Results 1 to 9 of 9
  1. #1
    Forum Regular blackraven's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    St. Paul, Minnesota
    Posts
    5,421

    Marantz SA8003 SACD

    Is any one excited about the new Marantz SA8003 SACDP? It looks good, I wonder how it stacks up against the 8001. I'd like to read about a comparison between the 2.

    Any one hear considering buying it?
    Pass Labs X250 amp, BAT Vk-51se Preamp,
    Thorens TD-145 TT, Bellari phono preamp, Nagaoka MP-200 Cartridge
    Magnepan QR1.6 speakers
    Luxman DA-06 DAC
    Van Alstine Ultra Plus Hybrid Tube DAC
    Dual Martin Logan Original Dynamo Subs
    Parasound A21 amp
    Vintage Luxman T-110 tuner
    Magnepan MMG's, Grant Fidelity DAC-11, Class D CDA254 amp
    Monitor Audio S1 speakers, PSB B6 speakers
    Vintage Technic's Integrated amp
    Music Hall 25.2 CDP
    Adcom GFR 700 AVR
    Cables- Cardas, Silnote, BJC
    Velodyne CHT 8 sub

  2. #2
    Do What? jrhymeammo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    3,276
    AGHHHH!!!! My unit is now obsolete. Time to upgrade........ maybe not.

    USB option looks very promising, but I couldn't find out if the unit can be operated as a USB DAC. That'll be a great addition to the 8001 + updated HDAM. I dont think anyone really cares about MP3 capability but is handy for sure. You know how it is, normmies know how much money we spend on our gear, then tell us "Your expesive CD player doesnt play MP3? If it did, your stereo would sound even better.....".

    Anyhow, would love to read a review on this unit.
    J

  3. #3
    Ajani
    Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by jrhymeammo
    AGHHHH!!!! My unit is now obsolete. Time to upgrade........ maybe not.

    USB option looks very promising, but I couldn't find out if the unit can be operated as a USB DAC. That'll be a great addition to the 8001 + updated HDAM. I dont think anyone really cares about MP3 capability but is handy for sure. You know how it is, normmies know how much money we spend on our gear, then tell us "Your expesive CD player doesnt play MP3? If it did, your stereo would sound even better.....".

    Anyhow, would love to read a review on this unit.
    J
    It is a USB DAC... but keep in mind there are two types of USB DACs: 1) The type that must be controlled by a computer... they essentially act as a soundcard for your computer (these ones have the square type USB connection)... so the computer controls everything & 2) The type designed to be used with ipods/external hard-drives... this type actually control the attached device and use their own system for accessing the files (these ones have a rectangular type USB input - the same type you see on the side of a computer)...

    The Marantz is type 2... so all you need to do is attach your ipod or external hard-drive (preferably filled with WAV files and not lame MP3)...

  4. #4
    Do What? jrhymeammo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Posts
    3,276
    Quote Originally Posted by Ajani
    It is a USB DAC... but keep in mind there are two types of USB DACs: 1) The type that must be controlled by a computer... they essentially act as a soundcard for your computer (these ones have the square type USB connection)... so the computer controls everything & 2) The type designed to be used with ipods/external hard-drives... this type actually control the attached device and use their own system for accessing the files (these ones have a rectangular type USB input - the same type you see on the side of a computer)...

    The Marantz is type 2... so all you need to do is attach your ipod or external hard-drive (preferably filled with WAV files and not lame MP3)...
    Ahhh.... that's what I thought but wasnt exactly sure. I'll be sure to take than into a consideration when I start shopping around for a cheap DAC/headamp for my PC.

    Thanks

  5. #5
    Ajani
    Guest
    1st review in for the Marantz from HiFi Choice:

    http://www.techradar.com/products/au...-456022/review

  6. #6
    Aging Smartass
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Moore, SC
    Posts
    1,003
    I've been looking forward to reading reviews on this unit, especially when it comes to how it performs as compared to its predecessor, the 8001 which I, and several other AR members, own. I've been nothing less than delighted with my 8001, and, even if the 8003 is considered a superior sounding unit, it will be very unlikely I'll shell out the $1,000 for it for quite some time. While I don't consider Stereophile the "end-all" in product reviews, I suspect I'll give their opinion more weight as they're the ones who praised the 8001 as highly as they did, giving it a "Class-A" recommendation. It will be interesting to see if the 8003 gets the same.

