Sound quality unlike any other available, High quality construction, access to lengendary recordings and artists

Paucity of software

I would like to share my comments on the Sony SCD-1 SACD/CD
player which I have had now for almost 5 weeks. I have been
revamping my entire audio system for the past 6 months. All the
additions have resulted in overall improvement to my systems
sound, but none have had the unmistakable impact as the SCD-1. I had not seriously considered purchasing a SACD player, at least not right away. But then I stumbled on an offer that I could not refuse.

I am an event videographer by occupation who regularly
purchases professional Sony video gear, 3 chip cameras, studio VCR’s etc. It suddenly dawned on me that my regular Sony Professional distributor may have access to the SCD-1 or 777 ES, which I was only casually interested in at the time. Or at least he may know where I could audition one. The distributor had no idea what it was (his emphasis is strictly video). But guess what? A computer search found a SCD-1 in their own inventory!

He told me that if I wanted it I could have it for what it
cost him; $3032; that’s right almost $2000 below list price.
I couldn’t believe it and asked him to ship it right away.
As CD players go the SCD-1 is a behemoth, weighing in at
almost 60 pounds. It "looked" like it was going to sound good. The player came with two sample CDs, one from Telarc, the other from Sony. I naturally played the Telarc first because that label, in my opinion, has earned a reputation of striving to make good faithful recordings. The Telarc sampler sounded good enough, as good or better as the best CDs that I own, but not that much better. I believe the problem here was that the music was so uninteresting that it was really difficult to make a fair evaluation. And while the Telarc recordings were dual layered, that is, they
contained both regular CD and SACD recordings of the
identical performances you really could not A/B them
because it takes about 20 seconds to switch back and forth.
So I reluctantly turned to the Sony sampler, which consisted
a mix of performances that were originally recorded 35 and
40 years ago. As one who as always shied away from old
Columbia recordings (and "historical" recordings in general)
due to some bad experiences with very bad pressings and tape
hiss, my expectations were not high at all. You guest it.
These old recordings are stunners. I could not believe that
late 50’s and early 60 recordings could possibly sound so
real. Of course, it does not hurt that the performances
are from some of the all time legendary music makers, Bruno
Walter, Leonard Bernstein Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, etc.
One could argue, sound not withstanding, the massive Sony
catalog of some of the all time classics is worth the price
of admission to SACD. I have since purchased 8 other SACDs.

But about the sound; first of all it really helps to have some recent live music experiences when listening to the initial SACD offerings. That experience will help you to differientiate the not so musical weaknesses of the very old recordings (such as tape hiss) from the real musical treasures that are readily apparent on these discs. I am not about to say that SACDs sound "live". Audiophiles have been saying that about leading edge technology since the Twenties. I recently read a reprint of an old AR 1 review in which the reviewer claimed the speaker reminded him of being at a live performance. But even these SACD of old recordings are a giant step closer toward the replication of a live performance that I have ever experienced(except perhaps a 30ips mastertape). And the performances are amazing. Bruno Walter turns in a "killer" performance of Beethoven’s 5th, a work I had not listened to for several years because the recordings I have seem pedestrian.

Probably due to the microphone techniques of the era
(for better or worse). There is an immediacy to some
of the recordings that you just simply have never
experienced conventional CD and vinyl. As an event
videographer I have videotaped numerous music events
or events that have live music. But the SACDs I listened
to curiously reminded me of the Moon Festival in San
Francisco’s Chinatown we videotaped last fall. I stood
in the middle of Grant street as the marching bands
literally marched around me. I was in the middle of it
all. Well, some of the old Columbia SACD recordings give me
a similar reach-out-and-touch/in-yo-face immediacy. I am
not at all suggesting that the SACD were *that* live. But
I am saying that they are the only recordings, including
direct-to-disc, and the very best conventional CDs and
vinyl that I have experienced which remind me of or come
close to that type of visceral experience. This in spite
of the fact that the tape hiss (clearly the Achilles heel
of the format with old recordings) on some of these
recordings is more pronounced that ever before, and
can be intrusive during quite passages.

