs for the Cayin SCD-50T player, I was intrigued since it offered both ss and tubed outputs. In researching this player, I found that it is available from at least two sources at very disparate prices. The player can be had for $1795 from Acoustic Sounds which is presumably the 110 volt version though it is not specified as such. Further, Acoustic Sounds offer the player with a 5-year parts, 3-year labor warranty. The alternate source is NY Sound (nysound.com) where the price is $995 plus a shipping cost of $165 (ships direct from China). When I first looked at the player on the NY Sound web site, there was no indication of the player voltage requirement. I sent an email asking and didn’t get a response. Also, there was only a 1-year warranty being offered. With the large difference in price, I decided to take a chance on the NY Sound offer. Shortly after placing my order, I went back to the web site and noticed that they had now added that the player was set up for 220 v operation much to my dismay. I sent another email and got a response this time – they were sending a voltage converter along with the player so there would be no problem operating it in the US. “Ok, we’ll see” I thought.

They claim 2-3 business day DHL delivery. It actually took about six days (after waiting about a week for the product to become available to ship). It arrived extremely well packed and in excellent shape (along with a second package containing the voltage transformer). A few more notes on the features of this player. In addition to the dual ss/tube outputs, it also provides a feature that downmixes a multichannel SACD to two channels if one chooses to do that (selectable from the heavy, multi-function aluminum remote). The default is the standard 2-channel mix when inserting an SACD. The disk drawer is smooth and somewhat slow but it is quiet in operation. The disk loads much more quickly than the Sony. The display sits below the drawer and one can choose several levels of brightness from the remote. It is large enough to see well from my listening position (about 9 feet away). Note that the player manual sent was in Chinese but you can download an English version from the web.

The remote is milled from an aluminum block and has all the functionality you could want. The buttons and labels are small so one has to get used to where certain functions are in order to operate it efficiently. I could not initially figure out how the batteries can be changed since there is no obvious battery compartment. It turns out that there are screws located under small rubber pads on the back of the remote (adhered by some type of adhesive) which would have to be removed to access the batteries. This is a bit clumsy and I don’t know if the rubber pads will re-adhere after being removed. I’ll find out in a few years when the batteries need replacing.

Main Course

I installed the player and ran it initially for about 50 hours straight (mostly not listening during this time) to allow things to burn in and see if there would be any issue with early failure. It has worked perfectly during this burn-in time and since. I now have logged well over 100 hrs on the player in the 2 ½ months I’ve owned it. Much of my evaluative listening has been with SACD and I have been quite impressed with the sound of the player especially through the tubed output section. I have traditionally used the 3rd movement of Shostakovich’s 8th symphony as a good acid test because the various orchestra sections are displayed well in this movement. I used the recent Wigglesworth/BIS release. The Cayin player offers a more realistic string sound compared to the Sony. There is more meat on the bones and overtones are ripe (like they are live). When switching to the ss output, the player sounded less real (quite similar to the Sony, really) but still OK. To me, this is the trademark difference between tubes and ss and it does reveal itself in this player. The ss sound was just a bit more sterile and less harmonically rich The Vivaldi/La Stravaganza SACD from Channel possessed a realistic soundstage and proper “bite” of the period strings. This is a great demo SACD for period strings and the Cayin handled it very well. Again, in ss output, the result was less involving but still musical. BTW, there are no deleterious effects from using the voltage transformer with this player.

I also listened to several SACD’s using the downmix option. One thing to note is that the playback level drops substantially in this mode (I’m not sure why that is). Also, the soundstage receeded significantly in this mode, even after adjusting for the volume difference. I would not recommend this mode of play unless, of course, the disk does not have a 2-channel track (I don’t have such an SACD in my collection).

I also did the “next room” test by playing the BIS/Beethoven/Kempf release of several famous Beethoven piano sonatas and listening from an adjoining room. I could almost be convinced that there was a Yamaha grand playing in that room (almost). The sound was full and realistic, transients being precise with terrific dynamics.

The Mendelssohn string quintets on Bis sounded excellent (do you get the idea that I love Bis recording?). On the Sony, this recording sounds a bit recessed with too much hall resonance (something I’ve found from time to time on Bis chamber music recordings). On the Cayin, however, the ensemble was more upfront in the soundstage while retaining a natural, sweet string tone in a convincing hall ambience. This was a real pleasant surprise and bodes well for the future of this player. The Schubert string quintet on Praga (SACD with a native DSD master) is outstandingly realistic in string timbres. Here the beauty of dsd mastering is fully demonstrated.

I have listened to many classical cd’s on the Cayin (I have several thousand CD’s so they claim most of my listening time). I have not been disappointed here either although I do prefer the sound delivered by SACD. I would also rank this player as superior to the Sony on cd, something I attribute to the tubed output. Very listenable – in fact, enjoyable and musical.

Dessert

Although I’ve not had the player for a long time yet, at the moment I am excited about what this player delivers. I do have some concerns but they are related to longevity and warranty about which I cannot yet comment. If this player holds up as well as the Sony I have to conclude that it is a major bargain in audiophilia. I have popped the top on the player and have conrinued to use the stock tubes up to now (the 12AU7 is Chinese and the two 6922’s are ElectroHarmonix). I assume that some tube rolling could also be beneficial but I’m in no hurry to swap out the tubes. The player has never failed to load and play any cd/sacd that I’ve put into it. The switch to a fully-tubed playback chain has played out as I had hoped. Nothing beats the live event but this takes me a step closer. I could listen to this player (especially in SACD mode) for hours on end. That’s a sweet dessert!

Mark

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Product Weakness:	Sourced from China so warranty may be an issue depending and where it is purchased; longevity still to be determined
Product Strengths:	Tube output is sweet and musical sounding with both SACD and cd playback; appears to be well-built

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Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	ASL Explorer SET monoblocks
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Sonic Frontiers Line 1
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Cayin SCD-50T
Speakers:	Spendor SP-1/2e
Cables/Interconnects:	Audioquest (various)
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Classical - 95%
Room Size (LxWxH):	13 x 12 x 8
Room Comments/Treatments:	none
Time Period/Length of Audition:	3 months
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Sunfire True sub; Monster 5100 power conditioner
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

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