Serious classical music lovers will snatch this device up. SACDs are being produced all the time from classical labels. The format won’t die. Won’t sell lots of units but enough to keep it afloat. Remember vinyl?
Not a sacd fan, dedicated to vinyl. Your authoritative description was encapsulating. Once again you've provided another opportunity to those who desire this equipment.
I just commented this to a friend, and since I am going to be living there, could you tell me if Technics is selling it in Malaysia at a good price at a store in KL or one can only buy it online in Malaysia?
Do you think that the DAC in this Technics it is better than the Denafrips Terminator or just in CD’s it is better? What about the streaming? Thank you!!
I am a fan of the SACD / DSD format, mostly because it is a much more direct way to encode analog information than sampling. It sounds very relaxed and "analog" as well. And you can encode SACDs into DSD files - albeit this is a bit of an intricate process (I have encoded my 100+ SACDs with a Sony PS3). Interestingly, Analog Production reissues - which are absolutely top notch - only come on vinyl and SACD! I have a bunch of these and have ripped them to DSD files. They sound amazing.
Disadvantages of the medium? MANY!!!: File size (they could have added simple data compression without much fuzz - the only data compression that exists in the official format is only for pros); Non-editable - it is complicated to edit/change levels of the take, so it is usually transcoded to PCM, edited, and then back to DSD (this is not the case for direct tape transfers like Analog Productions'); Not every DAC can decode the files; and finally because of size and lack of data compression, streaming these files is a no-go so far.
Wajid Raza Interesting. Someone has actually come up with a solution that in principle should work for all players on Windows. But I would not really bother with that as I use Roon mainly. Simple compression SHOULD be in the standard.
Hi Steve Your review did not mention the units red book cd player performance. On regular cds few players seem able to reproduce the depth and sound of the recorded environment. How far did this unit give that. Please can we have a follow up review even if it is not long. Thanks Peter
The reality is SACD’s we’re released well before it could be both appreciated and supported. Most audio enthusiast didn’t have the equipment to either take advantage of or hear the difference in the more expensive Discs. Today with Audio Tech having caught up, it’s clear that SACD/DSD is superior over any Redbook playback. One need only look at the daily activity on SACD SoMedia pages to know this format is alive and well and growing! I wish you’re film more footage of the equipment you review. We never saw the rear of this player!!
I Have A Technics SL-P370 from 1990 & an SL-PS900 from 1991 and they both still work perfectly to this day & this is when they were still being Made in Japan. I Prefer my vintage gear over anything that's manufactured today since their being made either in Malaysia or China.
Wonder how this would compare to equally priced Yamaha CD-S2100 or cheaper Denon DCD-1600NE/Yamaha CD-S1000/Arcam CDS50 models that all forego networking?
I am an unrepentant physical media kind of guy and my music library is dominated by CDs (I've only gotten back into spinning vinyl in the last 4-1/2 years or so and am slowly rebuilding the analog wing). I do have a significant stable of unicorns (as "The Audio Company That Must Not Be Named" (okay, Schiit Audio (hey, nested parenthetical comments!)) likes to call SACDs in particular and DSD in general). I make no claims that my hardware is state-of-the-art, but it is far more than adequately good, and I testify that (to my ears, in my system) my best sounding disks are SACDs. Of course, all things are never equal and not all SACDs rise to greatness. Many are equaled and occasionally surpassed by the best sounding CDs and LPs. But at this point in space-time, the top of the mountain is populated by SACDs. [Hmmmm: "library"? "stable"? "mountain"? -- WARNING! Mixed Metaphors Alert!] p.s. Chesky apparently does not sell physical media any more. I understand that the business climate has changed, but (as an aforementioned U.P.M.K.o.G.) I find this very disappointing. I ask that you relay this point to them on the occasion of your next meeting (either personally or digitally), my fellow Steve.
Never heard of this before....clock employs an original Battery Driven Circuit System to achieve high-accuracy D/A conversion...! Thanks for the video Steve.
Yes, that is one thing they said to have include in both this sacd player as well as the DAC integrated in the reference and grand class equipment. It certainly has a very transparent sound.
if this comes with a remote it sounds like a great addition to a vintage system to give it modern features. Plus it will fit right in with the silver gear of the 70s.
It cames with a remote and certainly look amazing with vintage equipment. Look for the new Technics reference class integrated amplifier coming next November! Is a piece of art.
Steve, if you enjoy SACDs so much, why not review the Arcam CDS50? It's not new, but it does much of what the Technics does at 1/3rd the cost. SACDs need all the support they deserve--and they DO deserve it! BTW: Qobuz is supported by the Technics SL-G700M2 version.
I own a 103D purchased off of Craigslist for $200 on the very day OPPO announced they were dropping out of the UDP business. I know this totally disqualifies me as an audiophile, but these days, I find myself spending most of my music appreciation time watching concerts in surround sound. While I prefer Blu-rays for this, one thing many people don't seem to know about the 103D is that all the sonic and visual enhancements that it provides also work with streaming content like TH-cam. For many older bands from the 60's and 70's, no decent concert footage exists. The 103D can make those old relics on TH-cam very watchable and listenable, and can even convert them to DTS NEO surround if you wish.
I've had it for a year now, it sounds amazing, totally above the price paid. Sound signature is dynamic, punchy with a hint of warmness. Bass is incredible, full and articulate. Reminds that of Technics turntables. .In comparison, Marantz sa14s1 sounded thin, harsh and digital with restrained dynamics, Marantz nd8006 sounded like a 20$ dvd player.
@@Fleischregen140 In my opinion yes. The Technics is especially good with cd playback, it has dedicated high end drive and a specific pure cd playback mode which deactivates every unused function and optimizes offline cd reproduction. It truly shines in my opinion.
Steve, well done. Would love to get your take on this Technics vs Marantz SACD 30n that is brand new and has built in streaming and is also a DAC. Seems like capabilities are similar? Unlike you, I like ALL-IN-ONE due to space constraints when possible.. I try to keep my space super tidy... :) All the best !
No mention of multi-channel audio from SACDs? Most SACDs have three separate audio recordings: the Red Book CD layer (16-bit, 44.1kHz stereo, playable on a standard CD transport; the stereo SACD recording (DSD, 2-channel); and the 5.1 SACD recording (DSD, 6-channel). From the look of the back panel on this unit, it’s stereo-only. Why build (or buy) an SACD player that’s unable to play everything on the disc?
@@tango_gru The Marantz SACD 30n uses a custom Marantz Musical Mastering system in place of an off-the-shelf DAC chipset. Formats up to 384 kHz/32-bit for PCM and 11.2 MHz for DSD.
Question. I own a Oppo 203 which is very feature ladden. I was considering this Technics CD player but questioning if I used the Oppo as a transport with a higher end DAC would that provide as good if not better performance with SCAD/DNS than the Technics?. Thoughts?
Seems odd you never mentioned how regular CD's sounded through this player ? How do they sound through the Techniques compared to the Jays/Terminator Combo ?
$3K...Technics is now for more well-heeled audiophiles apparently. For the rest of us we can get the SACD and network heavy lifting accomplished for about $700 plus spin all manners of video discs.. 1.) Buy the Sony UBP-X800M2 4K UHD Blu-ray Player With HDR for about $250 or less and you'll get a quite decent universal disc player. AND, 2.) Buy the Bluesound Node 2i recently reduced in price to $450 which covers the network aspect impressively.