For example, you can easily hear the fingering of the
wind instruments and nuances of bass and brass, and
what I am almost certain are musician page turns, chair
squeaks, musician grunts, etc. You get the good, the bad,
and the ugly. I could dismiss Glen Gold’s grunts and moans
heard in the old Columbia vinyl but, too me, they are way
too much with these SACD recordings. I have heard similar
miscellaneous sounds on some of the very best recorded
conventional CDs, especially jazz CDs. But I have never
heard such sounds anything where approaching this level
of detail on a conventional orchestral CD or LP. With SACD
they are no longer nuances; they are a starkly heard part
of the listening experience.

On the Sony Sampler jazz performances from Miles Davis’
"Kind of Blue", Weather Reports "Heavy Weather" and Herbie
Hancock’s "Headhunters" are absolutely stunning. You
have to go to Oakland’s Yoshi’s jazz club to hear the
music more authentically. Yeah, I know audiophiles have
been making similar statements since the invention of the
gramophone and to that extent I may be guilty of some
exaggeration. But these SACD recordings *do* bring you
far closer than to the real deal than conventional CDs
or LPs. And to imagine we are talking about recordings
primarily from the late 50’s and early 60s.

I was really curious what my teenage son would think.
He has never really shown an appreciation for high
quality sound; his Panasonic boom box, which is tuned
(bass turned all the way up) for solely Hip Hop suits
him just fine. His live music experience is limited
primarily to church services on Sundays. (But come
to think of it that is probably more than most).
After only a few minutes of listening he began
uttering phrases that have never come forth from
him before (or since). Phrases such as "air around
the instruments", and "depth of sound stage" and
other audiophilnisque terminology. He mentioned that
when he turned his back to the speakers that it sounded
more lifelike than some of my old recordings. Being a born
again audiophile my subscriptions to all my audio magazines
had expired years ago, so my son did not get these phrases from them. Likewise, I am not inclined to use these phrases. He was really describing what he heard and *saw*.

But it is also important to note that he went right back to his boom box, happy as a clam. The high quality of SACDs is simply not important to him. He, like others I have shared the experience with, clearly hear the difference between CDs and SACDs but to them CDs are "good enough". That is, but one of the reasons this higher priced alternative may have a tough time making it in the market place.

I am anxiously awaiting the release of newly recorded material for SACD. Because while the old Columbia recordings exceed conventional CDs and LPs in overall sound quality, the dynamics, while impressive still fall short of the best
CDs and LPs. Tape hiss is probably the main culprit which
robs some of these recordings of their dynamic range potential, so the difference between the very quite passages and the loudest passages is compromised. Plus today recording engineers, I assume, are better able to capture the visceral impact of the deepest bass. I see where Delos will be releasing Mahler’s Symphony #2 performed Andrew Litton and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. I hope this is at least a good performance. Those of you that have experienced live even a decent performance of this symphony know its sheer power. At its conclusion your knees are literally weak as both listeners and performers gather themselves. I really want to see how DSD (Dual Stream Digital) and the SACD format captures a modern symphonic recording of that magnitude. Is anyone familiar with Litton’s Mahler Symphony #2? I see where some Telarcs are being released with the DSD insignia. If the performances are decent I will be first in line for the SACD releases.

That brings to mind another issue; the ability of loudspeakers to deal with SACD at its full potential. I have always believed that a chief failing of loudspeakers, especially those costing less than, say, $5,000-$7,000, is the lack of wide ranging dynamics. I believe that many speakers, which perform adequately with conventional CDs and vinyl, will be hard pressed to deal with the likes of a SACD Mahler Symphony and real (I’m not talking about 1812 cannon fire) symphonic music. The vast majority of speakers will play music loud enough (too loud)with low (acceptable) levels of distortion, but heaven forbid that a solid 40 HZ or lower note makes its presence felt in the music while it is playing loud. Most loudspeaker simply can’t handle it with a well recorded conventional CD and I see them being brought to there collective knees by SACD with, say,
Romantic classical music played at levels approaching realism. Hey, it happened to me in the 80’s with the Ohm F. It could actually play fairly loud in a medium size room (3400 cubic ft)with most music, but the wider dynamics of the digital discs quickly exposed its dynamic range weaknesses. I found myself quickly learning about sub woofers, not for more bass but for more dynamic range.

