SACD recommends........
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Printed Date: 20 Apr 2024 at 10:59am
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Topic: SACD recommends........
Posted By: ROMPerformance
Subject: SACD recommends........
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2016 at 3:36pm
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Happy new year all. Looking for a decent SACD player, somewhere between £600-£1000. Recommends and opinions gratefully received  ------------- Francis :0) Majestic DAC, Proprii, Solo ULDE, Voyager, Libran, Lautus, Spatia,, Cyrus CD XT SE2, Cyrus PSX-R, Sennheiser HD 800 and 540 Ref2, Harbeth SHL5 |
Replies:
Posted By: morris_minor
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2016 at 5:09pm
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How about an Oppo Blu-Ray universal player?
------------- Bob Majestic DAC/pre-amp Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V Solo ULDE, Novo, Lautus USB and digital, Libran balanced, CuSat50 2 x Proprius + Spatia/Spatia Links |
Posted By: ROMPerformance
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2016 at 7:41pm
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It looks a great device if i wanted the Bluray with the added flexibility however, my preference is for a device that just does exactly what i want and nothing more so i think i really just want a high quality SACD player that is going to go well with a Maj DAC. I may well be in the market for a Bluray player in due course and the Oppo you've pointed out looks a great bit of kit. ------------- Francis :0) Majestic DAC, Proprii, Solo ULDE, Voyager, Libran, Lautus, Spatia,, Cyrus CD XT SE2, Cyrus PSX-R, Sennheiser HD 800 and 540 Ref2, Harbeth SHL5 |
Posted By: morris_minor
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2016 at 8:11pm
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The Oppo players seem well regarded, and their multi format capability gives a large measure of future proofing, especially if this is true: http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/sacd-owners-beware.479453/ ------------- Bob Majestic DAC/pre-amp Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V Solo ULDE, Novo, Lautus USB and digital, Libran balanced, CuSat50 2 x Proprius + Spatia/Spatia Links |
Posted By: ROMPerformance
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2016 at 8:37pm
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There's no reason for another manufacturer somewhere in the far east not to copy said chip by means fair or foul. It will probably happen anyway if it hasn't already. The Chinese could certainly make a very high quality premium copy any time they wanted but to be true to the original they could just licence the IP from Sony and get it bang on. Alternatively i don't think it would be too difficult to personally track down and purchase a few of these chips or alternative equivalent components from other well known manufacturers through broadline component distributors like Farnell and RS, for your personal stash. ------------- Francis :0) Majestic DAC, Proprii, Solo ULDE, Voyager, Libran, Lautus, Spatia,, Cyrus CD XT SE2, Cyrus PSX-R, Sennheiser HD 800 and 540 Ref2, Harbeth SHL5 |
Posted By: Chris Firth
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2016 at 9:03pm
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You do realise that you won't be able to play DSD via the Majestic, don't you? |
Posted By: Drewan77
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2016 at 9:31pm
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I have been using a Yamaha CD-S2000 for a couple of years (I found it locally from a Gumtree seller & paid £430!). 1. As a CD transport via Lautus coax into a Majestic DAC. 2. For SACD into the Majestic analogue input (pass through) via a Lautus stereo RCA pair. I like the fact that it is a pure 2 channel SACD player without the extra multi channel processing. This sounds excellent playing both formats and is also a beautifully manufactured piece of kit - for instance the disc tray is very solid and smooth as silk in operation. When I played CDs via the inbuilt DAC, this was detailed and nice sounding but rather laid back and 'lazy', however I never intended using it as a stand alone CD player so this was of no consequence. ------------- Older than I once was, younger than I'll be ............................. Andrew |
Posted By: ROMPerformance
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2016 at 9:33pm
Several expletives come to mind now, and the word bugger! Scrub the SACD route, still room for a really decent CD player though. I didn't realise the Maj DAC didn't do DSD. I thought i'd read the spec thoroughly, my bad.  OK......... CD player between £600-£1000 that will meld well with the MAj DAC. ------------- Francis :0) Majestic DAC, Proprii, Solo ULDE, Voyager, Libran, Lautus, Spatia,, Cyrus CD XT SE2, Cyrus PSX-R, Sennheiser HD 800 and 540 Ref2, Harbeth SHL5 |
Posted By: Richardl60
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2016 at 9:40pm