I remember clearly how a Technics SL-P10 sounded some decades ago,because it was the same like a Denon DP-57L with a Ortofon MC-200. Well, not exactly but stunningly very,very close. In other words even fully satisfying a whole bunch of experienced listeners. It was 1k if i remember right. Granted the buck was worth a lot more than today,and no one had heard of streaming and USB and such. Anyway,i just wonder how the new Technics would compare to the old one. Because it was a nice machine with vertical slot where one could see the CD spinning and a red dot for laser position. Clean faceplate design and heavy with the dimensions of a pretty decent integrated amplifier.
I'm quite happy with my First series Denon cd player, for an 80's model it plays everything believe it or not, found it at a thrift store for two dollars
Whoaaaa Steve, wait!!! What about the sound with regular Red Book CD's? How good is the internal DAC? As good a Jays Audio as a transport? For $3k I demand answers ... 😄 👍
I only listen to Classical music and Jazz. The Gramophone magazine (UK) reviews classical recordings and the average number of SACD recordings per month are about 15-20. SACDs are also very popular in Japan. As I own quite a few SACD
@@trippmoore . I never came across any dbx vinyl records ( I believe only a few hundred were made) and would not have had the hardware. I can only say that if you have the right 2 channel equipment the difference in ambience and tonal clarity when listening to the CD and SACD tracks on hybrid SACD's is very noticeable.
@@danielcramer9600 I have a few dbx records. most classical. They sound very very good. I have had and SACD player but it was a shitty sony home theatre system, so not representative of what the format can do. I would suggest you see if you know anyone with some classical dbx records and give then a listen. unless you aren't into vinyl then you probably won't care.
@@trippmoore I have never given up on vinyl and still buy some of the few new classical records that come out in the UK from time to time. Having accepted streaming some time ago I am now at a age where new media requiring new equipment is out. Also I am shielding. I have several hundred classical SACD discs and lucky enough to have good equipment to play them. Unfortunately most AV equipment does not have the quality DACs SACD's deserve.
Levin G. I’m curious why there are not more reviews on that. I also would love his take. Andrew is a looks guy and I think he was really swayed by the looks of the SU-G700
I like SACD as a format. Is there a way to output any multi-channel SACD's on this?. I know audiophiles aren't big on multi-channel but a lot of SACD's have that option *cough* Dark side of the Moon. Congrats on the oncoming subscriber surge.
@Lloyd Stout I'm not advocating for surround per se. Just wanted to know if this player supported some of the multi-channel SACD's I own as some recordings were either originally intended to be heard that way or have a reputation for really bringing something to the experience such as Pink Floyd's Dark side of the moon, Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, Sinatra at The Sands etc. I'm guessing not.
@@trippmoore Technics website states that the unit only plays 2ch SACD. Even if it could access the multi-channel layer, you cannot output them via coax or s/pdif as those outputs don't support the bandwidth of DSD. DVD's can use those as they often use the heavily compressed DTS. It's a niche thing I know but 3k plus for a player that won't play my multi-channel SACD's is not quite as attractive for me anyway.
I was intrigued by the g700, but put off by its "all things to all people" approach. Last spring I bought the, made in Japan, Marantz SA KI Ruby for a bit more bucks and I'm floored. I've since been buying sacds like they're going out of style, because they are. Shame that, because as Steve says, they don't sound "digital" in the negative sense.
I have a few SACDs, sadly playing the hi-res music wasn’t possible using my kit, so I found a way of extracting the DSD using a cheap Sony Bluray player. Now I play the DSD via a MacBook and Audirvana. I need a USB streamer
Well... The whole review is aboud SACD that is a dead format in fact. Why no info about ordinary CD and streaming abilities (especially MQA). This is pretty much more interesting. Is it worth buying it for that purpose or not?
The big problem with Sony was that they had Columbia release tons of SACD only discs, not hybrid. They were more interested in selling disc players than establishing the format. I think the SACD would have gone over much better if they had only released hybrid discs so people could buy the discs and play them on their CD machine and could have upgraded later. The Rolling Stone series that was released in SACD without really saying it could have been the prototype, instead it was a fluke.
I had a bunch of those early stones SACDs. I got a sony home theater system in 2005ish that could play SACDs so I picked up all the stones albums that I didn't already have on SACD. Unfortunately, even though I was into music, I wasn't much of an "audiophile" back then, and playing those stones discs through that shitty amp and satellite speakers+sub wasn't all that great. So naturally, I wasn't too impressed with the sound and never gave SACD another thought until I did, years later, become an audiophile and found out that some people are into SACDs. My initial response was "People are into that old shitty format?" I don't have the discs or an SACD player any longer. I mostly listen to vinyl, tape, or stream HiRez digital now.
@@dannytse8767 They could start buying SACD discs before they owned a SACD player. They could play them on any machine. Once they upgraded to the SACD player they would get improved sound without rebuying the music.
I've been hanging with a kind of an Audiophile group who argue about Analog and Digital all the time. I've sat on the fence because I didn't know if I had anything to say. Listening to this OLD Review (still current though) I realized that is the 'Target,' to hear things from breathing people and people in person are Analog right? Yes, it's an imperfect thought, but I'm a NOVICE and I'm doing my best ;) lol
Equally worrying: any device should just play the music - why do I need to consult the manual to play MQA and still need a Phd on top of that? Also, the ugly USB port makes little sense. How do the files get on the stick? From the PC. This is a network player, so one better use it if you pay 3K. Obviously, one would beam files on to a NAS (which any PC user should have anyway for backups) and then you'd play them over the network. It would be better placed at the back, also every NAS has USB front ports and one could stick it in there. For 3K bucks, I want any device to look super slick...
Which Denon? I am considering the Denon DCD-1600NE CD/SACD player (no streaming functions). And Denon just introduced the DCD-A110 CD/SACD player at $3K.
@@dannytse8767 I was looking at the SCN 1600E and the DCN-2500NE but they don't play Blue Ray as far as I can see so at the moment I am considering the Panasonic DP-UB9000
I have the marantz ruby sacd player now.its hooked up to burson solist voyager headphone amp.is the technics gl700 mark 2 better Thant marantz ruby sacd player.the gl700 mark 2 has xlr outs and the marantz ruby has rca outs.would I get better sound if I use xlr out to my burson.
Hey Steve, I'm of a like mind with you about all the extra bells and whistles. Any chance you could recommend a dedicated SACD player with similar sound quality, but without all the streaming gewgaws?
@Hare deLune I just bought a Yamaha CD-S2100 for the same price of 3K USD and it just plays SACD, and CD’s...that’s it, nothing else. It sounds superb!
On this player you get really audiophile quality when reproducing the sound of the smallest violin in the world playing for the person who could only afford to pay $3000 for this instead of $17000 for the other one.
Quite ironic to see in this day and age quite a few companies releasing new flagship level players or even entering the sacd player market for the first time. Not sure what to make of it honestly. I’m pleased that players are still being made and would normally be excited by this device but in reality how many people in the US haven’t already bought their last disc spinner? I know I’ve reached digital nirvana with my SCD-XA5400ES and have no intentions ever replacing it. (I hope) Makes wonder if the high end SACD players of today will ever be sought after by enthusiasts kinda how high end turntables from the late 70s and 80s are prized now as the technology had essentially peaked and great performance was actually pretty affordable. Obviously it’s not THE SAME but food for thought... what do y’all think?
Players like the Technics and the just introduced Marantz 30N are also manufactured for audiophiles in other countries. Americans don't have a monopoly on being audiophiles. In fact, companies like Denon and Pioneer don't even import their best disc players to the US because this country is more about streaming.