Music with less dynamic range should fare better and get great benefit with most existing gear. So if you are in to popular music, and rock your current gear should be fine. I just wish some of the old R&B catalog can be made available to SACD. I would love to hear some Bobby Bland, Bobby Womack, Wilson Pickett, and Lord help me, Jackie Wilson. Don’t let me get started. Much jazz music might be tough with present speaker gear. Jazz has a lot more dynamic range than many people realize. The complex percussion of the piano and the intensity of the bass can be a killer.

As much as I have listened to SACDs during the 5 weeks I
have owned the SCD-1 most of the time I have listened to
conventional CDs. One surprise bonus of the SCD-1 was how it
sounds as a conventional CD player. Now one could argue that
I had a poor reference in the 10 year old Sony 7AXES (a 35 lb behemoth in its on right), which the SCD-1 replaced. But that is not necessarily true. In anticipation of making substantial changes to my audio system over the past year I have listened to more Wadia systems than you can shake a stick at, not to mention models from Ayre, BAT, Meridian, Legend and others. One of the high end mags said that as a CD player the SCD-1 sounded like an average "$5,000 CD player". Hey, I’ll take it. But seriously, while I can do no direct comparisons with the other high end CD players I have listened to I could not discern any substantial differences between the brands I mentioned and the Sony SCD-1 as a CD player. I must again emphasize I have made no direct comparisons. But I can make two observations with a firm certainty. The SCD-1 provided an immense and clearly audible improvement over my old Sony; that is to be expected. But it is equally apparent that the sound of the SCD-1 as a SACD player far exceeds the sound of the Ayre, BAT, Wadia, or *any* readily available source hardware I have heard,
*despite* the limitations inherent in old recordings.

Now keep in mind that I have and I have heard conventional
CDs which match or even exceed is *some* aspects the limited
number of SACD’s that I own. But that is primarily because the 35-40 year old SACD recordings can’t quite match the high and low frequency extension of *best* modern CD recordings, some of them have intrusive tape hiss and very importantly the modern recordings of conventional CD and vinyl have the significant advantage of superior microphones and microphone techniques. But that is par for the course; the very best of the old/mature technology can match or exceed the quality of the initial offerings of the new technology. But based on my listening, it is very clear that, overall SACDs exceed the quality of conventional CDs and vinyl *now* and the potential of SACD *vastly* exceeds that of conventional CDs and vinyl.

Compared to conventional CDs the quality of SACD may be
limited by the dearth of recently well recorded master tapes
to draw from. What the current SACD offerings lack compared
to CDs is more than made up in the air, depth, separation,
and overall dynamics of the recordings top to bottom and the
ability of the SACD to take the nuances or subtleties of a
recording and make them obvious.


But keep in mind, the uninitiated may too quickly pass judgment on 35-40 year old recordings based on their obvious short comings (tape hiss and obsolete microphone techniques) In fact, when I first listened to a sample and heard the tape hiss I said to myself "what’s up with this". But you can quickly see beyond the shortcomings, *especially* if you have a recent live music reference, which will help you differentiate between the wheat and the chaff. (Again, I want to emphasize that SACD with the initial offerings does not approach a live experience. Its just that it comes closer than any other stereo format to a live experience).

Does the sound quality of the SACD match the sound quality
of the original mastertape? I don’t know; I have not heard
many mastertapes. But I have never heard any readily available reproduced music which match SACD’s ability to
*intrinsically* capture the music. I can only deduce that
nothing currently available come closer to the mastertape
than SACD.

The initial SACD players and software do not realize the
full potential of the format with respect to home
theater. The format is designed to be a 6 channel format,
but is currently limited to two channels. It is my
understanding that multi channel versions of the format
(hardware and software) will not be available for another
year. So make no mistake about it, for now, SACD is intended
for the conventional stereo guy and girl; not for the home
theater types and should not be compared to those types of
formats.

