[zachary80]

Are there any good (under $500) standalone (no DVD) SACD players?

I looked at the Philips 963SA, but I don't need DVD capabilities, and I heard it has poor stereo output.

 

[Tuberoller]

Why don't you attempt to audition the 963 before you dismiss it? It is a very good player(and I have heard many,many digital rigs) and those who have bad mouthed it usually have'nt actually heard it or are of the feeling that at $400.00 it just can't be any good.It is.Find another player anywhere near the price that outperforms it,or is as versitile and I'll buy it,audition it and write a full review.

 

[zachary80]

where can you try these things?

I just figured there would be a cheaper/better value one if it didnt include DVD playing. I really don't want to spend a lot of money, I just set a high budget because I don't want a SACD player that is hardly better than a CD player.

Anyone know anything about this yet? Yes, I know, it isnt just SACD, but it has DVD-A also, and is quite cheap.

And did you own a Orpheus, or is it just a funny thing you came up with?

Also, I heard you need to buy a lot of moneys worth of cables to make good use of one. Is this true, or is it just another monstercable person speaking?

 

[Squalish]

The DCD963SA has been called by some vendors the successor to the $2000 SACD1000(with no DVD capabilities), which was well-regarded for its price.

There are many opinions on cables and on overall system balance. Mine(based purely upon reading others') is that the money spent on the parts should be about:
30% source
30% amp
30% cans
10% cables

Monster-cable is, albeit to a lesser degree, the Bose of cables. Not worth it for the price to most. There are PLENTY of good interconnects in the $20-100 sector, that will give you 80-90% of the difference that a good cable can make. On the other hand, there are >$1000 cables that will give you 99%. Unless the rest of your system is up to snuff, cables don't make much of a difference. We have an entire forum for cables and tweaks.

 

[sacd lover]

Look at a SONY 222ES; 5 disc stereo/ multichannel player, good sound, good build quality, nice features and a 5 year warranty. Last time I checked, Oade Brothers Audio was selling them for $325, thats a little less than for the 963sa.