@@dannytse8767 Hey Danny, totally respect and thank you for pointing that out, however I was not unaware of that fact all lol. Since I live in the US I can only speak for the US market with any familiarity. That’s why I specified the US. I totally get that other countries are much less likely to abandon CD/SACD. I know for a fact that both China and Japan continue to release SACD discs as demand is still pretty high over there. However since Steve is reviewing it, that means Matsushita/Panasonic is expecting this to sell in the North American market. (among other markets) I mean he is definitely not reviewing it for the Brazilian market is he? =P that’s what I’m commenting on. If Steve is reviewing it that means it’s expected to sell adequately in the North American market. And that is what I find most fascinating. Perhaps Technics believes this will be the next SL-1200? I’m curious, what are your thoughts?
@@drunkenhearted7256 Despite the popularity of streaming, there is definitely still a market for SACD. Companies such as MoFi and Intervention Records are still issuing SACDs that aimed for SACD fans in the US. Technics should be applauded for bringing in the SL-G700 to the US market. On the other hand, I doubt the SL-G700 will sell as well as Technics' revived turntable line.
@@drunkenhearted7256 That is certainly the main reason. The other key thing is that newer devices, including this one, are managed by android / ios apps, so you already have a high resolution high performance remote on your hands. Today, 9/30/2020 technics released a new version of their App and that is much, much better than the previous one.
Steve: you're 20 years too late, but you are doing a hellova job selling the SACD format ! I may seriously think about getting the Technics although that display screen is awfully small. (Granted you can get a better view on a tablet, but the whole idea is to have a 1-box digital solution.) BTW, is the Mk2 version significantly better?
Sorry for stupid question, but how would I connect this Technics to my Galion Int Amp, which only has RCA inputs (no coax etc)? Would one pair of regular RCA interconnects from Technics OUT to Galion IN play both SACD and CD? With a hybrid SACD, how does the Galion know which layer to play?
For 2 channel SACD (or CD) playback, a pair of (regular) RCA interconnects is all you'll need between the Technics and your integrated amp. After all, the Technics is a 2 channel stereo SACD player and multichannel SACD playback is not supported (after all, SACD started as a 2 channel stereo format). As to which layer of hybrid SACD is getting played, you control that on the Technics, not your integrated amp.
Very interesting.. SACD sounds better from this player than the CD play back Jays Audio CD transport/Denafrips terminator. I all ways skeptical about those price tags. What about CD play back comparison between these ?
indeed, was just about to make the very same point; so, yes - the big takeaway from this (dare I say bombshell...) being, that a halfway decent SACD player, provided "a more enjoyable listening experience - analog even" than a highly regarded cd player with an even more recent top of the line ladder DAC. a combination costing quite a lot more; now that's quite a revelation: addendum makes me wonder how good the SACD player would be with let's say a very good 'half-the-money' DAC (like an Aries II or the Pontus..)
@@kvrhifi SACD can be output digitally via HDMI version 1.2 and above. However, I am not aware of any external DSD DAC that contains a HDMI input. I heard PS Audio is working on something described. Otherwise, there's this.... www.stereophile.com/content/geerfab-audio-dbob-digital-breakout-box
@@tomchan2559 So I can use a standard pair of RCA interconnects going from Technics OUT to Int Amp IN? No coax needed? If it's a hybrid SACD, how does my int amp know which layer to play?
for half the money you can get the updated RME ADI DAC 2 , a node 2i, and an Audiolab 6000CDT cd transport (if you really need it)... you'll have one of the best dacs and headphone amps out there and a streaming device that supports more services, is much more refined and easier to use, and will likely see more frequent updates.... (granted you'll lose the MQA support bypassing the node 2i's DAC - but with Amazon HD you dont need MQA anyway...)
I was so excited about SACD when it came out. I remember scouring the bins for them at Tower Records! But besides the very limited titles, SO many of them were single layer (non-hybrid). These were useless! I had 3 CD players in the house, plus players in 2 cars. What did Sony think I was gonna do with an SACD that worked in only 1 of my 5 CD players? You'd think i'd learn, but my Sony 4k TV picture looks great in the bedroom.... but won't won't receive Apple Airplay from my iPhone. Sony CAN make great stuff, but they do NOT care about their customers.
I’m looking to set up my new listening room ; Rega P8, Rega Pre Aria MK 3, and I want to push a pair of B&W 702 S2’s. With this in mind, what amp would you suggest? Thank you in advance.
I need a new CD player as my naim CD5x has gone bump and the parts are now obsolete. Have loads of CD’s and a few which are hybrids. Been looking at the Luxman D-03x but this Technics is in a similar price range. Is it worth getting into SACD’s or should I just get a regular CD player
In my opinion you don't really need a dedicated SACD player. I have the Sony - UBP-X800M2 4K Blu-Ray player and it plays just about anything you can wish for...... CD-R/RW, SACD, DVD-Audio, DVD±R/RW, DVD, CD, DVD+R DL, BD-ROM, DVD-R DL, Blu-ray Disc, CD-DA, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, MPO. Also supports WAV, AAC, AIFF, MP3, FLAC, AC-3, LPCM, MKA, APE, M4A, WMA 10 Pro, WMA 9, DSF, DSDIFF, DSD, LDAC, ALAC, DFF, HE-AAC v1, HE-AAC v2, Vorbis, DSEE HX, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, XviD, AVI, WMV, MKV, WMV9, VC-1, AVCHD, MOV, AVC, 3GP, VRO, VOB, PS and ASF formats. No way is it as good as the $16,000 Luxman, or this $3,000 Sony, but then it only cost $250 and I enjoy it.
It's only worth it to get into SACD if the format has music that you are interested in. I'd recommend going to hraudio.net and taking a look at what is available on SACD. Keep in mind that the format is still running at about 60% classical music.
Steve, you completely missed reviewing the network player aspect. What about Tidal and MQA? How good is the network app, sound etc?..... Your job is only half done!!!!!
The reason SACD failed was because it was expensive and nobody except golden ears could hear the difference. With CD it was pricey but CLEARLY had advantages over vinyl. Blaming SACD’s failure on a lack of titles is revisionist history (and I worked for Sony when SACD was introduced)
If you worked for Sony when SACD was introduced, then you would've know that the SACD were less than $20.00 per disc. Only when those early, single layer SACDs hit the second hand market did their prices went up.
If you google the name of an artist, also write DSD when you search. So you can find things. But be prepared that it may be more or less Japanese on the website you find
Any difference in specifications among all quality CD players are totally inaudible. The potential audible difference in sound would be relative to the quality of the DAC, in each player. Then you are limited to the quality of the remastered CD recording.
I have a vast amount of DSD and a couple of hundred SACDs. Short point - Yes it is good stuff. Comparison with PCM? Well ... pause ... I kind of think it is better. My listening experience is that in 95% of materials it makes no difference. But on a few tracks I think it is better. I have a wonderful Mahler 4th on SACD that is more involving than any other. It is difficult to say but I put it down to the purity of the recording. In the interests of full disclosure I have no PCM or CD version of this.
I would agree on the equality of sound quality, or (IMO more likely) that it's beyond human capability to detect any differences in sound quality between SACD and PCM. But in my experience at least some older recordings (like the initial Pentatone releases, for example) are remastered better when transferred to SACD, while the regular transfers to CD sometimes seem to have left more analog artifacts (occasional pitch instability, audible tape hiss, noticeable compression etc.). BTW, which Mahler 4 were you referring to?
