Introduction Consumer acceptance of DVD-Audio and SACD has been slow despite the undisputed and enormous improvement in sound quality. While there is no doubt that the bitter format war between these two high-resolution formats is to blame, making matters worse is the apparent inability of the record companies to agree on a non-proprietary digital connection standard. This not only puts an additional, unwanted layer of digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion in the signal path, but it creates further problems as well. Audio enthusiasts looking to add both these competing high-resolution formats to their systems have been limited by their home theater processors, which at best contain only one set of analog 5.1 inputs (Lexicon’s MC-8 is an exception). Initially, this forced consumers to make a near-impossible choice. After all, many of my favorite bands have released their music on one format or the other, but not both. Recently, however, a handful of manufacturers have designed hybrid players ...

Introduction There are few companies that are as synonymous with excellence in digital design as Meridian Audio, and perhaps no other company has etched its corporate fingerprint into the future of high-performance digital music and movies more deeply than Meridian. Powered by the vision of company founder and technical leader Bob Stuart, Meridian has pioneered MLP (Meridian Lossless Packing), the universally accepted technology used for DVD-Audio highest-performance audio playback. Even before the advent of MLP technology, Meridian has been creating innovative products, including digital speakers and modular components that actually live up to the company’s promises of future upgrades. The Meridian 598 is a single-chassis player that will read many different discs, including both DVD-Audio and DVD-Video discs, plus CDs that are dedicated to DTS surround sound music, standard 16-bit CDs and more. The 598 is Meridian’s answer to consumer demand for a more affordable version of their critically acclaimed reference transport player, the Meridian 800. The ...

Introduction I doubt Sony could have imagined the impact the invention of the Compact Disc would have on their company and project partner Philips. For nearly 20 years, the CD has been the absolute king of prerecorded music in the marketplace, having decisively beaten the LP and the cassette tape, then fending off new format threats from DAT, DCC and even Sony’s own mini-Disc. We have loved and collected the CD for an entire generation, but the times, they are a-changing. The advent and popular acceptance of MP3 as a music format now allows a music enthusiast to arrange and share (or potentially steal) music in ways not even remotely dreamed of a mere five years ago. This reality, coupled with a never-before-seen creative recession on the part of new artists and their record labels (try stomaching ‘N Sync, O Town, Justin Timberlake, et al as examples) hasn’t helped the historically "recession proof" record business ...

Introduction In the moderately recent days when Marantz was owned by Philips, the company released two high-end players that were intended to be direct equivalents of one anotherr: one was a Super-Audio CD player (SACD), and the other, the DV-12S1, was a DVD player capable not only of DVD-Video playback, but also replay of the latest high-resolution DVD-Audio (DVD-Audio) discs. With the Marantz equipment of this period, the higher the quality of the unit, the lower the model number, and the DV-12S1 is as low as the numbers get. The first thing you notice about the DV-12S1 is how heavy it is. The unit is big and solid, and has a large footprint – it’s nearly 16 inches deep and weighs 29 pounds. The unit itself has curved corners, in keeping with much of the Marantz gear, and elegantly complements their other equipment. The build quality overall is excellent. The rear panel includes an S-video output, ...

Introduction When Sony and Philips first released the Super Audio CD as the high-definition successor to the compact disc and competitor to DVD-Audio, players (notably those from Sony) were both expensive and limited to two-channel capabilities. Early Sony players were aimed at a stereo audiophile market, now virtually extinct everywhere except in Japan. Many initial disc releases, too, were stereo-only, and only Philips manufactured multi-channel players. That has all changed with the advent of lower-cost players that offer the full multi-channel performance of which SACD is capable, now available via mass-market outlets. One of the first easily affordable SACD multi-channel players is the Sony SCD-CE775. This unit lists at $420, but is available on the street for up to $100 less. The unit offers an affordable entry-level experience of the possibilities of multi-channel SACD, but it is an audio-only player, unlike more expensive products that also play DVD-Video discs. This machine is intended to replace an existing ...