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SACD- the Wow factor (1 Viewer)

Jerry Klawiter

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 3, 2000
Messages
1,412
I was given a few real nice gifts from the wife this holiday.
One was the new Sony SCD-C222ES Multi-channel SACD changer.
When my wife purchased it the sales guy told her there would be a demo disc within the box. Well there was not
and I did not find the time to pick up a few titles until today. (the pronto pro she also gave me kept me plenty busy for the past week)
We went to BB and CC.
Picked up three Multi-channel titles.
#1 Celine- All the way a decade of song.
#2 Billy Joel- The Stranger.
#3 Jeff Beck- Blow by Blow.
All I can say is wow, the sound is just absorbing.
The standard rebook cd's are also fantastic on this changer.
Now I'm on the hunt for some SACD deals.
:emoji_thumbsup:
 

Michael_T

Second Unit
Joined
Oct 25, 2001
Messages
460
Jerry,
Welcome to the wonderful world of SACD.
I have a 333ES for stereo SACD, and a CE775 for multichannel SACD, and I have been in heaven ever since March 2001 (when I purchased the 333ES).
Unfortunately, Best Buy only carries the Sony SACDs - which are not always the best out there.
I suggest you visit the following web sites for a better listing of what is available - and you can even order discs from them on-line:
www.elusivedisc.com (very up-to-date)
www.acousticsounds.com (not always keep up to date - but if you call them they might have new releases in stock)
www.amusicdirect.com
www.hmv.co.jp (for japanese SACD releases - but they can be very expensive after shipping to the US)
www.amazon.com (limited selection)
www.sony.com/sacd (links you to Sony's SACD website for current and upcoming Sony SACD information)
www.superaudio-cd.com(limited selection, but they have some titles that aren't readily available anywhere else)
Have fun - I can tell you from personal experience you will be listening to more music than ever.
 

Jerry Klawiter

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 3, 2000
Messages
1,412
Michael,

Thank you for the links.

Here I just hit the big 40 a few months ago,

and this is the best sound my ears have had.

My wife just loves the open-smooth sound stage

of the sound. It's going to be fun to try

some new music.

Again wow..
 

EricK

Second Unit
Joined
Jan 22, 1999
Messages
287
Real Name
Eric
Jerry welcome to SACD! I love it myself!

Michael T : where are you in NJ? I am in Union for the time being...would love to discuss SACD with you some more...

How did you guys like the Jeff Beck...I just picked up the Multi/stereo disc and have yet to play it...

Eric
 

Michael_T

Second Unit
Joined
Oct 25, 2001
Messages
460
Eric,

I am in Montville, NJ (surrounded by Parsippany on one side and Fairfield/West Caldwell on the other). A bit further north than Union.

Anyway, I have the Jeff Beck SACD, not one of the better releases, but very listenable.

The multichannel mix, which George Martin has stated was taken from the old QUAD mix, places Jeffs guitar in the rear. Generally I love surround mixes, but having the lead guitar come from the rear ALL THE TIME is a little disconcerting. Even so, it can be an enjoyable listen. The drums and bass are firmly placed in the front soundstage, while the majority of the other lead instruments are placed in the rear.
 

KeithH

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2000
Messages
9,413
Jerry, congratulations on your fine gifts. Glad to hear you are enjoying SACD. Frankly, I think you will be even more impressed with SACD as you add more titles because the Billy Joel and Jeff Beck titles aren't the best-sounding ones out there. I have the Billy Joel SACDs, and while they beat the CDs, they aren't the greatest available in terms of fidelity. I don't have the Jeff Beck disc yet, but I have read that it sounds so-so. The Celine Dion SACD is phenomenal, however.

I own three SACD players (two stereo and one multi-channel) between two systems and am continually impressed with SACD. Furthermore, Sony's ES SACD players are excellent CD player for the money as well. Enjoy!
 

Lee Scoggins

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Aug 30, 2001
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6,395
Location
Atlanta, Georgia
Real Name
Lee
Jerry,

Welcome to the SACD club. You are going to enjoy the "extra music" available with the 64x"normal CD" sampling permitted by the DSD technology.

I had always been an audiophile but my interest was re-ignited with the pruchase of a SACD player.

My favorite retailer is Acoustic Sounds. They do a great job and carry many hard to find titles. They also make some great blues albums.

Some SACD suggestions if I might...

1. Beethoven Pastorale Symphony from Sony

2. Caroline Sageman plays Chopin from Lyrinx

3. Keb Mo: The Door from Sony

4. Red Rose Music Sampler (a fairly offbeat but well recorded mix) from Mark Levinson, the noted audio equipment designer.

5. Time Out by Dave Brubeck from Sony

6. Rebecca Pidgeon: The Raven from Chesky Records (great folk, female vocals)

7. McCoy Tyner: New York Reunion from Chesky Records (great straight ahead jazz, confession: I worked on this album as a third-string recording engineer and production assistant.)

These are just a few of my favorites...Enjoy!

Lee
 

Carlos Mendoza

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jan 10, 2001
Messages
142
Just curious, why would you need to own a SACD stereo AND a SACD multi-channel? Is it because the multichannel came out later, or do the multichannel players not have an option for using only two channels?

I'm just now beginning research into this. If I buy a multi-channel SACD, and assuming the disc is a 5.1 presentation, would I be able to choose to down-convert it into a 2 channel only mix?
 

Michael_T

Second Unit
Joined
Oct 25, 2001
Messages
460
Just curious, why would you need to own a SACD stereo AND a SACD multi-channel? Is it because the multichannel came out later, or do the multichannel players not have an option for using only two channels
I assume this question was posed to me as I have stated in this thread that I own the 333ES for stereo, and the CE775 for multichannel SACD playback.