My 10 year old Cambridge Azur 640 CD player has a better looking display than the SL-G700, and my $200 Sony UBP X700 4K Blue Ray player plays SACD and sounds great. I have about 35 SACD's, but no one else I know personally even knows what they are. I would be amazed if Technics even sells a thousand units in the US.
Curious for the Sony UBP X700, do you need to use HDMI cable to a receiver in order to get SACD (DSD) playback ? Does the Coaxial Digital Out transmit DSD at all or just PCM ?
@@ptg01 It has dual HDMI outputs, so you can dedicate one of them to audio only, which is what I do. it also has a coaxial SPDIF out put, which I don't use. It does decode multi-channel SACD, which is nice, but I only have two multi-channel SACD's.
@@darthgetoffmylawn389 Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, my two channel stereo does not handle any HDMI sources.. Just coaxial or toslink or USB to a DSD capable DAC. ... My understanding is this player's COAXIAL does not transmit DSD signals, just PCM @44.1khz.. Thanks again !
A small bit of ironic SACD trivia.The Sony PS3 PlayStation released in 2006 was able to play SACDs for the first year of its existence. Some intrepid computer savvy audiophiles found they were able to hack the firmware and run a special program to create an ISO image of the SACD for archiving and playback purposes. Of course Sony eventually closed this loophole and only PS3s with older versions of firmware can be hacked in this fashion. There was at least one or two other SACD players that could also be hacked to do the same but the PS3 was probably the most common device to be used in this fashion because of its relatively low cost.
All I need now at this stage of the game is a good, dedicated CD transport; not comfortable with a unit that wants to include DAC and streaming functions (and - Google?) at a price that I’ll never recoup a few years down the road when some newer technology comes along. What’s with the sudden influx of high priced CD/SACD players and transports, anyway?
@W A I dunno it works beautifully without issues. It’s gapless. There is no delay and no need to resample music. It’s a great software product. Can maintain one library and play it anywhere in the house. Works with high end streamers and cheap ones too. I can understand if you don’t have a need for it but to call it the “dumbest thing” is quite a stretch to say the least.
@@gregoryeiding5395 Yamaha MusicCast does it all for FREE. Denon/Marantz HEOS does it all for FREE. I absolutely REFUSE to pay 9.99/month to ROON for stuff that is a default on modern hardware. Nice sales pitch, but, doesn't fool me.
Did you mention whether it is diff balanced? Make a YUGE difference if it is/was. I have a Oppo 105 that I upgraded to a LPM and replaced the OEM IEC with a Furhman that has a solid silver tail to the power supply board and a 110/220 jumper to bypass the switch. Sounds great on many CDs and especially on SACD/DVD-As for < $1500. FYI, i do not use it for movies. I just looked it up and it does have XLRs, but did you listen to it through a diff balanced amp? Probably not, so how good is your report? IMO, worthless
Chris it free to download on his site very nice sampler just trying to help I known Todd for years and try to promote him by word of. mouth and he is q great engineer have a great day
Curious...just bought a Yamaha CD-S2100 for the same price, wonder which one sounds better. My Yamaha certainly doesn’t do all the Technics player does which is quite a bummer.
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Serious classical music lovers will snatch this device up. SACDs are being produced all the time from classical labels. The format won’t die. Won’t sell lots of units but enough to keep it afloat. Remember vinyl?
I'm interested in this unit, but you didn't mention it's CD redbook performance or it's DAC sound. Would love a bit more info.
Not a sacd fan, dedicated to vinyl. Your authoritative description was encapsulating. Once again you've provided another opportunity to those who desire this equipment.
So glad you are doing this particular brand
Yooooo.....made in Malaysia!!! Proud!!!🥰
I just commented this to a friend, and since I am going to be living there, could you tell me if Technics is selling it in Malaysia at a good price at a store in KL or one can only buy it online in Malaysia?
Do you think that the DAC in this Technics it is better than the Denafrips Terminator or just in CD’s it is better? What about the streaming? Thank you!!
I am a fan of the SACD / DSD format, mostly because it is a much more direct way to encode analog information than sampling. It sounds very relaxed and "analog" as well. And you can encode SACDs into DSD files - albeit this is a bit of an intricate process (I have encoded my 100+ SACDs with a Sony PS3).
Interestingly, Analog Production reissues - which are absolutely top notch - only come on vinyl and SACD! I have a bunch of these and have ripped them to DSD files. They sound amazing.
Disadvantages of the medium? MANY!!!: File size (they could have added simple data compression without much fuzz - the only data compression that exists in the official format is only for pros); Non-editable - it is complicated to edit/change levels of the take, so it is usually transcoded to PCM, edited, and then back to DSD (this is not the case for direct tape transfers like Analog Productions'); Not every DAC can decode the files; and finally because of size and lack of data compression, streaming these files is a no-go so far.
Wajid Raza Interesting. Someone has actually come up with a solution that in principle should work for all players on Windows. But I would not really bother with that as I use Roon mainly. Simple compression SHOULD be in the standard.
Hi Steve
Your review did not mention the units red book cd player performance. On regular cds few players seem able to reproduce the depth and sound of the recorded environment. How far did this unit give that. Please can we have a follow up review even if it is not long.
Thanks Peter
The reality is SACD’s we’re released well before it could be both appreciated and supported. Most audio enthusiast didn’t have the equipment to either take advantage of or hear the difference in the more expensive Discs. Today with Audio Tech having caught up, it’s clear that SACD/DSD is superior over any Redbook playback. One need only look at the daily activity on SACD SoMedia pages to know this format is alive and well and growing! I wish you’re film more footage of the equipment you review. We never saw the rear of this player!!
Hi what's SoMedia?
What is SACD SoMedia? I don't see such a webpage.
@@ronlevine8873 So-coal-Media. SoMedia is a shortened term for Social Media
I Have A Technics SL-P370 from 1990 & an SL-PS900 from 1991 and they both still work perfectly to this day & this is when they were still being Made in Japan. I Prefer my vintage gear over anything that's manufactured today since their being made either in Malaysia or China.
Wonder how this would compare to equally priced Yamaha CD-S2100 or cheaper Denon DCD-1600NE/Yamaha CD-S1000/Arcam CDS50 models that all forego networking?
The Absolute Sound did a comparison review between the Yamaha CD-S1000, the Arcam CDS50 and the original version of the Technics SL-G700. Google it.
I'm glad to hear you don't talk to computers, Steve! Real people usually give enough trouble.
Totally agree about sacd and ironically, it got me excited about going back to vinyl.
I am an unrepentant physical media kind of guy and my music library is dominated by CDs (I've only gotten back into spinning vinyl in the last 4-1/2 years or so and am slowly rebuilding the analog wing). I do have a significant stable of unicorns (as "The Audio Company That Must Not Be Named" (okay, Schiit Audio (hey, nested parenthetical comments!)) likes to call SACDs in particular and DSD in general). I make no claims that my hardware is state-of-the-art, but it is far more than adequately good, and I testify that (to my ears, in my system) my best sounding disks are SACDs. Of course, all things are never equal and not all SACDs rise to greatness. Many are equaled and occasionally surpassed by the best sounding CDs and LPs. But at this point in space-time, the top of the mountain is populated by SACDs.
[Hmmmm: "library"? "stable"? "mountain"? -- WARNING! Mixed Metaphors Alert!]
p.s. Chesky apparently does not sell physical media any more. I understand that the business climate has changed, but (as an aforementioned U.P.M.K.o.G.) I find this very disappointing. I ask that you relay this point to them on the occasion of your next meeting (either personally or digitally), my fellow Steve.
Steve, thanks for putting the price early! 😁
Steve…how does this sound for regular CDs?
