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#1
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"New" Equipment Directory (Like AUDIO Magazine's)?
Hi, All,
I am interested in purchasing a new SACD player. I recently bought a used Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 21 DAC with the intent of replacing my old (heavily modified) Magnavox CDB-560 CD player, which recently "gave up the ghost". Of course now I need a player with a digital output to drive the DAC. What I would like to do is to buy a decent SACD player that I can also hook up to the Tri-Vista for "Red Book" CD playback. I would prefer a dedicated SACD/CD two-channel player, rather than a "universal", multi-channel one, and I would like to spend less than $2000. Now... Searching the 'net I am having a hard time finding information about what brands are available. I used to LOVE the old AUDIO Magazine Annual Equipment Directory, because it gave an excellent summary of what was available in the marketplace. Is such a Directory currently being published? If so, which magazine? Also, iis there a similar overview available online? All I can find are links to various online dealers. Thanks for any info! Ken |
#2
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wrote:
Now... Searching the 'net I am having a hard time finding information about what brands are available. I used to LOVE the old AUDIO Magazine Annual Equipment Directory, because it gave an excellent summary of what was available in the marketplace. Is such a Directory currently being published? If so, which magazine? Also, iis there a similar overview available online? All I can find are links to various online dealers. Both Sound & Vision and Stereophile publish annual directories akin to the old Audio guide. They come out in early fall, generally, so you may not find them on the newstand now. I'm not sure either is available online, but you should try both sites (www.soundandvisionmag.com and www.stereophile.com). This is the sort of thing that would be a natural for the Web, except that nobody's figured out a way to make money on it. For mainstream gear, searching at a big retailer like www.jr.com will give you a good selection, though not everything. For true high-end brands (which may or may not be any better, BTW), it's pretty much hunt-and-peck. bob |
#3
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wrote in message ...
Hi, All, I am interested in purchasing a new SACD player. I recently bought a used Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 21 DAC with the intent of replacing my old (heavily modified) Magnavox CDB-560 CD player, which recently "gave up the ghost". Of course now I need a player with a digital output to drive the DAC. What I would like to do is to buy a decent SACD player that I can also hook up to the Tri-Vista for "Red Book" CD playback. I would prefer a dedicated SACD/CD two-channel player, rather than a "universal", multi-channel one, and I would like to spend less than $2000. Marantz, Onkyo, and Yamaha all have dedicated players top-of-their line below $2000. These are universals. Marantz continues to make a well-regarded CD/SACD player (the 8260) at about $1200. Denon has universals but they are not particularly well regarded for sound unless modified. Sony continues to make a wide range of CD/SACD players..a few dedicated CD/SACD, most are DVD/SACD. They range from $150 up to $3000. The boutique brands generally run above $2000. |
#4
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I would recommend the current Sony flagship the SCDXA9000ES. It is not a
dedicated two channel player. It also plays multi-channel. It is *not* a universal in that it has no DVD capability and it does not play DVD-A. I have seen no indication that there is a two-channel deficit because it also plays multi-channel. Two-channel playback is considered to be stellar by many, including Stereophile which has placed it in its "Class A" category. After 18 months in the market place the build quality of the SCDXA9000ES seems outstanding. The retail price is $3000 but it is commonly available at around $1800. Another consideration is a used Sony SCD-1 a two-channel player. This is the player I have owned since 1999. It is built like a tank (58 pounds) and is highly coveted on the used market. Many users "mod" them. I don't believe I would personally buy a modded unit. The SCD-1 has had a repair issue that you should be aware of. It becomes evident after about 2 1/2 years of use and it easily repaired. I would suspect that most SCD-1's on the market would have had that repair done. Aside from that the reliability of mine after 5 1/2 years of moderate use has been bullet proof. The original retail price was $5,000. I have seen them on Audiogon for around $1800-$2000. I agree with you regarding the old Audio Magazine Equipment Directory. I still refer to my copy for information on used equipment. The last one published in October 1999. I was unaware that "Stereophile" published a similar guide. I guess thay do not send it to subscribers. |
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