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SACD & other Formats

I'm a vinyl guy and have invested lots of money in my TT rig and listen primarily to vinyl because it can sound so much better than digital.

I want to buy a CDP that will satisfy and understand a well mastered CD can sound good as well. I abandoned red book play back 10 yrs back because it was very frustrating finding satisfaction. Too many poorly mastered CDs that could not communicate the music. Have things improved? I know you can get better digital sound for less $$, but has the quality of mastering improved?

Looking through stores online I see SACDs are getting a lot of new mastering attention, gold CDs are available, XRCDs, etc. Is SACD the direction to look? are the current SACD issues of titles living up to the marketing hype/price? sonically? the key is in the software, availability and mastering.
128x128musichead
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"Any opinions of the Cambridge Audio Azur 752BD?"

I don't read reviews. I'm sure that the reviewers are well intentioned, but I find them to be of very little use. I don't know what you're budget is, but have a look at this listing for an Esoteric DV-60, lis64eee. It looks like a really good deal. It should be the last player you'll ever need to buy. If you can find a good used Ayre 5 series universal, that will definitely be the last player you buy. But it will be a bit more expensive. If you're looking for something more affordable, I think Marantz has several players that should be as good as anything else in their price range. I've had some Cambridge components, but I would still go with the Marantz. Look at the Esoteric first, though. That's probably the best value and the most reliable. Esoteric is a division of Teac, and they make the best transports.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
3,018 posts
 
Haven't heard the Cambridge Audio Azur 752BD, but it's marketed as a home theater deck. That tells me it's built to be all purpose, but not specialize in any one format. I don't think this is the path to take for superior sound.

Zd's list raises my pulse when I think of how good audio can sound, although the decks listed also include CD/SACD models unless video is a necessary option for you.
musichead's avatar
musichead OP
51 posts
 
Well I made a decision, I don't want to chase a format or be forced down a hardware path because of a format. I tried a few SACDs playing the CD layer (to hear the mastering) and I wasn't inspired. The universal players are not for me because I'm always just looking for the best audio performance and I don't believe there aren't compromises when all of the video options are added to a player. The Rega Isis Value is the ideal player for my setup, second hand pricing is similar to a modded Oppo 105. But in the interim I am going for the Rega DAC-R which is a step up from their prior DAC and it keeps my options open for computer audio (should things improve). It will give me the general flavor of the Isis and I will see if I'm inspired to buy more CDs or download before I invest more.
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