I know many of you, Wadia owners in particular, run their CD systems without pre amps. I far as I can see you will not be able to do that with the SCD-1. There is no line out control. I briefly thumbed through the manual to see perhaps if it was on the remote control, but I saw no reference to one. So you will need a pre amp or at a minimum a high quality outboard volume control. Also, headphone listeners are also out of luck. Will SACD format be successful? I don’t know. I hope so. But superior sound quality is not the only criteria for success in audio. If it were the primary criteria the high end would be dominated by reel to reel decks. Economics and practicality come first, superior sound quality a very distant third or fourth in determining the success of a format. And right now there is a paucity of software. At least one of the companies that had signed on to offer SACD recordings, Mobile Fidelity, is out of business. But I understand that there are snags in bringing DVD audio to market and that might assist SACD. Who knows. And of course, there are the legions that just says CDs are good enough. (And in some ways I understand that. Even though my occupation is video I understand why consumers rejected Beta and later SVHS in favor of VHS. Also, I’m not jumping up and down about HDTV).

Also, if you jump out there now you will be laughed at and
called dirty names by many in the audiophile community (99% of whom have never heard the format and the other 1% heard it in less than a serious extended listening environment),
particularly the anti Sony segment. (The anti Sony segment
while it certainly exists in the professional video community seems far more pronounced in audio). But that is true of any of those who leap first to any new format. One can deride the format for one reason or another; almost all leading edge technology, whatever its merits, has to suffer through similar taunts. But I can assure you that the sound quality of the SCD-1 with SACD’s and even with CDs, but especially with SACD’s is excellent and offers more than just an incremental advance (SACDs). Whether you pay $5000 or $3000 and hopefully less in the near future, for a music lover who can afford the price of admission to leading edge technology that delivers now and who does not want to wait, the cost is well worth it. Even at the risk of premature obsolescence.

My current system (changing rapidly):

Nestorovic System16 speakers (satellite/sub system)
Nestorovic electronic crossover
Musical Fidelity Nu Vista 300 amp (for satellites)I have the
NuVista's for 30 day home trial period)
Electron Kinetics Eagle 400 monos (two for the sub pair)
Monster Cable speaker cable (I'm not sure what model)
Monster Cable interconnects throughout (again I'm not sure
what model)
Sony SCD-1 (Super Audio CD Player)
P.S. Audio 4.5 pre amp used in the "straight wire" (passive)
mode. (This is the next componant to be replaced)
Music Reference RM 4+ phono pre amp
Denon DP 60 turntable with Shure Type V MR (This set up will
soon be replaced

Robert C. Lang

Similar Products Used:

One of a kind; the lone ranger

Awesome industrial design that competes favorably with the best of the high-end at much greater value.No compromise here!

Slow mechanism only negative!

Evaluated as a CD player I find the unit to be compatible with the finest of systems and actually made my Mark Levinson 360s dispensible.No joke here.I consider the SACD capability to be a great bonus, not the other way around.Overcome the Sony bias of many audiophiles and discover a fabulous product.Used with top of line Nordost, Levinson 383, and M.L SL3's.

Similar Products Used:

Mark Levinson,Wadia,Proceed

I just got my SCD-1 today, built and sound is THE BEST OF BEST, detail and dynamic, but no harsh, it come with two SACD discs, when play CD disc, still very good, I think even for a CD player alone, it's still worth it's retail, $5,000!

A respectable CD player at its price with excellent build;
SACD function really beats CD by a mile

Not as "warm" sounding as some CD players

After 1 week of break-in, my initial impression is as follows:

CD: Very good at the this price (I bought it at USD 3,800). Soundstage is wide and deep with plenty of air. Particularly well with brass and piano. The strings may be a little bit "bright" but things get better after break-in and I would think later I may use cables like Transparent to warm it up a little. SCD-1 beats my previous X-Ray in every dept, except that X-ray presents a warmer tonal balance which may suit certain cases.

