"Digital Accuracy". Now that can make your ears bleed! In spite of Sony’s claim “Perfect Sound Forever”, vinyl aficionados have known all along that there’s a lot more to music. Simplistically speaking, music is made up of two distinct components- the note, immediately followed by the bloom of the note.
While digital and solid- state have their strengths (convenience, speed, bass), high frequency articulation and bloom are their Achilles’ heal. Yet, to truly suspend dis-belief, one’s system must be able to capture the texture, and body of the instrument/singer (and venue), along with the note. The solution for true music lovers has been to mix tubes with solid state- hybrid systems. But what if you don’t want to mess with tubes?
My personal system is extraordinarily neutral, and transparent- all BVaudio (SS) components, Nearfield Performance series loudspeakers, Nordost Blue Heaven speaker cables, Tek Line Ultra-pure silver interconnects, and Balanced Power Technologies 2.5 Ultra, PLC. For over a year, I have been using a Sony DVP 9000 ES, which I purchased to explore SACD playback. I thought I really had it going, sonically (ignorance is bliss). However, we are not Sony dealers, so I have been searching for a top flight CD player that would also play SACDs. SACD can be very special, but “It ain’t necessarily so!” Time will tell if it flourishes.
After some intense web research, I uncovered Xindak- so far, one of audio’s the best-kept secrets. Nevertheless, I was very impressed with the design, engineering and execution of the Xindak SCD-players. The web pictures do not do them justice, although it is easy to tell that the insides are Swiss watch quality. They have 2 models, the only difference being one has tube output. Prior experience with the Audio Aero Capitole, aimed me towards the SCD-2, which also uses 2 miniature output tubes. A Capitole at 1/3 the price (with SACD thrown in)? We shall see. So, I contacted Jay Bertrand, the Importer. To my delight, the SCD-2 is handsome, sculpted, and ergonomically well laid out. Both face plate and chassis are heavy gauge. RCA, and XLR analog outs, plus Toslink and SPDIF digital outs are provided. It plays, CD/SACD/CD-Rs.
Of all the gear I have evaluated and owned, over 30 something years, this was the first one that sounded great from the get go. It’s two weeks old today, and may have broken in some, but it just sounds so darned good, it’s really hard to tell if it sounds any better! One thing is certain- the better the recording, the better it sounds.
Compared to the stock Sony 9000, the Xindak SCD-2 brings a much needed warmth and body, an even bigger 3-D sound stage, and a much deeper bottom end- I can feel bass in my floor, chair, even my windows rattle on occasion. I can hear the warmth of a clarinet, and easily differentiate between types of guitar, piano, flute, harmonica, etc. Before the music begins, you actually get a sense, or feel, for the size of the venue where the music was recorded. The SCD-2 is like a live microphone, ready for action. From the first note, the music soars, never feeling clipped, pinched, or cut short of its natural expansion. Think still water in a kiddie pool vs still water in a huge lake. Imagine tossing a pebble into their centers. Unlike in the lake, the kiddie pool wave is abruptly shortened, a common digital artifact. Not so with the Xindak SCD-2.
My biz partner, Alan, came over for a listen this week. Owning the finest dCS digital and a Forsell “air-bearing” transport, he has not been quick to embrace SACD. First I played a regular CD- Sara K (Chesky recordings can tell a lot about one’s system). I wish you could have seen his face light up. After a few CDs, I put on the Norah Jones hybrid disc. Alan wanted to hear it in CD format first. Once he had a handle on that (it sounded great), I then switched to SACD. Within 30 seconds, I began hearing lots of “wow’s”, and comments like “This is the first time I’ve heard the promise of SACD fulfilled”. At the end of “Come away with me”, he actually started clapping!
Large orchestral music is correctly layered, with a height, and breadth, that is rare to experience in one’s home. Back up singers (and musicians) are correctly positioned, their individual contributions, easily discernible- that is if the rest of the system is up to the task.
A CD player with this type of performance, build quality, and an MSRP of $1695, is unheard of. China is kicking some butt, performance and price wise. Throw in a fabulous SACD section, and you’ve got a combination player that every hi-end enthusiast can afford. Frankly, unless you are prepared to spend dCS type money, you will be hard pressed to make any appreciable sonic gains buying anything in between.
Nit-picks- the logic system is a little on the slow side (common to SACD). It takes a couple of seconds to lock onto the disc. If you close the drawer by hitting play, you will have to hit it again (after the logic locks on). It can also take a couple of seconds to restart from pause. Occasionally it has trouble reading the end of a disc, where it makes a skipping sound, before coming to a stop. Bizarrely, it refuses to play Leo Kottke’s “That’s what”, a disc I hope will be re-released on SACD. That’s it for nits folks.
In some 4 years, we have recommended numerous products, long before they were praised in magazines. We have yet to see a review that contradicted our own advance analysis. The Xindak SCD-2 fulfills the age old promise of CD, with a keen eye on it’s future- SACD, at a price that won’t break the bank. It has transformed our $10K System into something truly extraordinary. What more can you ask for?
Robert Hart
Audio Tweakers
www.audiotweakers.com
