Quote Originally Posted by blackraven View Post
I did an in home audition of the 8001 and 8003. They sounded the same to me. I would bet that the 8004 sounds similar. The 8001 and 8003 lean to the warm side. They lack high frequency detail IMHO. I felt their sound was lacking the sparkle that the 740c and 840c had. Bass did not seem as tight either. I'm not saying that I did not like the sound, it was just that there were better options at the time. I believe the reference series has better sound.


You and JRA have mentioned a lack in high frequency detail with the SA8001. I find mine to be detailed and wonder if it is associated equipment or cabling that creates the difference in our experiences. Or maybe my purchase of a first generation player which was so bad that I sold the player and cd's and stayed with vinyl. It was years before I purchased a Sony ES player. I still do not like bright sounding electronics or speakers.