[wpfloridian]

I apologize for being all over the place on this post but I am tired..i just had to share this!!
 
I got my SA-8004 last week along a Schiit Asgard..got it set up today and have been playing it with everything I've got! What a combo!! They make my GS1000's come to life! I had listened to the SA-8001back at the Florida Can Jam...soundwise same league (a good thing) except I not have my Ipod/PC available as a source and it has the optical out for my receiver. I have listened to both CD's and SACD's..solid sound; not complaints..WOW.
 
If I were to upgrade it would have to be a Meridian machine that istestament of how good this CD player is...it beats the Cambridge 840 CD player..i had considered an Oppo player or a SABRE 32 DAC but the versatility of the SA-8004 and the price $799 (Open Box) could'nt be beat.

 

[AnakChan]

I came across an article recently about the SA8004 with something called "syno tune custom". Unfortunately I don't have any further details about what this custom is about but maybe the SA8004 enthusiasts could dig in a little more info :-

http://yahiabq.blogspot.com/2012/01/marantz-cd-cd6004-syno-t.html
 
A syno tuned custom SA8004 seems to sell at a higher price. I'm very curious what this custom is all about.

 

[DjAmTraX]

I spent some time recently listening to the headphones amp, while good it's no match for an external amp.  Anyone else feel this way?

 

[obzilla]

Quote:

I spent some time recently listening to the headphones amp, while good it's no match for an external amp.  Anyone else feel this way?

Sure, though it depends on which amp you compare it to. It can best some lower end amps, and hold its own with others.
 
But if you put it against a mid-high end amp, no, it's not as good. It's a CD player  

 

[moodyrn]

Yeah, the amp on this thing isn't meant to be a long term alternative for a dedicated headphone amp. The amp is good for what it is, but that's all. It's about as good as a good budget desktop amp. I never use the headphone out on mine, and if I had nothing to plug my headphones into, the headphone out would only be temporary until if found something else. Dac/sacd playback is where this player shines, and what it's meant for.

 

[Garychf]

Hi there,
Just read your notes that you post long before about how great was the marrantz SA8004. I'm kind of thinking to get a marrantz SA8004 to act as a DAC(playing music from my pc) and as well sacd/cd and connect it with either woo audio WA22 or Darkvoice 337(still choosing). Would you think I should get a PS audio III Cullen modded or just use marrantz on board DAC?woo audio or darkvoice? And all this to go with my Audeze LCD-2 and sennheiser HD800. Hope to hear from you soon. Thank you.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I just sold mine on eBay for $499 mint.  I was surprised I had no interests here under Marketplace.

 

[moodyrn]

Quote:

Hi there,
Just read your notes that you post long before about how great was the marrantz SA8004. I'm kind of thinking to get a marrantz SA8004 to act as a DAC(playing music from my pc) and as well sacd/cd and connect it with either woo audio WA22 or Darkvoice 337(still choosing). Would you think I should get a PS audio III Cullen modded or just use marrantz on board DAC?woo audio or darkvoice? And all this to go with my Audeze LCD-2 and sennheiser HD800. Hope to hear from you soon. Thank you.

I haven't listened to the cullen modded  digital link 3, but I did have a stock digital link 3 when I got my marantz. Afterwards, I couldn't sell the digital link 3 fast enough. The marantz was more musical, had a wider and deeper soundstage, more organic....well just superior in every way. And I was a fan of how the digital link sounded. I don't know if the cullen mods push it beyond what the marantz can do or not though. Also, I would suggest not using the pc usb input. I sounds ok, but not up to par with the  optical or coaxial inputs. In fact, I much preferred spdif straight from the motherboard over usb. Now to get the best out of the spdif inputs, I would suggest using a usb to toslink converter such as the musical fidelity vlink. That will take the sound quality up a few notches further based on my experience. But of course ymmv.

 

[afroluffy]

Quote:

I just sold mine on eBay for $499 mint.  I was surprised I had no interests here under Marketplace.

