Playing SACD audio on old equipment

[crwilli]

Bill, I think we mentioned early on in this or another thread that only the OPPOs which Kal has noted offer the ability to archive (rip) SACDs. It is because of the chipset they use which has some sort of backdoor that was found and exploited.

The ‘mother of all threads’ which Kal pointed you too has all the information you could ever want (and then some) about the process.

I am only familiar with the process using the OPPO players. There are many other players which seem to all have slightly different processes. In my brief reading, the OPPO process may be the easiest.

Once you get a 103, 105, 103D or 105D, I would be happy to have a chat and walk you through how to make it happen.

Craig

[70sMac]

Originally Posted by crwilli

Bill, I think we mentioned early on in this or another thread that only the OPPOs which Kal has noted offer the ability to archive (rip) SACDs. It is because of the chipset they use which has some sort of backdoor that was found and exploited.

The ‘mother of all threads’ which Kal pointed you too has all the information you could ever want (and then some) about the process.

I am only familiar with the process using the OPPO players. There are many other players which seem to all have slightly different processes. In my brief reading, the OPPO process may be the easiest.

Once you get a 103, 105, 103D or 105D, I would be happy to have a chat and walk you through how to make it happen.

Craig

Craig..... Thank you for the kind post. I apologize if this is ground that's already worn, but I'm really doing all I can to catch up and, quite frankly, it's confusing...It was simply one of those "I think I read about that somewhere" kind of things...

On another another note, we just bought a new Oppo 203 -- which was justified by the great information I gleaned from the AAF -- so getting another Oppo player just might be a tough sell to the Mrs.

[Yamaki]

So here are some things to consider with your current setup and a few questions for you.

Having the Oppo gives you 5.1 channel analog audio output.

The Oppo also has digital coax audio output plus two USB 3.0 inputs. You can use USB 2.0 with those inputs with no issues. By the way, USB 2.0 is in no way a block or hindrance to the transfer of digital data from one component to another.

The Oppo has one HDMI input, I assume you could hook your Sony up to that input and try the sound output through it to the MX130 vs. spinning those discs in the Oppo.

The MX130 has a 5.1 channel set of RCA inputs, in addition to the two RCA analog inputs you are using, on the left side of the rear panel. You could run the 5.1 channel outputs from the Oppo to those inputs on the MX130.

My questions for you are:

How do you have the Sony, Oppo and MX130 connected at this point?

Does your computer have a USB output?

Have you considered a digital system? Just curious as I no longer use physical media (CD, tape, vinyl, etc...) and all my music is in a digital format. Your Oppo would make for a fine DAC in a digital music system. My BDP-93 is used as a DAC for my old Yamaha CR-1020/NHT based system.

My NAS, DAC, laptop (used for controlling the music) and other gear are all on a network. I don't wish to open a can of worms but the SQ of lossless digital files is amazing. Just sayin' because we are a collection of enablers here... LOL

Oh, and yeah, I'm an all digital aficionado and I am also an enabler. OK...moving on...

Do you have sufficient amplifiers and speakers for 5.1 channel sound output? (You should hear SACD and movies played using that configuration!)

Even now you have some great potential signal paths to play with if you are so inclined.

[jimtranr]

70sMac, as you've noted, you have a lot on your audio plate to digest right now. So I toss this out as an option to consider once all the current dust is settled and only if you decide then that you want to dive into the wide, wide world of ripping SACDs without spending an arm and a leg.

In addition to the Oppo models that Kal has mentioned, there are some older Sony, Pioneer, and Cambridge multi-format or Blu-Ray players that contain the chipsets that allow one to rip SACDs. With a collection of about 170 SACDs, I decided about a year ago to take the ripping plunge and found a pair of used rip-capable and networkable Sony Blu-Ray players at $60 apiece to use solely as rippers via network connection (Ethernet in my case, but wireless is also doable).

For Windows 10 users, at least, the computer-software ripping-process interface has been simplified (the program is called SACDExtractGUI) so that once the ripping player has been identified by its IP address and initialized with the AutoScript program mentioned elsewhere in this thread, installing the SACD in the player tray and a couple of mouse-clicks are all that's necessary to execute the rip.

As I say, for future consideration.

[70sMac]

Originally Posted by Yamaki

So here are some things to consider with your current setup and a few questions for you.

