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Shanling T100 to the T200 shootout

I got a chance to listen to these two players today and was wondering what others think about these. First these are both really good players. I was listening to them on a really high end Krell (not sure the models .. really big monoblocks) and B&W signature 800 system. For me, I did not hear any memorable difference between the two for redbook CD. Some people have stated the T100 sounds better but I liked them both. SACD was quit interesting... I used the following disks: Chick Corea Rendezvous in NY, Moussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition (telarc), and Monty meets Sly and Robbie (telarc). The last disc showed very little difference between CD and SACD I think do to the heavy bass like that dominates the recording. The CC showed little difference in instruments like the vibraphone and vocals (which surprised me) but a significant difference in the Piano. In CD mode the Piano seemed to be almost secondary to vocals and the vibes. In SACD mode the piano really stood out. It became really obvious that he was playing really fine grand piano and not something smaller. looking back at the liner notes it turns out to have been a 9 ft Yamaha concert grand. You could really hear the hammer hit. On the Moussorgsky the whole orchestra was bigger, more dynamic, and cleaner..

The one thing that did not really change was the imaging, both imaged well. The soundstage was not much bigger or wider it was just cleaner somehow. I'm thinking about picking up the T200 but I can get the T100 at a great price.

I only spent a couple of hours and would like to hear from someone that has spent some time with these players...
Thanks
Bruce
btrvalik
btrvalik OP
61 posts
 
I went back to listen to these players today. I'm convinced they sound equally good on CD. I'm not convinced that the t200 sounds better on SACD. Part of my problem is that the t200 had difficulty playing hybrid discs as CD. It worked some of the time but more often than not it told me there was "no disc".. excuse me? what was that shiny thing you just spun for the last minute? Sometimes it would just skip ahead until it found a track it liked. I did a little playing with volume levels and I'm starting to think that my conclusion of SACD being better for certain types of instruments may just be level mismatch.

I still have not listened to multi-channel SACD since I’m looking for a 2 channel player at the moment. I will tackle the multi-channel issue when I finish my HT room later this year. I’m not sure if multi-channel SACD/DVD will be better that CD but I’m sure it will be obviously different. I’m not sure SACD is obviously different (good or bad) than CD. So why am I trying so had to convince myself SACD is better for 2 channel ??? I’m on the typical quest for better… To be honest I'm not a guy that thinks CD sound harsh...I actually like the way my CDs sound.. my CDP is just acting flaky.. is it just my tube gear that makes CDs sound good to me??? But then again I liked CDs with my mosfet amp to..

If SACD or DVD-A is better why is everyone debating it so heavily? Shouldn’t it be obvious by now? I’ve seen more conviction over the sonic benefits for items like cables, power cords and even green markers than SACD or DVD-A. The differences between LP to CD was obvious.. the difference between VHS and DVD was obvious. Some debated the merits but no one debated if there is a difference.. I don’t upgrade often and I would not consider either of these cheap. I’m trying to pick a player for the next 5 years and I’m just getting confused and frustrated. Admittedly neither of these is a bad choice and if they were the same price it would be easy. Argggg
ljgj
955 posts
 
I had a Sony 777 and it kept giving me the no disc read out on SACD's and I just finally said bye to it. I still own the 5 disc 333 but rarely use it in SACD. I own the Shanling 100 and an Electrocompaniet as a transport with a Chord DAC 64. The combo is really great.
tvad
9,467 posts
 
Why not consider a stock Sony XA777ES? It provides two channel and multi channel SACD, and you can always have Dan Wright mod it to add a tube stage later if you want.
btrvalik OP
61 posts
 
The 777 seems to be a fine player but I think if I'm going to go multi-channel I may as well get a universal player with video. At this point I'm thinking about just buying the T100 (for my 2 channel music only system) at a good price and use the price difference to buy a universal player for my HT room. I can either just buy something moderately priced like the Pioneer 47ia or Dennon 2900, or pick up something like the McCormack in the fall. If I really decide that I'm missing out on SACD in the music room I could run a set of balanced interconnects from by HT room to my 2 channel room. It won't be as convenient as having the player in the same room but it will allow me to use my tube amp with SACD/DVD-A.

I did a little searching last night and I'm amazed at how many post on various site I've see where people have already bought into and give up on SACD or DVD-A. Most people site a lack of software and being under whelmed after the new toy glow wares off.

One of the attractions of this hobby is the process of making trade-offs and building a system that suits some personal needs. I found that the process of selecting other components (tube vs trans amp/preamp, speakers, etc)and making trade-offs to be fun. With these components no matter what the choice you are almost guarrenteed they will work well into the future.

The whole SACD/DVD-A/CD issue has been frustrating since the future value of the equipment is less in the hands of the audiophile and more in the hands of the vendors. If for example SACD dies on the vine you will have just bought into the next divix or minidisc. If it flurishes and you invested your money elsewhere you will have bought one of the last beta machines.. maybe on that bad since CD is not going away but you get the point...

Well this has turned into yet another long winded ramble...
ben_campbell
1,164 posts
 
Btrvalik-I agree strongly with what you found regarding SACD-it would appear to a large extent you need to go the almost "world class" level of equipment to hear the sonic benefits of SACD.
I think you make a key point when it seems a lot of people who have very good systems struggle to hear very much of a difference with this superior format.
I do really believe SACD will now only survive as an audiophille format which is no bad thing but it doesn't represent a lot of the music I like to hear.
Good luck on your descision.
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