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I have a Leema Antila for sale shortly as new, in the price range you outline. Richard |
Posted By: ROMPerformance
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2016 at 9:57pm
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HI Richard, Which version is it? ------------- Francis :0) Majestic DAC, Proprii, Solo ULDE, Voyager, Libran, Lautus, Spatia,, Cyrus CD XT SE2, Cyrus PSX-R, Sennheiser HD 800 and 540 Ref2, Harbeth SHL5 |
Posted By: Richardl60
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2016 at 10:46pm
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Hi it is silver and a mark 1. My brother bought if from new and had it upgraded under its 5 year warranty to latest firmware before I bought off him about 2 years ago. I bought a mark 2s Eco from eBay in early/mid 2015. The main reason I haven't sold so far is that I wanted to be fully convinced the later version is preferred. On balance I think it is, the mark 1 bass to me is a little leaner more punchy and tighter and I do miss that. Please let me know if want more info. Orig box manual & remote. Richard |
Posted By: Richardl60
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2016 at 10:50pm
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Ps I think was around £3k when new . . . Richard |
Posted By: ROMPerformance
Date Posted: 01 Jan 2016 at 10:54pm
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PM me a price, cheers. ------------- Francis :0) Majestic DAC, Proprii, Solo ULDE, Voyager, Libran, Lautus, Spatia,, Cyrus CD XT SE2, Cyrus PSX-R, Sennheiser HD 800 and 540 Ref2, Harbeth SHL5 |
Posted By: Stewboss
Date Posted: 02 Jan 2016 at 10:16am
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You can still go down the SACD route with the Majestic dac or any other dac for that matter. Mr Wicked over at the ComputerAudiophile forums has a solution involving an old PS3 and custom firmware which allows you to rip the DSD files which can then be converted to PCM. He is also working on a more elegant solution which you can register for. This is currently the only way to rip SACD content in the public domain. I have done this and can confirm that it works well. PM me if you need further info  ------------- Equipment choices: Playstation 3 SACD, Bitzie DAC, Meridian Explorer DAC, Lautus USB cable, HD250-II, HD650 |
Posted By: ROMPerformance
Date Posted: 02 Jan 2016 at 2:11pm
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Cheers for that ------------- Francis :0) Majestic DAC, Proprii, Solo ULDE, Voyager, Libran, Lautus, Spatia,, Cyrus CD XT SE2, Cyrus PSX-R, Sennheiser HD 800 and 540 Ref2, Harbeth SHL5 |
Posted By: ROMPerformance
Date Posted: 06 Jan 2016 at 4:59pm
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OK, here's the score....... I have a couple of options now on CD players. Used Leema Antila Mk1 in original box and i'm told excellent condition, with original bits and bobs at about 8yrs old - £650 Used Leema Antila IIs Eco, 24mths manufacturer warranty, Free delivery, under a year old, maybe only months old - £1500. Expensive stuff being sold used doesn't worry me ever, a lot of it has being lovingly cared for with no expense spared, and the equipment has been run in for you so should be sounding it's best. Either way they both look to be good CD players so..... Which one? ------------- Francis :0) Majestic DAC, Proprii, Solo ULDE, Voyager, Libran, Lautus, Spatia,, Cyrus CD XT SE2, Cyrus PSX-R, Sennheiser HD 800 and 540 Ref2, Harbeth SHL5 |
Posted By: LOINER
Date Posted: 06 Jan 2016 at 5:05pm
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It probably comes down to the size of your pocket. I am not conversant with either machine so can't comment from that point of view. ------------- STUART SOLO ULTRA LINEAR DIAMOND EDITION LAUTUS DUAL MONO 1.5M INTERCONNECTS GRAM AMP 2SE |
Posted By: Aussie Mick
Date Posted: 06 Jan 2016 at 8:45pm
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Having heard both, the mkII is better and the eco touch is nice. However, Leema stuff is built like a tank and will probably be the cockroach CD spinner of choice post-apocalypse, begging the question, is the mkII worth that much more to you? I'd if you're after your least ever player, I'd go the MkII though, as I'd assume all things being equal it will be around longer than the older player. MICK. ------------- Rega RP8 - Apheta 2 - Accession MC Enigma PS -Solo ULDE (Focal Utopia) - PS Audio M700 - Fical Kanta No2 |
Posted By: ROMPerformance
Date Posted: 08 Jan 2016 at 10:32am
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I've just spotted another player - Rega Saturn-R. Does anyone have one of these or used one before that can offer some thoughts on this player. ------------- Francis :0) Majestic DAC, Proprii, Solo ULDE, Voyager, Libran, Lautus, Spatia,, Cyrus CD XT SE2, Cyrus PSX-R, Sennheiser HD 800 and 540 Ref2, Harbeth SHL5 |
Posted By: ROMPerformance
Date Posted: 08 Jan 2016 at 12:12pm