 
Realize I'm a bit late to the discussion, but could you describe in what way you think the V DAC II topped the sa8004?  I've been thinking about making the sa8004 my next purchase for mainly DAC duties (would also match my pm 8004 amp), but I'm also interested in saving money.  Ideally, I need a dac that's sweet in the treble.       

 

[moodyrn]

He has posted impressions since then that contradicted that statement which I'm still scratching my head about. I owned the vdac II for a short while and it's not even in the same league as the sa8004. I've listened to a higher end m1 dac, and it's not quiet there either. I haven't listened to a dac under 1000.00 that was better, and I've owned and listened to a lot of them. I currently own a stage dac, and music streamer pro. And neither one of those are as good either. But I love them both though. I owned a ps audio digital link III that I sold after getting the sa8004.

If you're looking for a cheap dac with a sweet treble, I would recommend any of the hrt dacs. They sound beyond their price point, and have a nice analog sound with a sweet sounding treble. All of this is imo of course. I think the vdac II is good, but not that good. I prefer all of the hrt dacs I've listened to. The vdac II was just too harsh for me, and sounded a little sterile.

 

[afroluffy]

Quote:

He has posted impressions since then that contradicted that statement which I'm still scratching my head about. I owned the vdac II for a short while and it's not even in the same league as the sa8004. I've listened to a higher end m1 dac, and it's not quiet there either. I haven't listened to a dac under 1000.00 that was better, and I've owned and listened to a lot of them. I currently own a stage dac, and music streamer pro. And neither one of those are as good either. But I love them both though. I owned a ps audio digital link III that I sold after getting the sa8004.
If you're looking for a cheap dac with a sweet treble, I would recommend any of the hrt dacs. They sound beyond their price point, and have a nice analog sound with a sweet sounding treble. All of this is imo of course. I think the vdac II is good, but not that good. I prefer all of the hrt dacs I've listened to. The vdac II was just too harsh for me, and sounded a little sterile.

 
Thanks.  I think you've convinced me to give the sa8004 a shot, with the hrt streamer as back up.  Now I just have to wait for the next shipment to come in; it has been out of stock for a while now at online retailers.  

 

[zilch0md]

Hi everyone,
 
Reading this thread, it seems as if the SA8004 does a great job as a DAC when using a USB cable between a laptop or PC and this USB input, shown here:
 
 

 
But gives mixed results when using the front panel USB input, as shown below:
 
 

Is this pretty much the consensus, here?
 
And for those who have experience with standalone DACs, two more questions:
 
1)  Where would you rank the SA8004's DAC when using the USB digital input (from a laptop or PC) amongst various standalone USB DACs under $1500 (Metrum Octave Mk II, Wired4Sound DAC2, etc.)?
2)  Do you think the SA8004's coaxial digital input could offer greater SQ than its USB digital input, if using an external USB-to-SPDIF converter?   
 
Hint:  I'm trying to determine whether I should get the SA8004 in lieu of one of the DACs I've mentioned, as an improvement over my DACmini CX DAC section (to enjoy better USB SQ, while getting a nice SACD player in the bargain.
 
Thanks!
 
Mike

 

[zilch0md]

Bummer.  Dead thread.

 

[GoldfishX]

  Bummer.  Dead thread.

Sorry, did not see earlier.
 
Do not, I repeat, DO NOT use the front USB port under any circumstance. It sounds like a $50 budget unit through it, harsh, lifeless, unmusical, just plain garbage. Did not test with an idevice, but used a good quality thumbdrive with .wav files.
 
I'm still trying to figure out the sound from this thing. It gives a big sound, but it's warm at times and cold/harsh at others. I am generally happy with the DAC, with coaxial coming from my PC. I do regret buying it, as I did not understand the role of the DAC and just wanted a good CD player. Now I am using it mostly for the DAC portion. For what it is though, it is solid (and sexy).
 
Every place I have looked seems to confirm that coaxial > USB in terms of sound quality for just about anything. I think the coaxial is just a more solid connection, whereas the USB requires an additional conversion step.

 

[zilch0md]

Hey, thanks for the reply!   I've not purchased the SA8004 yet, so the information you've provided is very welcome!
 
Mike