[kentamcolin]

As the prices on used Meridian 508.24's come down, I'm thinking of taking the plunge. That player would be the target for me.

 

[theaudiohobby]

Quote:

Originally posted by kentamcolin As the prices on used Meridian 508.24's come down, I'm thinking of taking the plunge. That player would be the target for me.

Try the latest Universal Pioneers, no the last word in cd replay but they try, they give good sound for buck.

 

[kentamcolin]

They try?? Well, I can give one a listen, but I'm not willing to sacrifice redbook performance so I can listen to a few SACD's, That was my point all along. If it doesn't match the wonderful Meridian, I'm not buying.

 

[rsaavedra]

Quote:

Originally posted by theaudiohobby Try the latest Universal Pioneers,

I guess you mean some of the Elite models right?

 

[tom hankins]

I'd stick with the Meridian's. You can find the 508.24 for under 1500.00 all the time on audiogon. It's not uncommon to find the 588's under $2K either.
Also check out the modified Shanlings that were done by www.underwoodhifi.com I got mine off audiogon for 1500.00(used) with the level one mods, and the W.E.396 tubes, and liked it better than any of the Meridians I've heard. Hell...... I liked it more than the Cary 306/200 I have in my headphone system now.

 

[theaudiohobby]

Quote:

Originally posted by tom hankins I'd stick with the Meridian's. You can find the 508.24 for under 1500.00 all the time on audiogon. It's not uncommon to find the 588's under $2K either. Also check out the modified Shanlings that were done by www.underwoodhifi.com I got mine off audiogon for 1500.00(used) with the level one mods, and the W.E.396 tubes, and liked it better than any of the Meridians I've heard. Hell...... I liked it more than the Cary 306/200 I have in my headphone system now.

If you do not mind staying with 2CH, then I will stay faithful to a Shanling T200 SACDP. less than 2K , No MCH Universal will pull off the redbook trick.

 

[saxphile]

Quote:

Originally posted by theaudiohobby If you do not mind staying with 2CH, then I will stay faithful to a Shanling T200 SACDP. less than 2K , No MCH Universal will pull off the redbook trick.

Speaking of which, do you happen to know if the headphone jack on the T200 is any good?

I might get my uncle to bring one of these from China next time when he's there.

 

[Zanth]

Quote:

Originally posted by tom hankins Hell...... I liked it more than the Cary 306/200 I have in my headphone system now.

I am not alone!

 

[tom hankins]

I should have never got rid of the Shanling. It was the most perfect match with the Singlepower amp and the HD650/Zu. But luckily Walter(underwoodhifi) is only about 10 minutes from my house. There will be another one in my future. Don't really need the sacd but I'm thinking the one plus mods on either the t100 or t200.

 

[Zanth]

To my ears the T100 sounded better for redbook than the T200 modded and not. (both that is)

So that is the main reason I have held off on the T200...plus the T100 looks nicer, I like the slimmer chassis.

 

[Alex Altorfer]

Zanth,

Quote:

Originally posted by Zanth To my ears the T100 sounded better for redbook than the T200 modded and not. (both that is)

This again confirms my suspicions that some manufacturers degrade redbook playback on purpose just to make SACD sound comparatively better (in the same device). If they gave it all they got redbook would sound so good customers would hardly be able to tell it from SACD playback, and the appeal of buying such players would be smaller.

Cheers,
Alex

 

[Zanth]

I'm definitely not alone in this opinion though there was a pro review over at 6moons and the reviewer felt the modded T200 was better at redbook by 2% over the T100 modded. I believe for him...the Zandac I believe it is called (15k US) was at 95%, always leaving 5% for improvements in tech....the T200 was 93% and the T100 was 91 or 92%. This to me was incredible no matter if he loved the T100 or T200 more. To say that either of these players was that close to a 15k Dac and one that is praised all over AND this guy's favourite/reference digital front end...well...you can understand why I love my cd player so much. Looks, build, tube rolling and more outputs than I know what to do with!

these players rock

But um...yeah, T100 is still better to these ears

 

[kentamcolin]

I don't doubt the Shanling's capability, but it strikes me as odd to say one player is 2% better than another. Does it weigh 2% more?

 

[joejr]

Having own many of the players mentioned in the above replys,I must say that imho,The Denon 2900 fully modified with a Analog Tube Output Stage is perhaps one of the best buys on the market,At $3500 (Denon 2900 $1000 + $2500 Mod) you get a Reference caliber Sacd + Redbook CD Playback, not to mention the outstanding DVD Video Picture.I also own the Esoteric 50 and so far,i prefer the denon 2900 with redbook cd and sacd.

 

[markl]

Quote:

This again confirms my suspicions that some manufacturers degrade redbook playback on purpose just to make SACD sound comparatively better (in the same device). If they gave it all they got redbook would sound so good customers would hardly be able to tell it from SACD playback, and the appeal of buying such players would be smaller.

Sorry, I don't buy this at all. The CD and SACD travel through a virtually identical circuit path, same transport, same DACs, same analog section. No one is deliberately sabotaging Redbook performance.

People keep comparing Redbook to SACD players as I mentioned elswhere, there are some reasons why comparably priced SACDPs might not sound as good as their CD brethren:

1. Newness of SACD technology, small number of DAC sets available, VERY early in their design process so they haven't been maximized yet, licensing fees, all add up to make an SACD digital section more expensive to produce than a Redbook-only one. These gaps will close over time.

2. SACDPs require 3X the number of analog output channels vs. a 2-channel player because they are multi-channel devices. This gives you much less per analog channel that you can spend on parts quality on an SACDP if you are trying to price-match a Redbook player.

3. Most SACDPs are being made by mass-market consumer electronics giants, where there are a million and one small, boutique audio houses that produce Redbook CDPs. So you have a much better selection of rEdbook CDPs from manufacturers more interested in sound quality than using the cheapest part to hit a price target.

If you take these factors into acct, you can see that comparing 2 players of the same price and SACD and a CDP, is not completely an apples to apples comparo.

Mark