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SA11 S2 SACD player. I'm listening to more CDs

This player has impressed me to the point that I am listening to more digital these days than analog. I never thought I would say that but I am now.

I still love my LPs and I still listen to them, especially the older ones that still sound better in analog, but digital has come a long way. I am saving for a better turntable which will outperform this SACD player, but at a cost.

I love the way analog does classical and jazz, the decay, the naturalness of the sound and by no means is digital the end all. There are many things that analog can do that I have never been able to hear the digital equal, especially the subtle details that are rendered through great analog systems.

The price of this player and all of its good points has me listening. Hats off to Marantz. Right now I am listening to Sinatra at the Sands, impressive to say the least. The dynamics are amazing. In King Crimson's newer CD release "In the Court of the Crimson King" the sound of the Mellotron is such like I have never heard before on vinyl.

I am curious to other audiophiles take on the new digital gear and recordings for that matter.
tzh21y
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
i owned the marantz sa 11 s2, sold it and will buy the minimax dac with the sabre chip and tube gain stage.

the marantz is dry sounding.

before i sold the marantz, i lent it to a friend. i have a tube based system and he has a tube pre and ss amp.

he thought the marantz was edgy.

i guess we have different ears and tastes.
tzh21y OP
1,377 posts
 
I have heard that but not on my system. It is a bit warm sounding, although not as warnm as my Cal. It might be the McIntosh/Marantz combination. They sound very good together. I love the Cal, but would get listening fatigue after listening for a while, not so with the SA11 S2. When I first heard it, my thoughts were exactly as you said, edgy. Mine took a long time to break in. In fact when I first auditioned it, I could not get it back in the box fast enough. It was actually the KI Pearl. I started a thread on Agon regarding that. Then I went to the local HI Fi shop and could not believe my ears. I said, "what happened", and they said it took a while to break in. It was about a year later that I listened to it as I was auditioning speakers at the time.

I have the opposite of your friend solid pre and tube amp.

I know there are better players but now I am listening to more CD's than records, something I never thought I would say
tzh21y OP
1,377 posts
 
I will try filter position 2
samzx12
883 posts
 
I don't find it at all edgy. In fact, quite the opposite.
tmsorosk
1,013 posts
 
I love my SA11 , but I made the mistake of bringing home the Ayre C5 , well there's no going back . M
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