SACD: A quantum leap over the CD. Comparing both functions with SCD-1, it is like upgrading your 300 dpi printer to a 1200 dpi photo-quality printer. There is a sense of bloom and air around instruments. Brass and piano are even more life-like. Strings sound significantly better than SCD-1 playing CD, and I hear NO CD-players at this price (even up to USD 10000) come close. The soundstage are wider, and the hall acoustic comes around much much better. In summary, it actually sounds more "analog" without the trouble of Vinyl.

At this price (if u can get it at USD 3,800 or lower), it is an extremely profitable investment: While the CD performance matches those by CD players at similar price, the SACD function brings the one of the best digital sound ever present to home-buyers. I would not say it will beat the most expense CD/DAC combo, but player SACD in your system is like u have purchased a USD15k Transport/DAC at your home!

The two downside thus far are: a) limited number of SACDs available; and b) the high prices of SACD discs. So far, the issues have been very much my taste, especially the re-issued classical discs. If Sony keeps up its promise of issuing 10 discs per month (hopefully 2-3 classical discs), I will be a very happy customer (I am only buying 3-5 CDs per month anyway). Prices of SACDs will drop, I'm sure. As long as I can get more involved in the music, I am willing to pay the slight premium. Besides, those 18Karat gold CDs are not cheap either!!

Very highly recommended for true music lovers. Finally a product aiming at the audiophiles, not the mass consumer market.

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Musical Fidelity X-Ray

What to say? Just wonderful!!
Especially for the price I have paid ($3800),
that's a steal!
Better than any CD system I have ever heard!
2 thumbs up!

build quality, nice look, able to play 2 formats

does not play DVD, price, hype, slow operation

I've heard the SCD-1 at a show where I compared some classical music CDs and SACDs, so my review is only about first impression. Sytem was full Sony.
I have to say I've often heard better sound from similarly priced CD players. But the same holds for DVD: my CD-player still sounds better with CDs than 24/96 PCM with the current mass-market crop DVD players. So I don't see yet any reason for getting into the new format. Maybe a few years later...

I also had the impression the Sony speakers weren't playing coherently. And I don't know anything about the Sony amps used. So, the SCD-1 might play much better in a more(?) competent system.

The idea of keeping two formats on the same disk doesn't sound very good to me, apart from marketing considerents. I doubt it would yield optimal performance for either format (read: SACD might sound even better with no CD data on it).

My 5 star vote goes ONLY for the SACD format itself (simplicity, scalability, etc). This doesn't mean I don't like DVD audio, each one might have its own slice of the market, I don't care about their business. One thing is sure, the superior format itself doesn't necessarily guarantee better sound, they also have to build good players for them, and provide better studio equipments/techniques.

This particular SCD-1 player seems overpriced and hyped for what it really does.

Similar Products Used:

DVD, CD

Sound stage depth, timing and musicality.

CD playback lacks dynamics, transparency, clarity and detail.

The first encounter with the SCD-1's aesthetics and build is one of commendation. The styling and finish, and battleship construction immediately impress. No plastic disc trays here, but instead a high quality top loading mechanism, which instils a degree of confidence with the first disc you spin.

The first disc I listened to was "Dave Bruebeck - Time Out". Anyone who owns this album on SACD will understand the improvements in sound quality from even the best engineered CD's. The SCD-1 with this SACD provides one of the most convincingly realistic encounters with digital audio. It's compelling and lifelike performance is enough to convince you that SACD is a superior digital format.

Not all SACD's are equal. Recordings vary, with some classical pressings sound compressed. This should come as no surprise, because it has been the same with CD's s since their inception.

The CD playback of the SCD-1 could be summed up as average. The plus factors are it's musicality, depth and good timing. Dynamics, detail, transparency, timbre, sound stage and definition are somewhat lacking. Thankfully, the positive attributes of the SCD-1's CD quality are seldom found together in a CD player at this price. It's faults, with careful modification can be removed, and the end result is a machine that sings and engages you in the music, rather than just churning out impressively correct sound.

Removing 8 hexagon bolts from the top plate of the SCD-1 reveals the circuitry. Board wiring is very tidily finished, and high quality printed circuit boards and mechanical parts are used. Component quality is good, with a mixture of Elna ROS (Silmic), Nichicon Gold tune, Nichicon Fine Gold, high-speed op-amps, Schottky diodes and carbon film resistors.