Never heard of this before....clock employs an original Battery Driven Circuit System to achieve high-accuracy D/A conversion...! Thanks for the video Steve.
Yes, that is one thing they said to have include in both this sacd player as well as the DAC integrated in the reference and grand class equipment. It certainly has a very transparent sound.
if this comes with a remote it sounds like a great addition to a vintage system to give it modern features. Plus it will fit right in with the silver gear of the 70s.
It cames with a remote and certainly look amazing with vintage equipment. Look for the new Technics reference class integrated amplifier coming next November! Is a piece of art.
Steve, if you enjoy SACDs so much, why not review the Arcam CDS50? It's not new, but it does much of what the Technics does at 1/3rd the cost. SACDs need all the support they deserve--and they DO deserve it! BTW: Qobuz is supported by the Technics SL-G700M2 version.
The Arcam CDS50 does a conversion from DSD to PCM before final conversion to analog. To DSD purists, that's a "no no".
It's a good way for Technics to get rid of the 20 year old SACD drives laying around, just stick a network player in there too.
If that was only true, a real NOS drive. It would certainly be a selling point and *not* something you will want to hide.
Not really, panasonic/technics never before built SACD transports, so no old hardware lying around.
The SACD Is the selling point here ;)
Steve Miller - You sound like the The Joker...
I miss OPPO 😢
My thought exactly.
I own a 103D purchased off of Craigslist for $200 on the very day OPPO announced they were dropping out of the UDP business. I know this totally disqualifies me as an audiophile, but these days, I find myself spending most of my music appreciation time watching concerts in surround sound. While I prefer Blu-rays for this, one thing many people don't seem to know about the 103D is that all the sonic and visual enhancements that it provides also work with streaming content like TH-cam. For many older bands from the 60's and 70's, no decent concert footage exists. The 103D can make those old relics on TH-cam very watchable and listenable, and can even convert them to DTS NEO surround if you wish.
Yep, glad I snagged a 205 .
That’s why when I heard Oppo was closing up shop, I over-extended myself for two 205s.
@@dannytse8767 Should have got the Yamaha BD-A1060
This looks like its going head to head with the Marantz 30N. Hope to see you review one soon!
I've had it for a year now, it sounds amazing, totally above the price paid. Sound signature is dynamic, punchy with a hint of warmness. Bass is incredible, full and articulate. Reminds that of Technics turntables. .In comparison, Marantz sa14s1 sounded thin, harsh and digital with restrained dynamics, Marantz nd8006 sounded like a 20$ dvd player.
Any problem with the disc drive mechanism?
@@dannytse8767 Disc drive mechanism is ultra smooth and solid, full aluminium, never had a single problem
If only I coulf afford their new reference integrate amplifier. It is a piece of art, hope you enjoy yours when you got it! 👌🏽👌🏽👌🏽
Wowww i own the marantz, considering the change… is it really that better, and does it concern CD playback too?
@@Fleischregen140 In my opinion yes. The Technics is especially good with cd playback, it has dedicated high end drive and a specific pure cd playback mode which deactivates every unused function and optimizes offline cd reproduction. It truly shines in my opinion.
Steve, well done. Would love to get your take on this Technics vs Marantz SACD 30n that is brand new and has built in streaming and is also a DAC. Seems like capabilities are similar? Unlike you, I like ALL-IN-ONE due to space constraints when possible.. I try to keep my space super tidy... :) All the best !
Technics has MQA hardware decoding and XLR output, Marantz has not.
What about if I just want to play/record regular CDs? Will a more expensive CD player like this actually make my CDs sound better?
No mention of multi-channel audio from SACDs? Most SACDs have three separate audio recordings: the Red Book CD layer (16-bit, 44.1kHz stereo, playable on a standard CD transport; the stereo SACD recording (DSD, 2-channel); and the 5.1 SACD recording (DSD, 6-channel). From the look of the back panel on this unit, it’s stereo-only. Why build (or buy) an SACD player that’s unable to play everything on the disc?
Nice review, but for 3K I want my CD/ Network Player to clean my house or at least help with the dishes.
Marantz 30n. Does everything this Technics does. The user interface for streaming is more user friendly. It's $500 cheaper and it's made in Japan.
Technics can play MQA files and MQA CD.
@@tomchan2559 not a selling point for most people.
Does it have an AKM DAC ?
@@tango_gru The Marantz SACD 30n uses a custom Marantz Musical Mastering system in place of an off-the-shelf DAC chipset. Formats up to 384 kHz/32-bit for PCM and 11.2 MHz for DSD.
I would like to see this compared to the Marantz SACD 30n. Very similar features and price points.
Question. I own a Oppo 203 which is very feature ladden. I was considering this Technics CD player but questioning if I used the Oppo as a transport with a higher end DAC would that provide as good if not better performance with SCAD/DNS than the Technics?. Thoughts?
Would have been nice to hear your thoughts and musings on how well the G700 plays run of the mill CDs....just saying 😄
Seems odd you never mentioned how regular CD's sounded through this player ? How do they sound through the Techniques compared to the Jays/Terminator Combo ?
yes, I think it's safe to say more of us have CDs than SACDs
and streaming@@user-ex9zm7bg3x
$3K...Technics is now for more well-heeled audiophiles apparently. For the rest of us we can get the SACD and network heavy lifting accomplished for about $700 plus spin all manners of video discs.. 1.) Buy the Sony UBP-X800M2 4K UHD Blu-ray Player With HDR for about $250 or less and you'll get a quite decent universal disc player. AND, 2.) Buy the Bluesound Node 2i recently reduced in price to $450 which covers the network aspect impressively.
I remember clearly how a Technics SL-P10 sounded some decades ago,because it was the same
like a Denon DP-57L with a Ortofon MC-200. Well, not exactly but stunningly very,very close. In other words
even fully satisfying a whole bunch of experienced listeners. It was 1k if i remember right.
Granted the buck was worth a lot more than today,and no one had heard of streaming and USB and such.
Anyway,i just wonder how the new Technics would compare to the old one. Because it was a nice machine
with vertical slot where one could see the CD spinning and a red dot for laser position. Clean faceplate design
and heavy with the dimensions of a pretty decent integrated amplifier.
I'm quite happy with my First series Denon cd player, for an 80's model it plays everything believe it or not, found it at a thrift store for two dollars
lol Single laser and 2 times oversampling ? It can be argued , digital is digital.
@@joeygonzo there are alot of disc that also won't play as well, the one in this video was really nice I sure like it
Whoaaaa Steve, wait!!! What about the sound with regular Red Book CD's? How good is the internal DAC? As good a Jays Audio as a transport? For $3k I demand answers ... 😄 👍
Agree, would have liked to know these things as well.
Yep, I’d like help deciding between the two.
If this was a turntable . . The same sound would have been praised to the heavens.
I only listen to Classical music and Jazz. The Gramophone magazine (UK) reviews classical recordings and the average number of SACD recordings per month are about 15-20. SACDs are also very popular in Japan. As I own quite a few SACD
whats better, classical on SACD or dbx-encoded vinyl?
@@trippmoore . I never came across any dbx vinyl records ( I believe only a few hundred were made) and would not have had the hardware. I can only say that if you have the right 2 channel equipment the difference in ambience and tonal clarity when listening to the CD and SACD tracks on hybrid SACD's is very noticeable.
@@danielcramer9600 I have a few dbx records. most classical. They sound very very good. I have had and SACD player but it was a shitty sony home theatre system, so not representative of what the format can do. I would suggest you see if you know anyone with some classical dbx records and give then a listen. unless you aren't into vinyl then you probably won't care.
