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Hi-Rez Highway: REVIEW: Xindak SCD-2 SACD Player by Teresa

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REVIEW: Xindak SCD-2 SACD Player

172.193.202.153


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Model: SCD-2
Category: SACD Player
Suggested Retail Price: $1695
Description: SCAD/CD Player with tube output stage and Balanced analog outs
Manufacturer URL: Not Available
Manufacturer URL: Not Available

Review by Teresa ( A ) on April 30, 2005 at 23:01:02
IP Address: 172.193.202.153
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for the SCD-2


This is a 14 month update the Xindak SCD-2 SACD player, still going strong after 14 months of use. Occasionally I do get “Undisc” message, I just blow on the SACD and reload it and it plays perfectly, no skipping either so a giant improvement over the first unit.

With well-recorded SACDs the sound is even more gorgeous as the JJ E88CC tubes are fully broken in now, the absolute realism and you-are-thereness is the best I have ever experienced short of a live performance. The sound has now surpassed my turntable so I may be looking to upgrade to a better turntable or give up LPs altogether especially now that there is so much Classical music on SACD. Classical music, especially RCA Living Stereo on Classic Records was my number one reason for buying a turntable. Lots to think about.

Please see my previous review for details on the SCD-2 - http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.pl?forum=hirez&n=185253&review=1

The Xindax is a fabulous sounding tubed SACD player, it bring SACDs up to where they are on or near par with the best audiophile LPs, Tubes and SACD are a perfect combination! If you like the sound of well recorded Analog this player will be a dream come true .

The sound with SACDs from DSD or Analog masters is warm, realistic, exciting and utterly beautiful.

CDs on this tubed player are upsampled to 24/96 are mostly smooth and have a nice delicacy in the high frequencies. I attribute the smoothness to the output tubes and the extended highs to the upsampling chip. As a rule CDs are comfortable and actually quite enjoyable, the only painful CDs I have experienced so far is on massed strings. However even with these improvements CDs overall lack of resolution and realism compared to SACD and DVD-Audio makes it hard for me to enjoy them and even harder to hear around CDs sonic inaccuracies after a steady diet of SACD and DVD-Audio to get to the music. I tried many highly rated CDs from such companies as DCC, Mapleshade, MFSL, Reference Recordings, Telarc and others. I have since sold the 80 CDs I bought as I find LPs, SACDs and DVD-Audio’s so much more enjoyable both for the music and sonics. As I have stated before I want both excellent sonics and excellent music, if a recording misses the boat on either sonics or music or both it gets sold, the CDs got sold.

The best SACDs are a pure joy to experience! I now 358 SACDs and here are the 50 best in my opinion so far:

