Oops
A Head-Fi Story
Yesterday, I made the mistake of thinking with my ears rather than what’s between them. I'm seeking some in house advice from what should be a sympathetic audience about the second thoughts I’m having. Apologies for the length.
I’m at the point with my system where I’ve been thinking about a source upgrade. Given that the CDP in my headphone rig is about 20 years old and was a basic model in its day, I figured that anything Hi-Fi should make a noticeable difference. Still, I’ve been skeptical of differences between digital sources, so I wanted to audition an audiophile player first before ordering. My only criteria were that it should be single disc SACD player, and I didn’t want to spend more than a grand. I didn’t have a specific DAC in mind, because I was going to be looking at higher-end equipment and my ears would be the guide from there.
Initial research led me to the Marantz SA8004. I didn’t find a place that had this specific model available to audition, but one of the local shops had a Marantz SA-11S2 on the floor. Not exactly what I wanted, but I thought listening to it would accomplish two things. First, it would provide an authoritative answer on the merit of a source upgrade in general. If I didn’t hear a clear improvement in sound from the SA-11S2, I could call off the hunt for a source upgrade completely. Second, if I liked what I heard, I could make a somewhat informed decision on the general quality and sound of Marantz CDPs. That would be enough to order an SA8004.
I took two SACDs and two normal CDs, covering rock, classical, and jazz. I also brought my HF-2s and K501s. The SA-11S2 was connected to its stablemates in the “11” Reference Series, but only the preamp mattered for a headphone audition. The sound was beautiful. The difference wasn’t as night and day as my first upgrade from junk headphones to the K501, but somehow it was even sweeter. This was where I wanted to be.
Complications
I had been unable to find an SA8004 online for less than its MSRP of $1K. The proprietor tells me he can order me one for $800 and have it in a couple days. Good news, right? Buuuuuuuuuuuut…. He tells me that he has the SA-15S2 (a step down from the 11 in the Reference Series) and the matched PM-15S2 integrated amplifier on hand. Some guy ordered them but never picked them up, and he wants to get rid of them. Whatever. He’ll sell the CDP for $1200 and the amp for $1700. This is $800 off the MSRP of each piece.
High from the audition, I made the kind of bad decision I’m normally good at avoiding. I bought both pieces.
I’m in a bad way here for a number of reasons.
- I realize I have no idea what a good street price is for this level of gear. Internet shops all had Marantz gear at MSRP, but the owner offered to order me a new SA8004 for $200 under MSRP. This makes me think the manufacturer enforces pricing floors on internet vendors. My only gauge is that he offered 30% - 40% off MSRP for the Reference pieces versus 20% for the SA8004. Did I pay a reasonable price for these pieces?
- The only speakers I have in my living room are from Frankenstereo (long story). They’re unmarked bookshelf units from the early 1960s. I’m pretty sure that connecting the Marantz amp to them would result in lethal shrapnel. I’m basically committed to an expensive speaker purchase next year.
- I still bought gear that I haven’t heard. The SA-15S2 borrows from above and below, but the DAC is the same as what’s in the SA8004. I think some of the transport and most of the supporting cast of internal components is borrowed from above.
- I’ll be able to pay the bills, but there’s significant opportunity cost to this kind of budget destruction.
I haven’t opened the boxes yet. I’d like to know if anyone here has heard both the SA8004 and the SA-15S2, or can offer advice on the value of the latter’s internal component upgrades. The appearance and general solidity of the SA-15S2 is worth a couple hundred dollars to me, but not four.
Any comments on the amplifier or Marantz amplifiers in general would be appreciated. When I finished with the headphones, I played the 11 series pieces through some Paradigm floorstanding speakers, and they sounded fantastic.
I’m inclined to keep the player, but return the amp. Buying that much amp without having speakers to merit it is what I feel most foolish about. I did it because the player/amp combination I had just auditioned sounded fantastic, and I wanted to mirror it as closely as possible. Selling my CanAmp would help absorb the cost, but only a little. When I’m ready to buy speakers for the living room, I’ll revisit the amp situation.
