Hi-Rez Highway: REVIEW: Marantz SA-14 CD Player/Recorder by sgb

Model:	SA-14
Category:	CD Player/Recorder
Suggested Retail Price:	unknown
Description:	Single disc stereo-only SACD/CD player
Manufacturer URL:	Marantz
Manufacturer URL:	Marantz

Review by sgb ( A ) on August 13, 2002 at 07:58:54
IP Address: 68.11.220.211

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for the SA-14

I bought my SA-14 in January 2002 on the strength of Stephen's excellent review above. Mine is the black version (the gold one Stephen has is not available in the USA). I would add to what Stephen has said by noting that.
1. My unit has never displayed any of the TOC read problems common to many Sony units. Many posters to AA have noted that a firmware upgrade to the 14 was introduced shortly after the introduction of the player in the Spring of 2001. From what I gather, this update appeared some time during the summer of 2001. My unit has a build date of November 2001.
2. I do not experience the long load times with mine that Stephen mentions. Typically, an SACD will load in approximately 9 seconds or less, but I have seen some complex disks take as many as 15 seconds to load. CDs are ready to play just as quickly as they are on standard CD players.
3. Several friends of mine have also adopted SACD as the next generation digital playback system. The players they own range from the entry-level Sony 775 at the low end to the AX-10 at the high end. We've done comparisons between the SA-14 and the SCD-1 and SCD-777ES (stereo model) and the 333ES (my other SACD player) in addition to the to mentioned earlier; all of them privately owned by local friends. The Marantz holds its own against any of these players in all respects, and surpasses their sonic performance in many/most.
As Stephen noted, bass on the SA-14 is a little lean when the unit is new, but this phenomenon disappears within the first 100 hours of play to become neither too dry nor too loose. It appears as if the player's bass performance is just a shade on the light side of neutral in the lowest regions however. This is noted in the context of the stereo version of the 777 which, to these ears, offers a slightly fuller, darker sound in the lowest region of the audio spectrum.
That darkness becomes a detriment to the 777 as your enter the upper bass/lower midrange of the audio spectrum though. Here the 777 seems to bloat images within the sound stage, making them less discernable as distinct objects, but more noticeable as a coloration that does not exist in the SA-14. This characteristic will certainly appeal to some listeners, especially those whose other components tend toward the lean side of neutral. But the SA-14 excels in this area most particularly on acoustic instruments where quick transients are the norm. The acoustic guitar comes across delightfully liquid here, with perfect attack at the beginnings of each plucking, and harmonics that extend temporally beyond what most listeners of redbook CD would expect to hear.
Perhaps the SA-14's greatest gifts to its new owners will be the expanse of the sound stage throughout the audio spectrum, and the most nearly perfect high frequency performance I've heard from any digital component. High frequencies seem to extend indefinitely without the slightest hint of harshness. There is an airy quality to the sound above 1000 Hz that simply demotes my 333 to third tier performance, it's that much better.
Redbook playback is nearly as astonishing, and offers much of the same quality that the SA-14 does in SACD.
In sum, if you are looking for a quality STEREO-ONLY SACD player, it would be difficult for you to do better than the SA-14.

Product Weakness: None that I can find.
Product Strengths: Extremely neutral and transparent throughout. Spacious and engaging sound.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Quicksilver MS-190
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Rogue 66 Magnum
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	SA-14/333ES/SOTA Star Sapphire
Speakers:	Rosinante Evolution Signature
Cables/Interconnects:	Homegrown SS2/AQ Type 8
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	all kinds of acoustic
Room Size (LxWxH):	28 x 19 x 10
Room Comments/Treatments:	heavy drapes wall2wall carpet
Time Period/Length of Audition:	8 months
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	None that I can find.
Product Strengths:	Extremely neutral and transparent throughout. Spacious and engaging sound.