@@trippmoore I have never given up on vinyl and still buy some of the few new classical records that come out in the UK from time to time. Having accepted streaming some time ago I am now at a age where new media requiring new equipment is out. Also I am shielding. I have several hundred classical SACD discs and lucky enough to have good equipment to play them. Unfortunately most AV equipment does not have the quality DACs SACD's deserve.
Good thing you said the price early makes me cry
Grab a tissue and watch my review of the $199 Audioengine A10 speakers
This is a ALL IN ONE sources player with Full MQA decoding. It's not cheap but not very crazy expensive.
I would be very interested to hear your opinion on the matching SU-G700 integrated amp from this series. It received high praise from Andrew Robinson.
Levin G. I’m curious why there are not more reviews on that.
I also would love his take.
Andrew is a looks guy and I think he was really swayed by the looks of the SU-G700
Me too, I will like to hear a second opinion.
Third here
I love SACD's. I have to get back out my DV9600 again. Great review Steve! Its heavy and I'm sure its build well but a little on the high side for me.
IMHO, Sony themselves killed the SACD by placing strong copy protection.
They kinda had to. SADC are the closest thing to owning the masters, and the labels had a problem with that.
Following the Beta video tape playbook.
I like SACD as a format. Is there a way to output any multi-channel SACD's on this?. I know audiophiles aren't big on multi-channel but a lot of SACD's have that option *cough* Dark side of the Moon. Congrats on the oncoming subscriber surge.
@Lloyd Stout I'm not advocating for surround per se. Just wanted to know if this player supported some of the multi-channel SACD's I own as some recordings were either originally intended to be heard that way or have a reputation for really bringing something to the experience such as Pink Floyd's Dark side of the moon, Miles Davis' Bitches Brew, Sinatra at The Sands etc. I'm guessing not.
@@squirrelarch it has a digital out, so if you have an external DAC that can decode a 5.1 stream into discrete channels then Bob's your uncle.
@@trippmoore Technics website states that the unit only plays 2ch SACD. Even if it could access the multi-channel layer, you cannot output them via coax or s/pdif as those outputs don't support the bandwidth of DSD.
DVD's can use those as they often use the heavily compressed DTS. It's a niche thing I know but 3k plus for a player that won't play my multi-channel SACD's is not quite as attractive for me anyway.
I was intrigued by the g700, but put off by its "all things to all people" approach. Last spring I bought the, made in Japan, Marantz SA KI Ruby for a bit more bucks and I'm floored. I've since been buying sacds like they're going out of style, because they are. Shame that, because as Steve says, they don't sound "digital" in the negative sense.
I have a few SACDs, sadly playing the hi-res music wasn’t possible using my kit, so I found a way of extracting the DSD using a cheap Sony Bluray player. Now I play the DSD via a MacBook and Audirvana. I need a USB streamer
on Acoustic sound and MFSL. so you basically only have to choose between two things Vinyl or SACD. at least on their website
Steve please review the Technics SUG700 integrated amp. it looks and sounds great.
Well... The whole review is aboud SACD that is a dead format in fact. Why no info about ordinary CD and streaming abilities (especially MQA). This is pretty much more interesting. Is it worth buying it for that purpose or not?
Can the SL-G700 work as a Roon end point?
The big problem with Sony was that they had Columbia release tons of SACD only discs, not hybrid. They were more interested in selling disc players than establishing the format. I think the SACD would have gone over much better if they had only released hybrid discs so people could buy the discs and play them on their CD machine and could have upgraded later. The Rolling Stone series that was released in SACD without really saying it could have been the prototype, instead it was a fluke.
I had a bunch of those early stones SACDs. I got a sony home theater system in 2005ish that could play SACDs so I picked up all the stones albums that I didn't already have on SACD. Unfortunately, even though I was into music, I wasn't much of an "audiophile" back then, and playing those stones discs through that shitty amp and satellite speakers+sub wasn't all that great. So naturally, I wasn't too impressed with the sound and never gave SACD another thought until I did, years later, become an audiophile and found out that some people are into SACDs. My initial response was "People are into that old shitty format?" I don't have the discs or an SACD player any longer. I mostly listen to vinyl, tape, or stream HiRez digital now.
Upgrade later? How would that establish the format?
@@dannytse8767 They could start buying SACD discs before they owned a SACD player. They could play them on any machine. Once they upgraded to the SACD player they would get improved sound without rebuying the music.
I've been hanging with a kind of an Audiophile group who argue about Analog and Digital all the time. I've sat on the fence because I didn't know if I had anything to say. Listening to this OLD Review (still current though) I realized that is the 'Target,' to hear things from breathing people and people in person are Analog right? Yes, it's an imperfect thought, but I'm a NOVICE and I'm doing my best ;) lol
Wow. No ability to play the multi-channel SACD layer is a no sale for me. What a waste.
Equally worrying: any device should just play the music - why do I need to consult the manual to play MQA and still need a Phd on top of that? Also, the ugly USB port makes little sense. How do the files get on the stick? From the PC. This is a network player, so one better use it if you pay 3K. Obviously, one would beam files on to a NAS (which any PC user should have anyway for backups) and then you'd play them over the network. It would be better placed at the back, also every NAS has USB front ports and one could stick it in there. For 3K bucks, I want any device to look super slick...
Heard this demoed with a full Technics system at the last N.Y audio show and I must say I was very impressed with the quality of the sound.
It's nice but it needs to be a lot less,I have the matching integrated amp.
Check out the Arcam CDS50. It has mancy of the features of the Technics and is almost as good at 1/3rd the cost.
I have a Emotiva amp and wondering if this would pair well with Bower and Wilkins 800 speakers?
I had looked at it but was wondering if a Denon player might be slightly better due to it's transport mechanism.
Which Denon? I am considering the Denon DCD-1600NE CD/SACD player (no streaming functions). And Denon just introduced the DCD-A110 CD/SACD player at $3K.
@@dannytse8767 I was looking at the SCN 1600E and the DCN-2500NE but they don't play Blue Ray as far as I can see so at the moment I am considering the Panasonic DP-UB9000
For a Network/SACD player $3K is not a bad price. You also should have equipment that matches it in quality.
So Steve according to red book only (cd only) Pro ject combo digital rs2T + transport rs2T would be a first class choice? ...Thanks
Can you stream from a NAS via Wi-Fi? (using DLNA, not Ethernet connection).
I have the marantz ruby sacd player now.its hooked up to burson solist voyager headphone amp.is the technics gl700 mark 2 better Thant marantz ruby sacd player.the gl700 mark 2 has xlr outs and the marantz ruby has rca outs.would I get better sound if I use xlr out to my burson.
That is quite a niche product for a major player like Technics.
kinda hard to be niche when it does so many different things. if it were merely an SACD transport and nothing else that would be niche!
Technics seems to have always been pretty serious about their CD players.
Hey Steve,
I'm of a like mind with you about all the extra bells and whistles.
Any chance you could recommend a dedicated SACD player with similar sound quality, but without all the streaming gewgaws?
@Hare deLune I just bought a Yamaha CD-S2100 for the same price of 3K USD and it just plays SACD, and CD’s...that’s it, nothing else. It sounds superb!
@@nathanjones4039
Thanks for the info. : )
Nathan Jones I bought it and returned it. Very clean, but in no way as musical as my Denafrips DAC.
On this player you get really audiophile quality when reproducing the sound of the smallest violin in the world playing for the person who could only afford to pay $3000 for this instead of $17000 for the other one.
That Luxman is way too much for most and my whole system worth less.
Ah, but it’s a Stradivarius! 🤩🤦♀️😆
How is the cd player?
Quite ironic to see in this day and age quite a few companies releasing new flagship level players or even entering the sacd player market for the first time. Not sure what to make of it honestly. I’m pleased that players are still being made and would normally be excited by this device but in reality how many people in the US haven’t already bought their last disc spinner? I know I’ve reached digital nirvana with my SCD-XA5400ES and have no intentions ever replacing it. (I hope)
Makes wonder if the high end SACD players of today will ever be sought after by enthusiasts kinda how high end turntables from the late 70s and 80s are prized now as the technology had essentially peaked and great performance was actually pretty affordable. Obviously it’s not THE SAME but food for thought... what do y’all think?
Players like the Technics and the just introduced Marantz 30N are also manufactured for audiophiles in other countries. Americans don't have a monopoly on being audiophiles. In fact, companies like Denon and Pioneer don't even import their best disc players to the US because this country is more about streaming.
@Vince Watches so true! I’m excited for the future now =)
@@dannytse8767 Hey Danny, totally respect and thank you for pointing that out, however I was not unaware of that fact all lol. Since I live in the US I can only speak for the US market with any familiarity. That’s why I specified the US. I totally get that other countries are much less likely to abandon CD/SACD. I know for a fact that both China and Japan continue to release SACD discs as demand is still pretty high over there. However since Steve is reviewing it, that means Matsushita/Panasonic is expecting this to sell in the North American market. (among other markets) I mean he is definitely not reviewing it for the Brazilian market is he? =P that’s what I’m commenting on. If Steve is reviewing it that means it’s expected to sell adequately in the North American market. And that is what I find most fascinating. Perhaps Technics believes this will be the next SL-1200? I’m curious, what are your thoughts?
@@drunkenhearted7256 Despite the popularity of streaming, there is definitely still a market for SACD. Companies such as MoFi and Intervention Records are still issuing SACDs that aimed for SACD fans in the US. Technics should be applauded for bringing in the SL-G700 to the US market. On the other hand, I doubt the SL-G700 will sell as well as Technics' revived turntable line.
It's 2020 small dot matrix not cutting it for a complex device like this.
Supposedly these matrix screens produce a lot less noise than lcds and thus better sound fidelity.
@@drunkenhearted7256 That is certainly the main reason. The other key thing is that newer devices, including this one, are managed by android / ios apps, so you already have a high resolution high performance remote on your hands. Today, 9/30/2020 technics released a new version of their App and that is much, much better than the previous one.
Steve: you're 20 years too late, but you are doing a hellova job selling the SACD format ! I may seriously think about getting the Technics although that display screen is awfully small. (Granted you can get a better view on a tablet, but the whole idea is to have a 1-box digital solution.) BTW, is the Mk2 version significantly better?
MK2 uses a sabre DAC chip. This one uses an AKM DAC Chip. Decide which one suits you more. For me I picked up the non MK2 version.
Sorry for stupid question, but how would I connect this Technics to my Galion Int Amp, which only has RCA inputs (no coax etc)? Would one pair of regular RCA interconnects from Technics OUT to Galion IN play both SACD and CD? With a hybrid SACD, how does the Galion know which layer to play?
For 2 channel SACD (or CD) playback, a pair of (regular) RCA interconnects is all you'll need between the Technics and your integrated amp. After all, the Technics is a 2 channel stereo SACD player and multichannel SACD playback is not supported (after all, SACD started as a 2 channel stereo format). As to which layer of hybrid SACD is getting played, you control that on the Technics, not your integrated amp.
It’s a pity that neither this Technics nor the Marantz 30n are Roon Ready.
Very interesting.. SACD sounds better from this player than the CD play back Jays Audio CD transport/Denafrips terminator. I all ways skeptical about those price tags. What about CD play back comparison between these ?
indeed, was just about to make the very same point; so, yes - the big takeaway from this (dare I say bombshell...) being, that a halfway decent SACD player, provided "a more enjoyable listening experience - analog even" than a highly regarded cd player with an even more recent top of the line ladder DAC. a combination costing quite a lot more; now that's quite a revelation: addendum makes me wonder how good the SACD player would be with let's say a very good 'half-the-money' DAC (like an Aries II or the Pontus..)
@deadpeople stuff : I am not sure if we can take SACD digital to out to external dac ..
@@kvrhifi RCA / XLR only because the player is decoding the SACD layer.
@@kvrhifi SACD can be output digitally via HDMI version 1.2 and above. However, I am not aware of any external DSD DAC that contains a HDMI input. I heard PS Audio is working on something described. Otherwise, there's this.... www.stereophile.com/content/geerfab-audio-dbob-digital-breakout-box
@@tomchan2559 So I can use a standard pair of RCA interconnects going from Technics OUT to Int Amp IN? No coax needed? If it's a hybrid SACD, how does my int amp know which layer to play?
SACD is better than MQA in terms of sound quality for sure.
MQA does stuff artificially changing the recording of the music. SACD is true to the recording, much better 🎶
for half the money you can get the updated RME ADI DAC 2 , a node 2i, and an Audiolab 6000CDT cd transport (if you really need it)... you'll have one of the best dacs and headphone amps out there and a streaming device that supports more services, is much more refined and easier to use, and will likely see more frequent updates.... (granted you'll lose the MQA support bypassing the node 2i's DAC - but with Amazon HD you dont need MQA anyway...)
I was so excited about SACD when it came out. I remember scouring the bins for them at Tower Records! But besides the very limited titles, SO many of them were single layer (non-hybrid). These were useless! I had 3 CD players in the house, plus players in 2 cars. What did Sony think I was gonna do with an SACD that worked in only 1 of my 5 CD players? You'd think i'd learn, but my Sony 4k TV picture looks great in the bedroom.... but won't won't receive Apple Airplay from my iPhone. Sony CAN make great stuff, but they do NOT care about their customers.
I had the same issue when I tried to play a bluray disc in my cd walkman. duh.
I’m looking to set up my new listening room ; Rega P8, Rega Pre Aria MK 3, and I want to push a pair of B&W 702 S2’s. With this in mind, what amp would you suggest? Thank you in advance.
I need a new CD player as my naim CD5x has gone bump and the parts are now obsolete. Have loads of CD’s and a few which are hybrids. Been looking at the Luxman D-03x but this Technics is in a similar price range. Is it worth getting into SACD’s or should I just get a regular CD player
In my opinion you don't really need a dedicated SACD player.
I have the Sony - UBP-X800M2 4K Blu-Ray player and it plays just about anything you can wish for......
CD-R/RW, SACD, DVD-Audio, DVD±R/RW, DVD, CD, DVD+R DL, BD-ROM, DVD-R DL, Blu-ray Disc, CD-DA, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, MPO.
Also supports WAV, AAC, AIFF, MP3, FLAC, AC-3, LPCM, MKA, APE, M4A, WMA 10 Pro, WMA 9, DSF, DSDIFF, DSD, LDAC, ALAC, DFF, HE-AAC v1, HE-AAC v2, Vorbis, DSEE HX, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, XviD, AVI, WMV, MKV, WMV9, VC-1, AVCHD, MOV, AVC, 3GP, VRO, VOB, PS and ASF formats.
No way is it as good as the $16,000 Luxman, or this $3,000 Sony, but then it only cost $250 and I enjoy it.