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Could i have your votes for the following players please with any comments you might have about your choice/s..... Leema Antila MkI (Used) £650 Leema Antila MkIIS Eco (Used) £1500 Roksan K3 CD Di (New) £1300 Cyrus CDi (New) £995 Rega Saturn R (New) £1598 This is the shortlist ------------- Francis :0) Majestic DAC, Proprii, Solo ULDE, Voyager, Libran, Lautus, Spatia,, Cyrus CD XT SE2, Cyrus PSX-R, Sennheiser HD 800 and 540 Ref2, Harbeth SHL5 |
Posted By: Aussie Mick
Date Posted: 08 Jan 2016 at 12:58pm
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Seeing as though you'll be running it into your Majestic to perform DAC duties, why not just get the Cyrus? They have a really good reputation as transports and you won't be worrying about the internal DAC quality. Indeed, they still build a specialist transport, so you don't need to pay for the DAC and analogue output sections. Mick. ------------- Rega RP8 - Apheta 2 - Accession MC Enigma PS -Solo ULDE (Focal Utopia) - PS Audio M700 - Fical Kanta No2 |
Posted By: Chris Firth
Date Posted: 08 Jan 2016 at 1:27pm
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Without trawling through the thread to see if it has been mentioned, have you thought about getting a Pioneer PDS703? They're really decent transports, and they're fairly bomb proof too, and above all cheap. You can also turn off things like the analogue outputs and the display from buttons on the front of the unit. |
Posted By: morris_minor
Date Posted: 08 Jan 2016 at 1:40pm
 ------------- Bob Majestic DAC/pre-amp Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V Solo ULDE, Novo, Lautus USB and digital, Libran balanced, CuSat50 2 x Proprius + Spatia/Spatia Links |
Chris Firth wrote:Posted By: ROMPerformance
Date Posted: 08 Jan 2016 at 1:47pm
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I used to have many, many years ago a Pioneer system with 'legato link'. Whilst it sounded fine i kept having awful problems with the fluorescent displays dying on it. They woukd get dimmer and dimmer and then so faint you could hardly see any of it. After the third time the displays were replaced i sold it. Not a fan of Pioneer so won't be finding it's way into my collection. ------------- Francis :0) Majestic DAC, Proprii, Solo ULDE, Voyager, Libran, Lautus, Spatia,, Cyrus CD XT SE2, Cyrus PSX-R, Sennheiser HD 800 and 540 Ref2, Harbeth SHL5 |
Posted By: BackinBlack
Date Posted: 08 Jan 2016 at 2:43pm
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Based on my recent experience, the Cambridge CXC transport at £300 comes very close to the Cyrus CDt. Vickers HiFi have factory reprocessed Cyrus CDt for £599. ------------- Just listen, if it sounds good to you, enjoy it. |
Posted By: ROMPerformance
Date Posted: 08 Jan 2016 at 4:18pm
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Ian, I'm eyeing up the CDi on the Vickers site as we speak, it has a DAC that would come in handy temporarily to drive a pair of Proprius, the prices on these ex-demo bits are good. Also considering the CD XT Signature being advertised as well although i would definitely have to have the Maj Dac with that. I'm actually still quite keen on the used Leema Antila IIS Eco, again comes with an integral DAC which is real handy for the interim till i sort a Maj Dac, who knows, i might really like the built in DAC on the Eco. I've not heard one before so no idea of the sound and it will be a leap of informed faith like my purchase of the ULDE to run the HD 800s. Head was saying yes as well as the heart and that's a similar feeling i'm getting for the Eco's. I'd love to be persuaded otherwise, maybe i've missed something. ------------- Francis :0) Majestic DAC, Proprii, Solo ULDE, Voyager, Libran, Lautus, Spatia,, Cyrus CD XT SE2, Cyrus PSX-R, Sennheiser HD 800 and 540 Ref2, Harbeth SHL5 |
Posted By: ROMPerformance
Date Posted: 09 Jan 2016 at 4:23pm
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Update....... Leema Antila IIS Eco - about to be purchased. To be connected optically to the DAC. MaJ Dac - Will drive the proprius, link my HTC M9's music player, and drive the ULDE. I might add a nice DAB player later on this year. Proprius x 2 - Part of next weeks major spend to include the Maj DAC. 2 x Lautus 1/4" Phono to XLR dual mono cables - 5Mtrs 2 x Lautus phono to phono dual mono cables 1.5Mtrs 1 x USB Audio 1.2Mtrs I just need some speakers. And the shortlist is......... PMC Twenty 21 on nice stands ATC SMC 11 or 19 on nice stands This lot should hopefully make for a decent sounding good quality hifi that should keep me happy for a good long time to come. I think i've done OK on the mix of gear for my first foray into the higher end of the market. ------------- Francis :0) Majestic DAC, Proprii, Solo ULDE, Voyager, Libran, Lautus, Spatia,, Cyrus CD XT SE2, Cyrus PSX-R, Sennheiser HD 800 and 540 Ref2, Harbeth SHL5 |
Posted By: LeviZ
Date Posted: 01 Jun 2020 at 4:45pm
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Just in case anyone navigated here for SACD player recommendation, I found Yamaha CD-S1000 to be a solid build one.
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