1) JENNIFER WARNES: The Well [Analog] - Cisco Music SCD 2034 - Mastered by Bernie Grudman is musically and sonically my favorite SACD.
2) JOE WEED: The Vultures Top Music SACD 1028.2 - The coolest surfing bluegrass music ever, great sound a lots of fun!
3) DAVID ELIAS: The Window [DSD] Sketti Sandwitch Prod. SSP 316 - Extremely realistic and timbre is spot on, great acoustic music too
4) THE TUBE - Stuttgarter Kammerorchester [Tube Analog] Tacet S 74 - The most beautiful String tone I have ever heard, lovely music.
5) NANCY BRYAN: Neon Angel [Analog] Analogue Productions APO2013SA - beautiful female vocals
6) RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON: Shoot Out The Lights - Hannibal / Rykodisc HNCD 1470 - excellent acoustic music.
7) THOMSON: Plow That Broke The Plains; The River [Analog] Vanguard Classics VSD 501 - one of my favorite classical recordings, very realistic
9) JUNIOR BROWN: Down Home Chrome [DSD] Telarc SACD-63612 - superb country and western music with excellent sound
10) NICK DRAKE: A Treasury [Analog] Island B0003518-36 - lovely sounding acoustic music
11) DUKAS: Sorcerer's Apprentice; Le Péri; Symphony [DSD] Telarc CD-80515-SA - extremely realistic
12) JACINTHA: Lush Life [DSD] Groove Note GRV1011-3 - seductive realistic vocals
13) BARB JUNGR: Chanson - The Space in Between [DSD] Linn AKD 167 - her beautiful voice sounds so real.
14) CLAIR MARLO: Let It Go [Analog] Cisco Music SCD 2033 - from Sheffield Lab superb sound and this lady can sing, please more Sheffield Lab recordings Cisco
15) MIKE MARSHALL: Gator Strut [Analog - Ultradisc UHR] Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 7001 - great bluegrass
16) JOHN HASSELL: Fascinoma [Tube Analog] Water Lily WLA-CS-70-SACD - very weird and wonderful, you are there sonics
17) HIGDON: Concerto for Orchestra; City Scape [DSD] Telarc SACD-60620 - a real sonic blockbuster and Jennifer Higdon is an excellent classical composers, bravo!
18) WAYNE HORVITZ: Sweeter Than The Day [Analog] Songlines SGL SA1536-5 - Sweet
19) KODO: Mondo Head [DSD] Red Ink WS 56111 - Killer percussion
20) DIANA KRALL: The Girl In The Other Room Verve B0002293 - seductive vocals
21) ALISON KRAUSS + UNION STATION: Live Rounder 0516-6 (2 discs) - more seductive blue grass and very real sounding live recording
22) LA FOLIA DE LA SPAGNA - Paniagua [Analog] Harmonia Mundi HMC 801050 - the absolute coolest early music recording of all time!
23) MARK LEVINSON: Live Recordings at Red Rose [DSD] Red Rose Music RRM 01 - extremely realistic
24) LISZT: Dante Symphony; Tasso - Botstein, London [DSD] Telarc SACD-60613 - devilishly real!
25) RESPIGHI: Orchestral Works / Hanson, Wuppertal MDG Gold 935 1030-6 - fantastic sonics and superb performances
26) BACH: Orchestral Suites - Pearlman, Boston Baroque [DSD] Telarc SACD-60619 - early instruments that sound excellent
27) BARTOK: Music for Strings; Hungarian Sketches [Analog] RCA Living Stereo 61390-2 - best performance and best sound
28) CAREY BELL: Harpslinger JSP Records JSP 5102 - Super exciting and extremely real
29) ERIC BIBB & NEEDED TIME: Spirit & The Blues [Analog] Opus 3 CD 19411 - Spirtual Folk music at it's best
30) BLUESQUEST [Analog] AudioQuest Music AQ-SACD1052 - the best blues sampler of all time!
31) CHABRIER & ROUSSEL - Paray, Detriot Symphony [Analog] Mercury Living Presence 475 6183 - superb
32) CHESKY: Concertos; Girl from Guatemala - Aibel, Area 31 Chesky SACD 288 - an absolute thrill form beginning to end.
Everest Ultra Analog VSD 504
33) COWBOY JUNKIES: Open [DSD] Latent / Zoë Records 1020-6 - a rare one a pure DSD rock recording, excellent sound and I love the music.
34) STEVE DAVIS PROJECT: Quality of Silence [DSD] dmp Records SACD-04 - superb realism and excellent jazz
35) BELA FLECK: Drive [Analog - Ultradisc UHR] Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 7003 - Another great bluegrass recording
36) JERRY GOLDSMITH: Christus Apollo; Fireworks [DSD] Telarc SACD-60560 - strange and superb music!
37) JERRY GOLDSMITH, : Film Music [DSD] Telarc SACD-60433
38) GOT SWING! - Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops [DSD] Telarc SACD-60592 - This baby swings with superb sonics
39) GOTTSCHALK: A Night In The Tropics / GOULD: Latin American Symphonette - Abravanel, Utah [Analog] Vanguard Classics VSD 500 - My 2nd Favorite classical recording of all time, fantasic sonics/
40) GRIEG: In Autumn; Piano Concerto; Symphony in c [DSD] BIS SACD-1191 -- GRIEG: Norwegian & Symphonic Dances; Lyric Suite [DSD] BIS SACD-1291 -- GRIEG: Sigurd Jorsalfar; Landkjenning; Bergliot [DSD] BIS SACD-1391 - these 3 Grieg SACDs from BIS are sonic heaven!
41) JIM HALL: Concierto [Analog - Ultradisc UHR] Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2012 - superb
42) HANSON: Symphonies 1 & 2; Song of Democracy [Analog] Mercury Living Presence 475 6181 - excellent
43) OFFENBACH: Gaîté parisienne - Fiedler [Analog] RCA Living Stereo 66419-2 - best performance and best sound
44) ORFF: Carmina Burana - Runnicles, Atlanta [DSD] Telarc SACD-60575 - superb, extremely realistic
45) ART PEPPER: Meets The Rhythm Section [Analog] Analogue Productions CAPJ7532SA - superb
46) RAVEL: Daphnis et Chloe - Munch, Boston [Analog] RCA Living Stereo 61388-2 - greatest performace and greatest sound of any Daphnis et Chloe
47) RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Le Coq d'Or; Capriccio [Analog] Mercury Living Presence 475 6194 - Fantasitc Music and killer sonics
48) RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade - Reiner [Analog] RCA Living Stereo 66377-2 - my favorite Scheherazade in SOTA sound
49) RICHARD STRAUSS: Also Sprach Zarathustra; Heldenleben [Analog] RCA Living Stereo 61389-2 - Perfect performance and sound
50) STRAVINSKY: Firebird; Fireworks; Tango; Song [Analog] Mercury Living Presence 470 6382 - best performance every of the Firebird and superb sonics.


Product Weakness: Quality control, my first unit was defective and others in the asylum have had problems. Make sure you get a warranty!
Product Strengths: Absolutely gorgeous sound with SACD, adjustable headphone output, display can be turned off.


Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: Adcom GFA-555II
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): AMC CVT 1030 Stereo Vacuum Tube
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Music Hall mmf-1 / Toshiba SD-5700 DVD-Audio
Speakers: Infinity Reference Standard 7 Kappa
Cables/Interconnects: Audioquest Turquoise; Monster Cable Powerline 2 Plus
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Rock, Jazz, Classical and World
Time Period/Length of Audition: 1 year 2 months
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Adcom ACE-515
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: Xindak SCD-2 SACD Player - Teresa 23:01:02 04/30/05 ( 24)