I'm not sure if it's anti-Sony/Marantz/Philips snobbishness (though some of that exists) as much as a natural hesitance to move to a new format while the format situation itself is still uncertain...and certainly the limited availability of software is a disincentive to some as well. Whatever the perceived limitations of the analog sections of the first-generation, "cachet-less" units, my listening experience with a 777 (in both its stock configuration and now with upgraded audio board and power supply board resistors and caps) leaves me with neither buyer's remorse nor shame in having a Sony logo adorn my system.
Too snobbish for SACD as it exists?
Perhaps I am wrong, but I get the feeling that the reason SACD players have not been as successful as hoped lies with the fact that the very persons for whom the benefits of the higher resolution format are appreciable are hesitant to put a Sony, Marantz or Pioneer product in their systems. A product like Krell, CJ, Levinson, etc.,while usually significantly more expensive than the aforementioned "mid-fi" brands provide the purchaser with a certain cache and a greater level of satisfaction, albeit sometimes a psychoacoustic contribution to the listening experience. I, personally, would be more willing to spend more on a quality SACD player from a true high-end company, however elitist that may sound, even knowing that I may be paying for diminished returns. I just wonder if there is a large pool of high-end consumers waiting to see what marquis companies will introduce before they commit to the format.
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- 25 posts total
- 25 posts total