The downside is the regulation where a combination of 78XX TO-220 & TO-252 packages are used to supply DAC, digital filter, current pulse and master clock and timing circuits. The NJM78L05 used for the analogue supply has a high output noise level of 45mV in bandwidth of 10Hz to 100KHz. A similar poor result is found with the M5F7807L/M5F7907L supplying the current pulse IC'S and the independent BA05T for the digital filter.

The operational amplifier for the I/V conversion stage is the OPA2604. This is a good choice for analogue filter stages but out of it's depths when ultra-low noise and high speed required.

The analogue filter and output stage uses 0.5W carbon film resistors. Whilst carbon has a polite, unobtrusive character, it is also noisy, and sound quality is veiled.

The modifications to the SCD-1 were stipulated one at a time to ensure an accurate analysis of the sound quality. This included a minimum of 100 hours "burn-in" between each stage

Step one was to replace all the electrolytics on the audio board with Black Gate electron transfer capacitors. The non-polar Black Gate BG-N are strikingly better than the Elna ROS series for digital and analogue applications. They possess a much greater transparency, are more neutral, have better detail, definition and fluidity. Black Gate BG-N were used for regulator bypass and de-coupling digital and analogue IC's.

The low value 100nF polyester film capacitors de-coupling the DAC and current pulse IC's were replaced with Black Gate BG-NX Hi-Q.

In step two the regulator bypass capacitors for both analogue and digital supplies are replaced with Black Gate BG-N & BG-NX. The main power supply smoothing capacitors for the analogue supply are replaced with Black Gate Standard, FK & BG-NX type. The low value 100nF polyester film capacitors used to bypass the larger electrolytics are replaced with Black Gate BG-NX Hi-Q.

Step three involves replacing a total of 8 voltage regulators for both the digital and analogue supplies with super-regulator, 5 for the audio board and 3 for the power supply board. An independent +5V regulator supplies the digital filter. A Single +9 and -9V regulator is series connected to +5V, +7V and -7V regulators situated on the audio board. supplies DAC, current pulse, master clock, and regulator amp circuits.

Step four requires removing the 8 pin/DIL OPA2604 op-amps and fitting the OPA627 dual boards. The 627 was a remarkable improvement. Bass has greater depth, fluidity and rhythm, being quicker on it's feet with better control and solidity. Improved dynamics give a greater swing of excitement at both frequency extremes. Extra detail in the mid-band is combined with an overall more natural (less Hi-fi) presentation.

The final step, step five is to replace each of the 0.5W carbon film resistors with Bulk Metal Foil type. The Vishay VSR4 was a preferred choice over the S102 or VSRJ type. The VSR4 has a fuller sound, greater depth and an extremely neutral sound.

The modifications to the SCD-1 outlined in this article are only for the experienced person who has a basic level of electronics and good soldering skills. Anti-static precautions should be taken to prevent static damage to semi-conductors, and a wrist strap should be used. Good quality soldering and de-soldering tools are essential.

The full article on the SCD-1/777ES can be found at;
http://www.audiocom-uk.com

The complete cost of the upgrade is £1493.63 ($2300.00). The end result is a CD/SACD player that will surpass any unit up to $12000.00!!

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Marantz SA-1,

EVERYTHING!

None I can find.

This piece is as good as it gets at anywhere near the price!
My system is:

B&W 802s (mains)
B&W 805s (rears)
B7W HTM 1 (centre)
Bryston 7BST x 4 bi-amped for the mains
Bryston 7BST x 1 for the centre
Krell 300 for the rears
Sony SCD1
Sony 333 ES
Tara Lab cables throughout
Paradigm 15 Reference Sub (self powered)
EAD Ovation 8 Pre-Processor


I hooked up the SCD1 and was amazed! This SACD/CD Redbook player is not just great, it is the best bargain in front-end pieces ever! The sound is superb! The bass is amazing as are the mids and highs. One if the most significant things addressed by this player is its ability to reproduce analogue truth. The music is REAL! Wax cannot do any better... read the professional reviews, it is fact.

