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Hi, before I go too far down the road trying to pick up some balanced IC's, do owners of the SA 11s1 find a meaningful difference between balanced and unbalanced outputs? If you do, what XLR IC's are a good value?
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I have a Marantz SA-11S1 for over a year, I would say it's good, and "Balance" connection is the best.Meanwhile, I would like to seek advise, it just started to have disc read problem with "DSD" layer - displayed "can't read". Say, with 5 hybrid discs, 1 disc can read all tracks O.K., 3 discs displayed "can't read", 1 disc can read tracks 1-3 and 5-12 but stopped and display "can't read" at track "4". Those SACDs are in good conditon (no scratches or dirts, and worked well in my Universal Players) and from "Red Rose", "Linn", Proprios.... . Meanwhile, all Red Book CDs works fine.
Anyone has same experience ? and tell what should I try (clean laser head ?) before sending to Marantz Service Centre.
I have probably the exact same problem with my SA-11S1. I don't think there's much you can do except send the unit to a servicer. I haven't done so yet, but got a first tentative diagnosis from the local authorized Marantz servicer, who thinks that there is some kind of a laser servo problem combined with a possible mech damper failure (my unit also has started to vibrate way too much than it should when playing certain cd's).My problems seem to involve hybrid/dual layer SADSs only, though at least once I had the same loading problem (read error at the outset) with a redbook cd, too.
You can find old discussions on this forum by searching for "read error" or my name if interested in the exact pathology of my unit.
Good luck. I would just email/call a servicer first and then send the machine over. Irritating, and if the tentative diagnosis is correct for my machine, will cost about $200 to fix.
I bought a CD Cleaner (CD with small bristles), in order to see improvement. After cleaning (by playing specific track), it messes, all SACDs "can't play", even Redbook CDs became 50/50 !I thought, I need to send the SA11S1 to service centre, but, it will cost me hundreds bucks !!! So, I decided to try to do something first, see what's wrong with the laser lens. Upon removal of top cover and transport cover, damn ! I saw the extra dirts & paints on the lens created by the CD cleaner bristles, terrible !!! I use small amount of Alcohol with cotton bud to clean the len, and put back everything. Then, all CDs & SACDs read O.K. !
Yes and XLO Signature or Luminous Audio Sync. Sig used of course. The SA11S1 inverts absolute polarity on it's XLR outs. You may not be able to hear the difference but it was very easy to swap the pins around on my XLO cables. Balanced out really takes this machine to a whole nuther level. With the unbalanced connections I could not tell any real diffence between the SA11S1 and the Sony 777 ('s).
I am really surprised you heard no difference between the Marantz and the Sony SCD 777-ES. I owned the firmer for 5 years and replaced it with te SA11S1 and found the Marantz way more relaxed, musical, resolving of the micro-dynamics, without the slight hardness of the Sony. Have you played with the filter and other settings? I found Filter 2 is for me most of the time.
Eh, that's not really what I said. Using the balanced outputs of the Marantz with the cables tweaked to get the polarity right, the SA11S1 pushes the Sony out of the way. Much more relaxed, warm and musical. My Sony's are long gone. Can't wait to hear the SA71S1.
Try to find out whether or not the "balanced" outputs are truly balanced (i.e., directly derived from a fully balanced analog output circuit) or are they instead derived by adding additional circuitry downstream from the single-ended outputs. If the output is truly balanced, then and only then might there be some benefit in obtaining balanced ICs. Sadly, most CD/SACD players that bear balanced outputs derive them by the latter method described above. e.g., Sony, older Accuphase units, etc.
Can anyone answer Lew's question about the SA11s1's balanced implementation?
It's truely balanced with inverted absolute polarity.
That XLR outputs offer a "+" phase signal on Pin 2 and "-" phase signal on Pin 3 is expected from any machine from any competent manufacturer.But what was asked, or at least what I understood to be asked was:
"Are the balanced outputs coming from a fully internally balanced signal path - or (for example) like in the SONY SCD-1 where they take an unbalanced internal signal and "balance" it with additional circuitry?
This practice is unfortunately rather common, and one that can only lower the sonic quality - even if there is a gain to be had from using a balanced connection to a (truely) balanced preamp.
x
The difference will depend equally on your pre/power combo not just the SA11-S1. If your set-up has provision for balanced input use it.
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