Description: Multichannel SACD/DVD-V player (DSD stereo/multichannel). Formats playable: SACD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-Video, Super VCD. Audio outputs: left/right front, left/right surround, center, subwoofer, "stereo." SACD audio performance: Maximum output voltage: 2V, ±0.3V. Total harmonic distortion: -58dB, 20Hz-20kHz. Intermodulation distortion: -107dB. Dynamic range: 114dB. S/N ratio: 114dB A-weighted. DVD/VCD/CD performance: S/N ratio: >100dB, 1kHz. Dynamic range: >90dB.
Dimensions: 17" (435mm) W by 4.3" (110mm) H by 12.9" (330mm) D. Weight: 22 lbs…
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Sidebar 1: Specifications
Sidebar 2: Measurements
I did an uncharacteristic thing before measuring the Philips SACD1000: I read the manual. And it's just as well, as doing the obvious thing and plugging a pair of interconnects into the pair of analog outputs marked "Stereo" would have led me astray—these jacks output a signal band-limited to 20kHz even when a wide-bandwidth SACD is being played. It appears that they're supplied solely for connecting the player to a home-theater system for stereo playback of DVD-Video discs. I therefore did as Chip did and assessed the SACD1000's performance from its Left and…
This is shown for both settings of the Filter switch—the ultrasonic noise with the wider, "50kHz" setting peaks at -50dB at 80kHz, but then starts to rise again just before the 200kHz upper limit of the Audio Precision System One. The "40kHz" filter setting drops the 80kHz peak by about 5dB, but the higher-frequency rise is still apparent, albeit at a lower level. If you're at all in doubt about your preamplifier's or amplifier's ability to cope with relatively high levels of RF noise, be sure to set the SACD1000's filter to "40kHz."
Assessed using CD data, the SACD1000 offered low…
A Followup by Kalman Rubinson appeared in June 2001 (Vol.24 No.6):
Even though digital audio was not my beat at the 2001 CES—see the report in the April and May issues—I thought the announcement of the Philips SACD1000 was a highlight. Here, for barely less than $2000, is an SACD player with audiophile trimmings and multichannel output. While $2000 is not quite the mass-market price that Sony has promised for such players in the near future, the SACD1000 was ready for market. Now I get my chance with it, barely cooled from its bouts in the April issue with Chip Stern and John Atkinson…
John Marks wrote about the SACD1000 in November 2002 (Vol.25 No.11):
Philips was kind enough to send me a review sample of their SACD1000 multichannel SACD/DVD player, which Chip Stern and Kalman Rubinson reviewed last year. Then, that player cost $2000. At Home Entertainment 2002 in May, Philips representatives informed me that they had lowered its list price to $1000.
Compared with the Marantz SA-8260, the Philips SACD1000 had a slight advantage in articulation and dynamic detail, while the Marantz enjoyed a somewhat greater advantage in musical continuity and richness.…
What's next for you? Your last CD player? Your first SACD player? DVD-Audio? Looking forward to multichannel music? Still satisfied with two-channel stereo? Maybe you're waiting for an affordable combination SACD/DVD-A multichannel player, or for the format feud to shake out and leave a clear winner. So many options, so much excitement, so little software.
Though their fourth and final limited-edition Nu-Vista product was originally slated to be an SACD player, Musical Fidelity's Antony Michaelson ultimately chose to make it CD only. Better to concentrate efforts on trying to…
Beyond the cosmetics, the build quality and finish are what you might expect of a Nu-Vista product: rugged, substantial, heavy, superbly finished outside, equally generous inside. The thick, rigid chassis, accented on the sides with heatsink-like lengthwise ribs, features a copper bottom plate and an internal copper substructure that encloses the transport and supports its logic-control board. Physically, at least, few would argue that you don't get your money's worth, though the black plastic remote, laden with rows of equal-sized buttons, may be less than what some expect for $4995. I'd…
First up was a Kind of Blue competition between the SACD and the 20-bit SBM CD. The Nu-Vista 3D's CD presentation was surprisingly transparent, liquid, and etch-free. Also absent was the oft-heard glare, or coarse starchiness. Davis' trumpet exhibited an impressive tonal purity and fundamentally correct, though slightly thin, harmonic structure. While the sensation of air around the instrument was fairly satisfying, it couldn't compete with the original LP.
The clarity and three-dimensional spatial separation of Bill Evans' piano vamping at the beginning of "So What" were well-focused (…
CDs "exciting"?
To my ears, LPs still deliver more musical satisfaction than CDs, even through the Nu-Vista 3D, and SACD still trumps CD. But I found that I could pull CDs at random from my collection (which is bigger than some might think) and derive a surprisingly high degree of listening pleasure. Much to my surprise, I found that I could actually sit down, pop in a CD, turn off the lights, and listen and "watch" the performance.
To my ears, LPs still deliver more musical satisfaction than CDs, even through the Nu-Vista 3D, and SACD still trumps CD. But I found that I could pull CDs at random from my collection (which is bigger than some might think) and derive a surprisingly high degree of listening pleasure. Much to my surprise, I found that I could actually sit down, pop in a CD, turn off the lights, and listen and "watch" the performance.
Whether it's the upsampling, the overall circuit implementation, the nuvistor output stage, or whatever, the 3D proved to be one of a handful of the…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Single-box CD player with upsampling digital filter, nuvistors in analog stage, and choke filters in power supply. Measured maximum output voltage: 2.113V. Measured output impedance: 47 ohms.
Dimensions: 5.5" H by 18.5" W by 15" D. Weight: 42 lbs.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 301 (measurement), not noted (auditioning).
Price: $4995. Approximate number of dealers: not disclosed.
Manufacturer: Musical Fidelity Ltd., 15-17 Fulton Road, Wembley, Middlesex HA9 0TF, England, UK. Tel: (44) (0)181-900-2866. Web: www.musical-fidelity.co.uk. US…