  7. #7
    AR Newbie Registered Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    1

    Welcome

    Hello

    greetz, Fons from Holland

  8. #8
    Forum Regular
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Posts
    8
    I thought the TechRadar review was pretty spot-on.

    Brief version: The sound of the SACD, with top discs, is so much better than CD, that you will find yourself excited and shopping wildly for juicy titles.

    Long version: here is a copy of the review I posted on Amazon
    --

    My old Proceed Madrigal CD player finally expired ... and I replaced it with the Marantz SA8003 - my first SACD player. Even as a plain CD player, the sound is wonderful - clean, pure and warm. Not shrill. But, the biggest thrill, by far, is the sound of the SACD ... SACD samples at 64 times higher than standard CD sampling - at 2822 kHz vs just 44.1 kHz for CD. You can place a hybrid disk into the machine, and then choose to hear the Marantz SA8003 play either the standard CD encoding on the disc or the SACD Stereo encoding ... and the difference is plain to hear: in pureness, in clarity, in warmth (without the shrillness of CD) - the sound is just so lovely. Music has become fresh and exciting again, and that alone more than justifies every cent of this wonderful and elegant machine.

    So ... other points:

    1. The machine has a USB interface on the front, so you can plug in your iPod or usb dongle. This is nice to have, but I haven't actually bothered to use it yet. I mostly find myself playing (and buying) SACDs now. On the downside, I understand the USB interface uses it's own D/A converter - not the machine's high-end super fancy Cirrus one ... which partly defeats the purpose of having the USB interface at all. Others have noted that navigating large hard drives is difficult ... I would imagine it best suited to just playing odd tracks copied on to a USB dongle. And, of course, the best you can get off a USB device is standard redbook CD quality, or worse, if it has been compressed to mp3.

    2. Some people buy plain CD players that cost multiple times the price of this machine. It seems plainly obvious that the SACD performance of this machine will outclass anything that any CD player, no matter how expensive, can do. CD is limited by its technology. SACD sound is just so much nicer.

    3. The remote control looks quite smart, but it is far too large, far too deep, and is cluttered with buttons that cannot even be used (such as the Filter button) or buttons that can only be used if you also have the matching Marantz amplifier (volume, mute, input etc) . Marantz could have done a much neater and more elegant job here.

    4. The machine is for pure stereo playback: i.e. for people who have their hi-fi's setup with 2 speakers (like me). It is not designed for multi-channel multi-speaker 5.1 setups that some people have for watching movies etc. Krell have taken the same pure stereo path in their new SACD machine. Seems to be the emerging norm in audiophile SACD players these days.

    5. The machine itself, and the display, are a bit slow to respond to track changes made with the remote control, or on the machine itself.

    6. You can optionally switch off the display - this is actually quite a nice little feature ... the machine goes completely dark - like some mysterious and magical uber box, and then ... when you hit a button on the remote, the display briefly activates again ... so you can see the track number etc ... and then goes dark again.

    Overall, the minor quirks are just that ... minor quirks. The machine is elegant, it is pure and it is absolutely wonderful. The sound is outrageously good. I sat on the fence thinking about SACD for over 3 years ... until this came out ... and I am absolutely delighted to have it. Amazon has thousands of SACDs available ... prepare yourself for hunting trips!

    --

    I have had the machine for about 2 months now ... I am really pleased with it. The only point that I would add to the above is that, when placed into PAUSE mode, the machine spins noisilyy and irritatingly so. During normal playback, you cannot hear the machine spinning ... but place it into PAUSE, and it goes clunk clunk .... it irritates me, so I try to avoid leaving it in pause mode. Marantz should fix this. Naughty.

  9. #9
    Aging Smartass
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Moore, SC
    Posts
    1,003
    Quote Originally Posted by contrapunctus

    The sound of the SACD, with top discs, is so much better than CD, .. and the difference is plain to hear: in pureness, in clarity, in warmth (without the shrillness of CD) - the sound is just so lovely. Music has become fresh and exciting again, and that alone more than justifies every cent of this wonderful and elegant machine.

    Welcome to the wonderful world of the sound of 2-channel SACD's. You and I share the same enthusiasm and respect for this format, but we don't have much agreement from most of the other members of this website. Still, I hope you continue to enjoy your player as much as I've enjoyed listening to my 8001 for the past 13 months.

    I found that the sound of my 8001 improved significantly over the months I used it. Perhaps you'll experience the same phenomenon. Enjoy!

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •