Need some recommendations for a SACD/DVD-audio player....

[keenan]

I bought Musical-Fidelity's X-10v3 tube buffer stage and that made a huge difference. Now CD's sound excellent.

I have been toying with the idea of trying one of these myself, you say it made a huge difference, can you quantify that a little, maybe some before and after impressions?

I've been looking for a good CD/SACD/DVD-audio player for a long time. I am not looking for DVD video because I am very happy with my current unit. I am looking for a good, universal, music only machine. Does one exist?

Almost all players that do what you want will also play DVDs, although there are higher end pieces that do only what you want but they come with that higher end price tag as well. This site has reviews on many uni-players, worth checking out.

http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/index.php
Home Theater Product Reviews from Audioholics

 

[beekermartin]

I currently have a Pioneer Elite DV-37 DVD player. It matches my Pionner Elite Pro-520 HDTV perfectly for DVD video. But I've never been happy with the CD performance. I bought Musical-Fidelity's X-10v3 tube buffer stage and that made a huge difference. Now CD's sound excellent.

I've been looking for a good CD/SACD/DVD-audio player for a long time. I am not looking for DVD video because I am very happy with my current unit. I am looking for a good, universal, music only machine. Does one exist?

 

[beekermartin]

I have been toying with the idea of trying one of these myself, you say it made a huge difference, can you quantify that a little, maybe some before and after impressions?

Well, I am not that best at explaining what I hear but I will try. Basically the X-10 added a lot of depth, better imaging and clearer highs with less harshness. I am far from an audiophile but I do appreciate good quality sound. Before I added the X-10 I couldn't listen to a cd at high volume without getting fatigued. I was originally listening to CD's using the digital optical connection that I also use for digital sound for movies. That sounded horrible. Well, to me it did. I then bought a decent set of analog cables and that sounded better but still not the way I thought it should. Then I added the X-10. Now it sounds great.

Here are some examples. I love Bob Dylan. One of my favorite things to listen to is his MTV unplugged DVD. He has a very harsh voice that a lot of people hate. I love it. Well, in this DVD there are a few songs that Bob plays the harmonica and the band plays a lot of acoustic instruments. Before the X-10 it sounded good but not like it was being played live in my room. With the X-10 it sounds like it should. I've also listened to many other CD's and I've noticed the same improvements. Another one is Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell. Now, overall this is a very poorly recorded cd. It has a lot of noise that is very annoying. But Meatloaf has a very powerful voice that the X-10 compliments very well. Just listen to the last song, For Crying Out Loud. At the end of the song there is no instruments just him singing. If you can ignore the background hiss and just listen to his voice you will know what I am talking about. I've also been listening to The Transiberian Orchestra and that sounds awesome with the X-10. I should add that my girlfriend also noticed a huge improvement. And that is saying a lot! Especially since she hates Bob Dylan!

The way I look at it is for only $399.00 it's a great deal. Plus they are only making 4800. So if you don't like it you could always sell it and probably get your money back. There are some great write ups about it on www.avguide.com

 

[keenan]

Cool, I'm going to order one tomorrow, and at $399.00 it's a relatively inexpensive look into what the "tube sound" is about. Hopefully I will realize some of the same experiences you've had with it.