It’s a tough one, as someone with only a dozen SACDs (the Octave back catalogue!), should I focus on redbook CD? Seems crazy to buy an SACD transport!
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Having a few SACD’s doesn’t mean you can’t get new SACD’s in the future. I just find the resolution of SACD’s so much better than CD’s and yes, I have done countless comparisons.
The PST makes Redbook cds sound so much like SACDs that it can be hard to tell them apart. It’s a fantastic Redbook cd transport.
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My feelings exactly.
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I should know this time tomorrow.
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Just to add PST is out of the question budget wise, and I’m not keen on a DMP.
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I think you’ve got pretty exhaustive and inclusive material here to make a decision.
Though you are not keen on it, I must say the DMP is 90 percent of the PST or more to me. I didn’t dare give mine up–I use it almost every evening in a bedroom system.
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Mine took a couple of weeks to open up, I was not that impressed at first, coming from a very well-seasoned DMP. But. . .you know the drill. 
I still can’t enthuse as much about the differences between it and a DMP as some here, but it’s a great machine.
Time will certainly tell. It is in position and acclimating to its new home. I have RAL and WWPS7 HDMIs to audition as well. Also a new set of tubes.
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Just because the PST is out there doesn’t change the fact the DMP is still one heck of a machine. It rivaled my then Aurender N10 for sound quality and it still beats just about any other player out there as far as sound performance goes. My brother is still using his and could not be happier with the sound.
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Could I use the Sony UBP-X800ES to HDMI I2S Adapters for SACD discs/DSD files ?
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I used a “vintage” Denon DVD 2900 (coax out) for quite some time until picking up a used PSA DMP.
The Denon acquitted itself very well, but usually could not win out over my playing ripped and downloaded files from my iMac via Wi-Fi/Ethernet and the PSA Bridge II Ethernet card (with JRiver Media Center serving up the files).
The DMP often (not always) rivals my files with great recordings. So, the quality of a transport can matter. I recommend that you save your pennies and buy the best used transport you can afford, but spend the bulk of your dedicated digital dollars on a great DAC.
The PSA DS Sr. fits the bill if you don’t have one yet.
Let us know what you settle upon if you have not done so already and have fun with your search.
Why not? If you don’t mind my asking.
I was under the impression they need oppo transport mechs which are hard to source. I’d prefer a PWT (which I believe uses user replaceable PC DVD drive). PWT doesn’t do SACD of course, but that’s fine, as SACDs are a very small proportion of my collection, and the only ones I have are hybrid Octave DSD recordings. Those will sound almost as good as SACD which is good enough for me.
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OK, understood.
Cheers.
Of course.
RE: Sell the Jay’s and get a PST. I don’t have the budget of $6.5k and have very few SACDs. I also see some reliability issues here for the PST and that gives me pause. I think the Jay’s is a very special product and if it’s as reliable as my PWT I’ll be in audio heaven for some time (won’t say “never to be replaced” as we know that’s a lie for most audiophiles). I really love the build quality including the beautiful sliding top drawer for disc loading. This is probably the nicest looking and feeling piece of audio gear that I own and for $2.5k is one hell of a deal.
EDIT: Also given the “irreplaceable optical drive” on the DMP I would not go down that road. I bought a spare entire drive mechanism for the Jay’s for $350 so think I’m covered there.
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I have nothing against a Jay’s. My friend bought a Jay’s and is very happy with it. He also have mostly CD’s. Any reliability issues with the PST can be resolved with PS Audio. Mine has been pretty trouble free so far. Those Marantz transports shouldn’t be an issue in the future in the PST. At the sale price or trade in price, it’s not that much more than the Jay’s. My main reason to get a PST is for sound quality and the ability to play SACD’s which I have a lot of. That’s why I said it might not be for everyone since a lot of people don’t have a lot of or care for SACD’s. I just find SACD’s have the SQ that can match my file system, CD’s do not. As for the DMP, it’s a great sounding player, but for a old player with many having reliability issues, (by the way, I never had any reliability problems with my DMP.) I wouldn’t recommend getting one either.
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Owning both the Jay’s and the PST I strongly believe for Redbook playback they are at worst a tie. If I had to guess about reliability I’d give the Jay’s the nod. Less moving parts. I would never tell someone to sell the Jay’s. It’s a special piece.
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