Dynamic Range and the Marantz SA-8001

[emaidel]

It's been over a week or so that I haven't posted yet another thread gushing all over the place about how marvelous sounding my new Marantz SA-8001 is. That's not because I've changed my mind, but because I've been busy doing other things.

I spent some time listening to it over the last couple of days and have discovered something else about it that I find quite startling: it not only makes everything played on it sound better, but does an amazing job of noticeably increasing dynamic range - and I'm not talking about SACD's, but regular CD's!

I don't understand why this is so, but I can most readily attest to the fact that this is yet another very real attribute of the 8001. While listening to a few of my favorite Telarc classical CD's, I found myself actually turning the volume down, as the loud passages had become so much louder than they were before. I know that the SACD medium has a greater dyanmic range due to its storage capacity, but have no idea why "ordinary" CD's should experience this improvement, and so prominently too. Perhaps someone can enlighten me...

And while my favorite musical choice is classical, I thoroughly enjoyed the SACD versions of "Tommy," and "The Dark Side of the Moon" too. Playing a couple of Enya discs proved quite revelatory, in hearing more and more of the unique and unusual sounds of her instrumentation, as well as the amazing clarity of her overdubs. I guess I just never paid attention before, but to learn that she not only sings every note of her discs herself, but that she plays all the instruments too indicates how supremely talented she really is!

So, yes, I'm still awash in sonic nirvana with the Marantz SA-8001, save one truly annoying, and frankly, quite ridiculous feature: the fast forward time. Every CD player I've owned since 1983, including a couple of real cheapies, has had a very fast fast forward. That on the 8001 is about twice as fast as normal playback, and that's it! Trying to scan through a long track (such as the final movement of Mahler's 2nd) can take as long as 15 minutes!

I sent an email off to Marantz, asking whether or not my player was defective, and was simply told that "that's the way it is," and that they've received a number of complaints and "are working on it." How a player that is so good in so many respects can have this one truly annoying and stupid design goof is something I'll never understand.

Still, I've rarely ever purchased a piece of electronics that has made such a dramatic improvement over that which it replaced as the 8001. I guess Stereophile really knew what they were doing when they gave it a "Class-A Recommendation!"

[JohnMichael]

Emaidel I must agree with everything you post about the SA8001. What a great player for the money. It just sounds more natural and revealing the more I play it. Hearing music reproduced with a proper dynamic range adds to the enjoyment. I spend a lot of time rediscovering my cd's. The SA8001 more than any other player helps me listen to the music and not the equipment. Class A all the way.

[emaidel]

It's going to take me years to listen to all of my CD's on this new player, but long before that ever happens, I'm sure I'll be looking to see what to do next to upgrade my system. Short of replacing my speakers, power amp or preamp (which, currently, I have no desire whatsoever to do), I suspect the least costly area for improvement would be the interconnects used for the SA-8001 to my preamp.

Currently I'm using Kimber cable which I purchased about 8 years ago. It appears to be braided silver, and came in a jewelry box with a price tag (then) of about $300 for a pair of 1/2 meter cables. I used these Kimber cables to connect the output of my Adcom GDA-600 to my preamp, and if I ever switched to something else, the sound was always noticeably degraded.

So, the question is: while the cables I'm using are certainly first rate, which other cables might I consider without breaking the bank, or should I just leave well enough alone and just enjoy what I've got?

[Feanor]

...

Currently I'm using Kimber cable which I purchased about 8 years ago. It appears to be braided silver, and came in a jewelry box with a price tag (then) of about $300 for a pair of 1/2 meter cables. I used these Kimber cables to connect the output of my Adcom GDA-600 to my preamp, and if I ever switched to something else, the sound was always noticeably degraded.

So, the question is: while the cables I'm using are certainly first rate, which other cables might I consider without breaking the bank, or should I just leave well enough alone and just enjoy what I've got?

The priceiest cables I have owned are QEDs, 0.5m runs about $100/pr, and Kimber PBJs in the same price range. I'm old, cynical, and a bit deaf, but I hear no improvement -- indeed no noticeable difference at all -- using these more expensive products versus Blues Jeans Cables Belden 1505F, $31.50 for 2 foot. If you're willing to pop $300 for cables, why not first try the Blues Jeans, (preferably doing blind testing and keeping an open mind).

[emaidel]

I believe there is a very real difference in cables, though not one usually commensurate with the price tags of many. The $300 Kimber cables I purchased only cost me $150, as I was a supplier of a cable retailer at the time I bought them, and got a "deal" on them. I would have to think long and hard before I would spend $300 for two 1/2 meter cables.

Still, whichever other cables I've tried in lieu of the Kimber ones always resulted in noticeably inferior performance - less detail, less "sparkle" in the highs, and sloppier bass. In that respect, I too am a bit of a cynic when it comes to purchasing a pair of cheapies from Blue Jeans Cable, as I already own the Kimber, and am not looking for another super deal, but a superior cable. I guess my mind's a bit closed on this, as I find it hard to accept a $31 cable performing just as well as a set of $300 cables which I already know to perform splendidly, and which have outperformed any others I've used instead.

I feel though that the Blue Jeans cables would have done a superior job than the cheapies packed with the SA-8001. As a matter of fact, I question why Marantz even bothers including them, as it would seem to me that the only customers purchasing this model would be knowledgeable audio enthusiasts or audiophiles, who simply wouldn't use such a cable in the first place.

Still, the suggestion is intriguing, and I would like to think I have an open mind. On the other hand, it wouldn't make me feel any too wonderful to hear a $31 cable outperforming another one I paid so much more money for.

[PDN]

I was considering Kimber Kable but I read too many poor reviews of the 4TC and 8TC on-line. I went with Tara Labs Prism Klara bi-wired. Larry Carlton is one of the endorsers of Tara Labs wire and I listen to much of his music. He's right too. Fabulous.

[blackraven]

Why is it hard to believe that a cheaper cable can sound as good or out perform a more expensive cable, especially when there is so much controversy with cables? Most people dont find it hard to believe that other types of audio equipment can sound as good and if not better than more expensive equipment. For example, take CDP's. Emaidel, do you not believe that the Marantz 8001 sounds as good, if not better than some CDP's costing more? Or that my CA840c can sound better than CDP's costing hundreds if not a couple of thousand more as the reviews have said?

I'm not saying that bluejean cables sound better than cables costing hundreds more but it is certainly possible. My feeling is that some people do not want to believe that, because they need to justify the price of more expensive cables in some instances.

[emaidel]

I'm not saying that bluejean cables sound better than cables costing hundreds more but it is certainly possible. My feeling is that some people do not want to believe that, because they need to justify the price of more expensive cables in some instances.

Well said, indeed. It's certainly possible the BlueJean cables could sound better than the Kimber cables I have, and since the cost is so little, it wouldn't hurt me to give them a try. I'm sure you can understand though why I would want the Kimber cables to sound better, considering what they cost me (even at a 50% discount!).

On the other hand, the recommendation for Tara Labs cables brought quite a shock when I looked them up on line, and saw the prices! The first one I looked at cost a staggering $14,000, and the next was a "mere" $6,900. I'm sorry, but I simply cannot ever justify such a price tag for something that costs so little to manufacture as a 1 meter long cable, no matter what the exotic material used.