Well, you are correct in that I already had the 333ES, which is only a stereo SACD/CD player, and when multichannel players were introduced I purchased the least expensive dedicated SACD/CD player on the market.

I could easily use the CE775 for both stereo and multichannel SACD playback, but the 333ES is a superior machine - so I prefer to use that for stereo playback. The 333ES is also broken in, and sounds great overall - better than the CE775, IMO.

I could have, I guess, waited and purchased a better multichannel SACD player like the 555ES or the XA777ES and sold my 333ES. But I really like the 333ES, and have read others stating it might just be better built (internal parts) than either the 222ES and the 555ES. That isn't to say either of those players are great players, but it was more economical for me to merely keep the 333ES, and spend $299 on the CE775.

Lately, though, it has crossed my mind that maybe the XA777ES wouldn't be such a bad purchase. It can be gotten at a discount for around $2000. If I did this, I would certaintly sell the CE775 and the 333ES to offset the higher cost of the XA777ES. I will make that decision within a few months, for various reasons. It will be a hard one to make since I have grown very "attached" to the 333ES.

But to settle your mind, currently most if not all the SACD players that are being marketed are stereo/multichannel models. So you should be content to know that any SACD player you purchase, no matter what it's cost, will play all SACD's released (stereo or otherwise - unless you opt for the APEX 7701 which I have heard from others on the audioasylum board may have major problems reading and playing many discs).

Also, regarding your question about "downconverting" to a 2-channel mix on SACD. Don't worry. SACD does not downconvert. Every multichannel SACD disc has both a separate and distinct stereo mix, which is not a downmix. So I can assert again, that any multichannel SACD player you purchase will be able to play both the multichannel mix, and the stereo mix merely by hitting a button to chose the preferred mix.
 

KeithH

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2000
Messages
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Michael, if you were to buy the 'XA777ES, you would sell the 'C333ES and 'CE775? What's wrong with having three SACD players? ;)
I have been tempted by the 'XA777ES since I heard it at Rabson's in North Jersey and J&R Music World around Thanksgiving. However, if I were to buy it, it would make sense for me to sell the '777ES and the 'C555ES, and frankly, I don't want to sell either one. The 'XA777ES is said to be a better stereo player than the '777ES, but the '777ES is a classic, and I love it. Also, the 'C555ES is my quality CD changer, and I don't want to lose that flexibility in my main system. Besides, I am not looking to drop $2000 right now, even though the 'XA777ES looks to be an excellent component.
Before I would drop $2000 on the 'XA777ES, I would like to see what Sony announces for SACD at the upcoming CES. At this time last year, we were anticipating multi-channel players and budget players. Now we have them, so I wonder what Sony has in store for 2002. More of the same as what we got in 2001? Sony could offer more progressive-scan DVD/SACD players and some SACD megachangers (with and without DVD playback capability), however, I want to see if Sony announces any new audiophile-oriented SACD players. Maybe Sony will offer near-'XA777ES quality for a lot less money in 2002. Of course, with new models come great deals on older components, so maybe the price of the 'XA777ES will drop. This strategy worked for me with my first three SACD players. :)
 

Jerry Klawiter

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 3, 2000
Messages
1,412
Thanks guys for all the great info and advise.
I have so much audio/video gear in my home,
lots of nice toys and things collected,
and over all these years I don't remember one piece
that gave such an improvement is sound then this SACD
format. I'm like a kid in a candy store now.
Maybe for starters I should look for some used SACD
software, any leads on used disc's?
Wife and I are open to all music styles.
Now that winter is here and it's cold out.
That only means one thing if your from Minnesota.
No not a SuperBowl, Not these Vikings...:frowning:
It's a fire in the fireplace, Music and Movies.
Again thank you.
 

Carlos Mendoza

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Jan 10, 2001
Messages
142
Okay, my CD player is about 13 years old, so I guess it is time to upgrade to SACD. Looks like the low-end CE-775 is the one for me. Couple of questions:

I have a Yamaha HTR-5280 receiver. It has RCA inputs for 5.1 sources, so I'm guessing I will need to connect the 5.1 outputs from the SACD player to the inputs on the Yamaha, and I've got the multichannel capability, right? Are people without these inputs on a receiver hosed for listening to multi-channel SACD? I thought I read somewhere that optical inputs won't cut it for multichannel SACD. Is that right?

Will I also need another optical cable from the SACD player to the Yamaha for regular CD playback?

Point me to the best deals, please. Also, point me to any SACD FAQ's out there, please.
 

Michael_T

Second Unit
Joined
Oct 25, 2001
Messages
460
I'm guessing I will need to connect the 5.1 outputs from the SACD player to the inputs on the Yamaha, and I've got the multichannel capability, right? Are people without these inputs on a receiver hosed for listening to multi-channel SACD? I thought I read somewhere that optical inputs won't cut it for multichannel SACD. Is that right?
You are correct. At the current time the decoded SACD signal is available only through the analog outputs from any SACD player.
Generally, if at all, the SACD signal is not output from either the optical or coaxial digital outputs, so yes, connecting the 5.1 outputs from the SACD player to the inputs on your Yamaha will give you glorious SACD multichannel capability.
You could hook up another optical cable from the CE775 to your Yamaha for redbook CD, but you might find that the internal DACs of the CE775 sound better than your Yamaha, so you may merely want to feed all signals, CD and SACD, to your Yamaha through the analog outputs. And you can do this merely by hooking up the 5.1 analog outputs as described above.
One place to start regarding Sony SACD is:
www.sony.com/sacd
Good luck and good listening.
 

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