Leon Murray the Luxman I am looking at is £3400. A fraction of the cost
It's only worth it to get into SACD if the format has music that you are interested in. I'd recommend going to hraudio.net and taking a look at what is available on SACD. Keep in mind that the format is still running at about 60% classical music.
Steve, you completely missed reviewing the network player aspect. What about Tidal and MQA? How good is the network app, sound etc?..... Your job is only half done!!!!!
Ramsay - less than half. Check my observation from back then. We demand answers 👍
his reviews are getting pretty watered down.
@@cameronkrause4712 - agreed.
The reason SACD failed was because it was expensive and nobody except golden ears could hear the difference. With CD it was pricey but CLEARLY had advantages over vinyl. Blaming SACD’s failure on a lack of titles is revisionist history (and I worked for Sony when SACD was introduced)
If you worked for Sony when SACD was introduced, then you would've know that the SACD were less than $20.00 per disc. Only when those early, single layer SACDs hit the second hand market did their prices went up.
If you google the name of an artist, also write DSD when you search. So you can find things. But be prepared that it may be more or less Japanese on the website you find
I think SACD's sound better than regular cd's!! I know its controversial but I just do!!
Dark side of the moon on sacd is absolutely amazing on a good system.
I think they are supposed to
I mean is there really that much difference in sound from this one and the Luxman? 10,000 dollar difference?
Any difference in specifications among all quality CD players are totally inaudible. The potential audible difference in sound would be relative to the quality of the DAC, in each player. Then you are limited to the quality of the remastered CD recording.
I have a vast amount of DSD and a couple of hundred SACDs. Short point - Yes it is good stuff. Comparison with PCM? Well ... pause ... I kind of think it is better. My listening experience is that in 95% of materials it makes no difference. But on a few tracks I think it is better. I have a wonderful Mahler 4th on SACD that is more involving than any other. It is difficult to say but I put it down to the purity of the recording. In the interests of full disclosure I have no PCM or CD version of this.
I would agree on the equality of sound quality, or (IMO more likely) that it's beyond human capability to detect any differences in sound quality between SACD and PCM. But in my experience at least some older recordings (like the initial Pentatone releases, for example) are remastered better when transferred to SACD, while the regular transfers to CD sometimes seem to have left more analog artifacts (occasional pitch instability, audible tape hiss, noticeable compression etc.). BTW, which Mahler 4 were you referring to?
"Oh, that..." 😆 I can't play SACD anymore, but (a) I only own two SACD discs and (b) I can focus on making CD sound great.
I see no mention of Qobuz on their website, so can this indeed stream from Qobuz in Hi Res?
I just got this player and I can confirm that through the Google Cast option, you can stream Qobuz directly from the App and it sounds awesome!
My 10 year old Cambridge Azur 640 CD player has a better looking display than the SL-G700, and my $200 Sony UBP X700 4K Blue Ray player plays SACD and sounds great. I have about 35 SACD's, but no one else I know personally even knows what they are. I would be amazed if Technics even sells a thousand units in the US.
Curious for the Sony UBP X700, do you need to use HDMI cable to a receiver in order to get SACD (DSD) playback ? Does the Coaxial Digital Out transmit DSD at all or just PCM ?
@@ptg01 It has dual HDMI outputs, so you can dedicate one of them to audio only, which is what I do. it also has a coaxial SPDIF out put, which I don't use. It does decode multi-channel SACD, which is nice, but I only have two multi-channel SACD's.
@@darthgetoffmylawn389 Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, my two channel stereo does not handle any HDMI sources.. Just coaxial or toslink or USB to a DSD capable DAC. ... My understanding is this player's COAXIAL does not transmit DSD signals, just PCM @44.1khz.. Thanks again !
Soooo it doesn't have a Japanese Sound meaning a little on the Bright side ??
A small bit of ironic SACD trivia.The Sony PS3 PlayStation released in 2006 was able to play SACDs for the first year of its existence. Some intrepid computer savvy audiophiles found they were able to hack the firmware and run a special program to create an ISO image of the SACD for archiving and playback purposes. Of course Sony eventually closed this loophole and only PS3s with older versions of firmware can be hacked in this fashion. There was at least one or two other SACD players that could also be hacked to do the same but the PS3 was probably the most common device to be used in this fashion because of its relatively low cost.
Are you reviewing the new reference integrated from them?
No
All I need now at this stage of the game is a good, dedicated CD transport; not comfortable with a unit that wants to include DAC and streaming functions (and - Google?) at a price that I’ll never recoup a few years down the road when some newer technology comes along. What’s with the sudden influx of high priced CD/SACD players and transports, anyway?
I'd wait for the Schiit CD transport....
And the $3K Denon DCD-A110 CD/SACD player (no streaming functions) has not been mentioned yet.
If only it was Roon ready - would’ve been perfect!
Agree
the cambridge cxn is half the price and Roon ready
Roon is the dumbest thing that a money grubber is selling to you guys these days.
@@ralex3697 But the Cambridge doesn't play discs. :( So, the choice is: SACD or Roon. I agree with Gregory, both in one device would be perfect.
@W A I dunno it works beautifully without issues. It’s gapless. There is no delay and no need to resample music. It’s a great software product. Can maintain one library and play it anywhere in the house. Works with high end streamers and cheap ones too. I can understand if you don’t have a need for it but to call it the “dumbest thing” is quite a stretch to say the least.
@@gregoryeiding5395 Yamaha MusicCast does it all for FREE. Denon/Marantz HEOS does it all for FREE. I absolutely REFUSE to pay 9.99/month to ROON for stuff that is a default on modern hardware. Nice sales pitch, but, doesn't fool me.
Lots of noise on the line, do you even have your camara on power conditioner Steve? :-)
So Steve, in general terms you'd prefer the LUxman huh.
If you're shocked by the price you haven't been CD player shopping lately
Excellent
Did you mention whether it is diff balanced? Make a YUGE difference if it is/was. I have a Oppo 105 that I upgraded to a LPM and replaced the OEM IEC with a Furhman that has a solid silver tail to the power supply board and a 110/220 jumper to bypass the switch. Sounds great on many CDs and especially on SACD/DVD-As for < $1500. FYI, i do not use it for movies. I just looked it up and it does have XLRs, but did you listen to it through a diff balanced amp? Probably not, so how good is your report? IMO, worthless
where's the link to the MA Recordings Hi-Rez Sampler?
On ma recordings web page buy some stuff from him he is a great guy and his recordings are too notch.
@@davemonell9308 Steve said there would be a link in the description. That's why I asked. If I could pay then I wouldn't be asking. Steve?
Chris it free to download on his site very nice sampler just trying to help I known Todd for years and try to promote him by word of. mouth and he is q great engineer have a great day
Thanks Steve, good as always. A multi purpose machine? For that kind of money, it should better sing and dance too ;)
Wow, I though SACD format was gone. sounds like the same thing they did with Minidisc.
Would this unit sound as good as my Yamaha CDS-300?
I bet it will sound better than the 5 cd player I have from Yamaha that gets here Monday, but I paid 350 including shipping and tax
The display screen of the SL-G700 failed 3 years after purchasing it.😮💨
For this kind of money it should be able to record as well.
Maybe it’s for new generation you are to old school.. now kids are so good with technology …. Kids in there 20 - 30 years
Curious...just bought a Yamaha CD-S2100 for the same price, wonder which one sounds better. My Yamaha certainly doesn’t do all the Technics player does which is quite a bummer.
Yamaha S2100 is a great CD/SACD player but this Technics is a streamer /DAC that can decode MQA too.
benny b true, I like your thinking, less is more hear lol