CD / SACD Player opinions ………...

I've recently acquired a nice little stash of SACD's and while my current Cary 303/300 is a great piece it doesn't play SACD. I've been thinking about picking up a Marantz SA8005 or a current Oppo (105 I believe). I couldn't care less about the video capability of the Oppo for it would be used in a audio setting only.

Any thoughts on these two or anything else comparably priced ………….

Amigo,

In that price range, the OPPO would be my choice. Great piece for the price and good resale down the road.

And you never know how you might eventually use the other features sometime in the future.

Gordon

I respect Mr. Gordon’s judgment in this matter.

In addition I would like to point out that the Oppo has balanced or audio XLR outputs that the Marantz does not have.

Furthermore the Marantz has a two blade power socket. The Oppo has the standard 3 blade power socket. At least in Pakistan it has been difficult for me to find matching high quality cable to fit 2 blade power socket. Mismatch between power socket and power cable results in very low level noise.

Moreover, the Marantz comes with a sub-standard power cable. Therefore if you buy Marantz you will need a high quality power cable.

Finally if possible listen to both and let your ears guide you in making the right decision.

A slightly more expensive than these two but good is the Sony SACD player ( SCD XA5400ES ). Has balanced output but same problem with the power socket. This Sony SACD player has been discontinued.

Rip 'em!!

An old PS3 is probably the easiest way to do this.

amey01 said:

Rip 'em!!

An old PS3 is probably the easiest way to do this.

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not gonna happen Adam, I have zero interest in doing so. Perhaps for my retirement one of my kids or grandkids will do it for me, regardless it still means dealing with more computers………….. yuck !

FWIW, I noticed a nice looking Cary 306 on the 'Gon ……………..

Dave,

I was going to mention that but it's a bit more that the OPPO.

Another "no brainer" if you can make it work.

G

twich54 said:

Perhaps for my retirement one of my kids or grandkids will do it for me,

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Tell 'em to get cracking.

regardless it still means dealing with more computers……

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Better than dealing with more discs and rudimentary players

…….. yuck !
……..

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On a more serious note - fair enough! Enjoy your search for a player. And best of all, enjoy the music contained within!

This is the oft-forgotten downside to streaming music - and a very valid downside too.

Pretty happy with my Oppo 105D.... it plays everything and is a pretty descent music server.

TomDac said:

Pretty happy with my Oppo 105D.... it plays everything and is a pretty descent music server.

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I'm loving my Oppo 105D quite a bit too.

I tend to run mine as a DAC using JRiver to organize my music on a PC and feed the OPPO by async USB.

I'm also using the balanced XLR outputs to drive my amplifier directly.

It is a very flexible piece of equipment.

twich54 said:

FWIW, I noticed a nice looking Cary 306 on the 'Gon ……………..

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Gordon Gray said:

Dave,

I was going to mention that but it's a bit more that the OPPO.

Another "no brainer" if you can make it work.

G

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I made it work Gordon……..it will be here later this week.

Good for you my friend.

I'm confident you will thoroughly enjoy.

Not to hijack my friend's thread but I need to send my 306 in for some service work.

I've ordered an OPPO 105D to audition.

GG

Gordon, what's the issue with your 306, something I need to be aware of ?

BTW, FedEx just dropped mine off an hour ago.

No Dave.

Bare in mind my unit is about 8 years or so old and from a "typical users" time equivalent, it's likely 15 years old. I probably average 700 plus hours per year. Items replaced to date include the laser and transport, which take the brunt of the use load and do wear out.

Within that context, it has performed admirably. Please post your impressions and do play around with the digital and analogue upsampling options. Of course, this does not apply to SACD playback. In my system, I found the 96 / 96 settings to be the most musical for the vast majority of RB CD's. You should be able to try different options and hear / decide what sounds best to you.

Also, I'm not sure I hear as well as I used to in the past.

Finally, Steve and Dave at Cary's Service Dept. are really nice , professional, responsive folks. No worries if you need some some assistance.

Best,

Gordon

Gordon Gray said:

Not to hijack my friend's thread but I need to send my 306 in for some service work.

I've ordered an OPPO 105D to audition.

GG

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I'll be curious to hear your impressions. 8 years is an eternity in the digital domain. You may be pleasantly surprised.

We shall see Mark.

Given my hearing situation, I wouldn't place much faith in my impressions but I will post anyway.

GG

Gordon Gray said:

We shall see Mark.

Given my hearing situation, I wouldn't place much faith in my impressions but I will post anyway.

GG

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Do the Dr's expect a full recovery at some point? Have they suggested reduced listening levels or anything ?

the new (to me) Cary 306 is up and running superbly, I'll give my impressions once I've accumulated a little more 'seat time' ………… I think it's a keeper !