Having the Oppo gives you 5.1 channel analog audio output.

The Oppo also has digital coax audio output plus two USB 3.0 inputs. You can use USB 2.0 with those inputs with no issues. By the way, USB 2.0 is in no way a block or hindrance to the transfer of digital data from one component to another.

The Oppo has one HDMI input, I assume you could hook your Sony up to that input and try the sound output through it to the MX130 vs. spinning those discs in the Oppo.

The MX130 has a 5.1 channel set of RCA inputs, in addition to the two RCA analog inputs you are using, on the left side of the rear panel. You could run the 5.1 channel outputs from the Oppo to those inputs on the MX130.

My questions for you are:

How do you have the Sony, Oppo and MX130 connected at this point?

Does your computer have a USB output?

Have you considered a digital system? Just curious as I no longer use physical media (CD, tape, vinyl, etc...) and all my music is in a digital format. Your Oppo would make for a fine DAC in a digital music system. My BDP-93 is used as a DAC for my old Yamaha CR-1020/NHT based system.

My NAS, DAC, laptop (used for controlling the music) and other gear are all on a network. I don't wish to open a can of worms but the SQ of lossless digital files is amazing. Just sayin' because we are a collection of enablers here... LOL

Oh, and yeah, I'm an all digital aficionado and I am also an enabler. OK...moving on...

Do you have sufficient amplifiers and speakers for 5.1 channel sound output? (You should hear SACD and movies played using that configuration!)

Even now you have some great potential signal paths to play with if you are so inclined.

Yamaki - Michael..... Sorry, but I have another Michael who's also been kindly adding to my thread(s)....

Okay, so to answer your questions:

How do you have the Sony, Oppo and MX130 connected at this point?

The Sony MX800M2 -- the one that we thought we could use with our Mac MX-130 -- is presently hooked up, via HDMI, to our LG OLED Television.

As I see this post as really getting to the heart of the matter, I really hate to throw any sand into the gears, but video also comes into play here. Our goal, if possible, is to move everything into a pretty big room that's been tagged for use as an entertainment room...and, hopefully, we'll be able to enjoy multiple technologies: Stereo Audio, Surround Audio, BluRay Audio and, here it comes, BluRay Video with accompanying Surround Audio. It may not be confusing to most, but I promise you that it's a lot to figure out for the uninitiated.

Does your computer have a USB output?

Yes, it does. It's an early-2011 MacBook Pro with (3) USB 2.0 ports and (1) Thunderbolt 1 port. It also has a 7200 rpm 750 GB SATA HDD -- not an SSD. It's clear to me now, that audio transfer isn't the real problem with our computer, it's the video part that has me worried.

Now that there's more space for it, I really should add all of our "stuff" to my signature, and I'll get to that soon...In the meantime, our new Oppo 203 is presently hooked up directly to our MX-130 and is playing -- very well, I might add -- the "newer" physical audio we've collected over the "quiet years." We have a Norah Jones SACD here, for example, that sounds like she's in the other room...but I digress. The Denon CDR-W1500 (HDCD player) is CD1 on the MX-130 and the Oppo 203 is CD 2. They are both hooked up to the MX-130 via Pearl flat-ribbon RCA cables. There are presently no other connections to either physical media player.

Do you have sufficient amplifiers and speakers for 5.1 channel sound output (You should hear SACD and movies played using that configuration!)?

There's no doubt in my mind that a decent surround setup -- even the modest 5.1 system in our minds -- would be quite the thing to have, but the more I learn, the more out of reach this seems to become. Why? Because we only own two decent amps: the MC300 for our B&W 802Ns and a MAC4200 for our 805Ns. As I've learned over the past weeks, we will need not only need a "matching" center for our Nautilus loud speakers, but we have to acquire a suitable amp for said center. Combine that with an "analog" MX-130 (no HDMI) ... and I trust that you might understand how much there is for us to get our minds around ... and that doesn't even get into the fact that we don't have true high-speed internet here.

Have you considered a digital system?

If by "digital system," you mean something that's dependent on high-speed internet, the answer is "no" ... but, if you mean something else, please explain. I'm sorry if you've already written about this -- on another thread, perhaps? -- but I'm humbly asking again.

