emaidel
04-10-2008, 04:07 AM
I was curious as to whether or not there was a specified timeframe for burn-in on this unit, so I sent Marantz an email asking. I also asked what "HDAM" meant, which is printed on the face of the unit, but which is completely ignored in the instruction manual. (Frankly, the instruction manual is more suited to a cheap JVC receiver, than a piece of gear as good as this one, as it tells the owner very little about what it is that makes the unit as good as it is.)
First, "HDAM" means "High Definition Amplifier Module" which Marantz claims is superior to "cheaper "alternatives. I have no idea what they're talking about, so I'll just take their word.
Insofar as burn-in, the answer was, "burn-in is 50 hours, but sometimes 200." That's a bit of a stretch, but at least it was an answer. In the meantime, though I don't have 50 hours of use on the unit yet, I have to say it's getting better and better sounding.
Since I used the Robert Shaw rendition of Brahms' "A German Requiem" on Telarc as the very first disc to play on the 8001, I continually go back to that disc to see whether or not anything's changed, and boy, has it ever! The soundstage continually improves, especially in pin-point precision, and the clarity seems to increase constantly, but without ever getting harsh. On this particular disc, the breadth of the orchestra, as well as the clear positioning of the chorus sections continues to become more and more precise and detailed, adding immensely to my enjoyment of the piece.
I selected this disc for a variety of reasons: for one, I'm in the midst of rehearsing it as a member of the bass section of a large chorus about to perform the piece on Saturday, April 19th in Spartanburg, S.C., so I'm very fond of it. Second, I've had a lot of trouble with this disc: the first two I purchased from amazon.com played, but with constant (and very annoying) ticking throughout. A replacement direct from Telarc fared a lot better, but still emitted ticking sounds throughout movement VI.
The disc plays superbly on the 8001, without any ticking whatsoever, and sounds downrisght glorious, even though it's an early Soundstream CD. I can only hope that this is one of Telarc's library of such Soundstream recordings that they intend to remaster through DSD and offer as a 2-channel SACD. THAT should be something truly special!
On the popular side, I popped in Phil Collins "Face Value," and then my first Enya disc, "Watermark." It's almost as if I never listened to either of these discs before, the sound was so much improved.
So, can you tell I'm nothing short of delighed with the Marantz SA-8001? I've been looking for an SACD player that would improve upon the sound of my CD library for a long time, and I think I've found just the ticket. At $900, I'd hardly call it a "steal," or even a "bargain," but certainly worth every cent. A "Stereophile Class-A Recommended" item isn't just hyperbole, at least based on my experience with this unit.
First, "HDAM" means "High Definition Amplifier Module" which Marantz claims is superior to "cheaper "alternatives. I have no idea what they're talking about, so I'll just take their word.
Insofar as burn-in, the answer was, "burn-in is 50 hours, but sometimes 200." That's a bit of a stretch, but at least it was an answer. In the meantime, though I don't have 50 hours of use on the unit yet, I have to say it's getting better and better sounding.
Since I used the Robert Shaw rendition of Brahms' "A German Requiem" on Telarc as the very first disc to play on the 8001, I continually go back to that disc to see whether or not anything's changed, and boy, has it ever! The soundstage continually improves, especially in pin-point precision, and the clarity seems to increase constantly, but without ever getting harsh. On this particular disc, the breadth of the orchestra, as well as the clear positioning of the chorus sections continues to become more and more precise and detailed, adding immensely to my enjoyment of the piece.
I selected this disc for a variety of reasons: for one, I'm in the midst of rehearsing it as a member of the bass section of a large chorus about to perform the piece on Saturday, April 19th in Spartanburg, S.C., so I'm very fond of it. Second, I've had a lot of trouble with this disc: the first two I purchased from amazon.com played, but with constant (and very annoying) ticking throughout. A replacement direct from Telarc fared a lot better, but still emitted ticking sounds throughout movement VI.
The disc plays superbly on the 8001, without any ticking whatsoever, and sounds downrisght glorious, even though it's an early Soundstream CD. I can only hope that this is one of Telarc's library of such Soundstream recordings that they intend to remaster through DSD and offer as a 2-channel SACD. THAT should be something truly special!
On the popular side, I popped in Phil Collins "Face Value," and then my first Enya disc, "Watermark." It's almost as if I never listened to either of these discs before, the sound was so much improved.
So, can you tell I'm nothing short of delighed with the Marantz SA-8001? I've been looking for an SACD player that would improve upon the sound of my CD library for a long time, and I think I've found just the ticket. At $900, I'd hardly call it a "steal," or even a "bargain," but certainly worth every cent. A "Stereophile Class-A Recommended" item isn't just hyperbole, at least based on my experience with this unit.