What this player does better than anything I have heard, including the Linn 12 is provide truth and a fullness of sound, particulalry using the analogue by-pass of the EAD Ovation 8. There is a real tangible feel to the sound when listened to via the balanced analogue outputs of this device. This music is FAT, no leanness, no digital harshness, no brightness... just fat analogue sound, The sound goes way beyond my speakers, way out there! Take one home to try, you will not want to take it back!

I could go on and on, but suffice to say this. This is one piece you need to buy fast before Sony stops manufacture, or before they sell out. There is no $5000.00 investment you will make to your "high end" reference system that can even come close in value for the dollar. You will need to spend six, yes 6 times as much on an Elgar system to get there... don't! Go for the Sony. On SACD playback you are immediately flown to a special place where digital sounds so real it is tangible! Red book is great as well. Using the analogue balanced outs brings the common (well recorded) red book CDs into the realm of "being there", honest!

Hurry, get it before it becomes extinct (if you have the hardware)!!!!!!!!!!!

Similar Products Used:

You name it, Linn 12, Waida, Krell, Classe,etc.

The disc loading time are too long .......

Since I use it only for a few days .....

I really love it so ! For CD , sound is clear and dtail and beautiful .......

For SACD, it is far much better than CD and sound like a LP feel ......

I can not believe a new digital music formatt can have a analog feel as a LP ...

SONY/Philips are great ! I do believe SACD can be a new and top formatt for music industry and human music history ....



my system :

CD/SACD : SONY SCD-1

amp : Linn Majik

speakers : Linn Keilidh





too simple ? yes ...I like simple .....

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Philips LHH-200R CD960 ....etc

Superlative Red Book performance thanks to variable digital filters and unequalled transport; SACD even better

None, except cheap feeling remote

I will echo what the others here as well as the mags have said...if you have a large regular CD collection, regardless of your expectations for SACD, BUY ONE OF THESE RIGHT NOW. It is hard to believe that a mass market mid fi company produced this product...OR it's indicative that Sony intend to make a serious quality push, and adopt their manufacturing skills to the high end, in which case Madrigal et al better watch out. The VC digital filtering on regular CD's must be heard to be appreciated. It's like having the ability to switch the player's strengths based on the quality (or lack thereof) of the software, so you can optimize playback at will. This is similar to, but IMHO better than Wadia's philosophy of programming your own digital filters and not using PM, UltraAnalog, or other one size fits all hardware based digital filter solutions (and from what I've experienced, the SCD-1 easily beats any Wadia gear with the possible exception of the discontinued US$26k 7/9 combo, and I'm talking on regular CD here.) Highs, mids, and lows are all equal or better to my reference Mark Levinson combo, and overall resolution (again, we're talking on red book CD's here) is an order of magnitude better.

In every audible parameter, the player excels. SACD is indeed a big improvement over 16/44..getting both SACD and world beating red book performance in a single unit for this price level makes this the best value product ever offered in high end audio, and I don't make that assertion lightly.

The ONLY thing not "high end" about this player is the semi-cheesy remote, which has an aluminum face plate atop a stock plastic Sony handset. The Levinson's remote is far cooler, but who cares given the sound quality and price differences. The only operational weakness, if you call it that, is the slow TOC reading when you put in a disc.

Other than the remote, build quality is just outstanding and the thing looks like a work of art. I almost threw my back out lifting it out of the carton. If you like the Wadia/Levinson/Krell "Solid Ingot of Aluminum" look, you'll like this unit's aesthetics. Obviously, if your system is worthy of such a front end piece, you'll not worry about the cheesy included interconnects and power cord and replace them with good ones.

System:
Sony SCD-1
Classe CP-60
VPI HW-19JR w/AQ arm, Benz Glider, and Cardas arm wire
2 Classe CA-100 amps (bridged)
B&W Nautilus 802's
PS Audio P300 (powering front end)
PS Audio HC Ultimate Outlet (amps)
Cardas Golden Reference cabling
Cardas + Ted's Excellent power cords

Similar Products Used:

Mark Levinson 36/37; Wadia