I have no problem being enabled, by the way, but we have to make the best use of our limited funds. If keeping our present 2-channel stereo system the way it is and going another, non-Mac, direction makes the most sense, so be it. The MX-130 and the two Mac amps I mentioned sound pretty [bleeping] nice to us, but I do have to admit that the physical "presence" of both our physical audio and our physical video is quite a challenge for us. I mean, man, I've got a fairly lengthy Excel spreadsheet that lists our physical video collection, but damn if I can tell you where some of those old favorites are? And the audio collection? Fuhgitaboutit !

I hope that the realities of what we have (and don't have) doesn't put a wet blanket onto the discussion. The only way for us to arrive at the best decision is to learn all we can -- warts and all.

[70sMac]

Originally Posted by jimtranr

70sMac, as you've noted, you have a lot on your audio plate to digest right now. So I toss this out as an option to consider once all the current dust is settled and only if you decide then that you want to dive into the wide, wide world of ripping SACDs without spending an arm and a leg.

In addition to the Oppo models that Kal has mentioned, there are some older Sony, Pioneer, and Cambridge multi-format or Blu-Ray players that contain the chipsets that allow one to rip SACDs. With a collection of about 170 SACDs, I decided about a year ago to take the ripping plunge and found a pair of used rip-capable and networkable Sony Blu-Ray players at $60 apiece to use solely as rippers via network connection (Ethernet in my case, but wireless is also doable).

For Windows 10 users, at least, the computer-software ripping-process interface has been simplified (the program is called SACDExtractGUI) so that once the ripping player has been identified by its IP address and initialized with the AutoScript program mentioned elsewhere in this thread, installing the SACD in the player tray and a couple of mouse-clicks are all that's necessary to execute the rip.

As I say, for future consideration.

Jim..... Yes, any equipment you could offer for our list would be greatly appreciated. If Sony -- or any other physical player manufacturer -- made equipment that made ripping easier, I'd love to read up on them. If those older models are "rip-capable and networkable," so much the better.

By the way, I know I mentioned having a limited budget, which we do, but I'm not opposed to reading up on anything. The more choices there are, the more likely we are to find one that's still in decent condition.

I also appreciate your being sensitive to the real possibility of "audio overload," but I've placed getting a machine capable of ripping everything we have pretty high up on our entertainment priority list...but don't tell the Mrs.

[W9TR]

70sMac
This thread has gotten pretty esoteric with SACD ripping and multiple ways to get 5.1 and how to rip and stream and a million other things are very Interesting but also complicate the discussion.

So let me try and ‘unpack’ some thoughts and see if I can add some clarity.


1. From your original post you want to spin silver discs of all formats. DONE! Your wonderful Oppo player has you covered.


2. From the thread you want to build a great 5.1 system. You already have mains and surrounds and amps to drive them. Continue your journey by acquiring a matching center channel speaker and amplifier to drive it. Getting the speaker right is most important, so do not scrimp on the center or use another brand. There are a lot of amps available if you are willing to mix and match. If you want to stick with McIntosh, buy a 2-channel amp a few generations back (ex: MC 402) and bridge your MC300 for the center channel. Or buy a single channel amp for the center and use your MC 300 for the mains.

After you have done all that you can research pre/pros. Lots of options here, but for simplicity and sanity I recommend a pre/pro that handles 4K HDMI for audio and video. HDMI is the future and having a pre/pro that can handle it keeps things simple without adding switchers and converter boxes. Here you would be looking at an MX 160 or MX 122 and those are still expensive on the used market. Or choose something reasonably current from Marantz or Integra. This is a very competitive category and the units are very good.


3. You mention wanting to explore ripping and digital file storage and were wondering how to get content onto your MacBook.

The simplest way to do this is to buy an external USB CD drive for your MacBook and use one of the popular ripper/player software packages. Approx $100 total.

Forget about ripping SACD’s for now. The juice is not worth the squeeze. Just play them on your wonderful OppO player. Once you try ripping and playing files from your computer you can consider SACD.

Tom

[crwilli]

Well done Tom.

[bart]

Originally Posted by crwilli

Well done Tom.

+1

Besides the fantastic Marantz processors, there are also the Yamaha, Arcam.

[piolaxo]

+2. Yes, excellent advice.