Best affordable SACD player that does superb CD's

How much?
Look at Oppo on the very low end.
Marantz 9500 or 9600, a little more.

One man's affordable is another man's unobtanium. What is your budget?

On the very low end are the Oppo players. They are very good considering the price of entry.

An Oppo mod'd by Ric Shultz at EVS http://www.tweakaudio.com is a major step toward state of the art SACD/CD/DVD/DVD-A/HDCD playback. For somewhere between $500-$1000 total (including the cost of the player and mod) you can have an excellent universal player.

I have not owned or demo'd any big buck SACD players, so I don't know how the stock or mod'd Oppo compares. However, I have owned many different CD players that retailed for $1500-$3500. My EVS level 2 mod'd Oppo 970 is definately in the same league as the big buck dedicated CD players for redbook performance.

I totally understand some folk's reluctance toward mod'd players. But Ric has been in the business for a very long time and stands behind his work. If you send Ric a brand new Oppo for mods, I believe he will even offer you a full refund of the purchase+mod price in the event you don't love it. I will caution that my mod'd player took a very long time to break-in. If you buy it, plan to play it continuously for a week or two before passing final judgement.

Enjoy,

TIC

Marantz SA8001 SACD Player for $899.00 new. Excellent reviews.

Recommendations based on observations I made at the dealer's, I do not own any of these machines myself.

Would Marantz SA 15 S1 (2 ch SACD + CD) fit your budget? Otherwise at around half the price of the SA 15: Marantz SA 7001 (also 2 ch SACD + CD).

And if your reference to dvd is to be taken as a hint you want the Full Monty: Arcam DV 137 (multi-ch SACD, CD, DVD-A, DVD) which is in the price range of the Marantz DV 9600 mentioned above.

OK, a few considerations/recommendations from $99 retail to $1200 reatil. Does that help?
Thanks for the input, thus far.

That would rule out the Arcam multi-format, but also the Marantz SA 15 S1. Unless you'd go for a used machine. A quick check will tell you, one recently changed hands for USD 1k on Audiogon. And this side of the ocean, only today I saw a machine - not a year old - being auctioned for EUR 800. So, opportunities seem to present themselves regularly. Good luck!

Denon universal players...2910, 3910 etc.

I guess used pricing. I'd like to consider something that's cheap ($99-$350 range), something that's medium inexpensive ($350-$700), and then the higher end at $800-$1200 used). If new, that's OK too. Of course, really, I'd like to pay a hundred or two - lol!

I recently bought a used Marantz SA11s1 for $1800 and it is a superb redbook player and a world class sacd player. I also have a Marantz dv8400 that can be had for under $400 used. I must say the 8400 does not embarrass itself against the sa11. It will also play dvda and sacd multichannel wich I still enjoy.

The Sony DVP-NS9100ES plays averything but DVD-A, has a great picture and great sound on CD and SACD. It was well reviewed by TAS among others. I bought one used for around 425 USD. And it's a great looking piece.

Pioneer DV79AVi. List $1000. Street price $700.

I'd highly recommend NAD M-55 universal player. A little more costly than well received Denon 3910, but it's much better sounding. (I own both) It sounds very detailed, with greater frequency extension, and lots of air.

I agree with the marantz sa8001. I personally have the nad M5 which does both formats well it is good looking to boot. There a few factory re-furb units floating around for around a grand.

Bmdduck,

I have both a 9100ES and its predecessor, a 9000ES freshly serviced by Sony Laredo. My impression is that the 9000 is superior for audio, especially SACDs, but the 9100 is superior for video. I run either with video off for stereo, and use the DACs in my Proceed PDSD when playing CDs. In my main system, I've settled on the 9000 for CDs and SACDs, and a PlayStation 3-80 for DVDs.

I think either a used 9000 or 9100 would be a good value for OP.

db

I think the TRL modded Sony CD595 is a great player that will give most any player a run for its money.

The cost was about $900 for player and mods and this player does not disappoint. I has some heavy duty artillery inside and gives the appearance of a mild mannered stock unit on the outside.

I'd certainly consider this among the best.

you would be shocked if you knoew how goos a Lexicon RT10 works for every consideration, they average $400 used

Ok, saw your price point.
Have 2 suggestions and own or have owned both.
First, the Marantz DV9600. Excellent universal player at your price point. I paid 2 grand for the honer of owning it when they first came out. You can get this at a relative bargain used.
Also had the Pioneer DVAX-10. Awesome machine. Gorgeous and built like a tank. Believe those to be well within your price range, used, as they were built a while ago. Can't remember exactly when I purchased mine but it seems like around 6-7 years ago. Actually still wish I had that DVAX-10. DVD-Audio on this machine was incredible!
Maybe a little out of your looking price point but, Esoteric's universal player is SWEET. Had the DV-60 and absolutley loved it.
Are you looking for Multi-Channel SACD or 2-channel? How about DVD-Audio? Surround or 2-channel?

Oh yea, CD playback is good on both these players at that price range. Not stellar mind you as this price range will limit what you can expect. Though the SACD and DVD-Audio were exceptional.
Hope this helps you in your search.

The Oppo DV-970H or DV-981HD are available for about $100, at that price, why not give them a shot? If not good enough, then look for something pricier.

The Sony 555ES 5 disc changer of that era was a pretty nice player also.

5 disc carousel woo-hoo! ;)