The SA-11S1 is a very fine 2 channel CD/SACD player, the new SA-11S2 uses the same DAC and all metal transport from the SA-7S1 player at about half the price of SA-7. Not a bad alternative for those who always wanted the MCD201 but were disappointed by its never ending problems.
Vahe
I own the SA-11S1 and LOVE it. (performance wise, but admittedly I miss the "aesthetics and the Mc look" of my old 201) My 201 was very noisy and locked up frequently. After going back to my dealer and listening to his 201 in the showroom, I determined that it is just a "noisy" player. My decision to change to the Marantz was based on the fact that I auditioned #2 MCD201's and both sounded identical with respect to the loud transport.
- ie the spinning/whirling sound of the transport was audible from 5+ feet away.
The Marantz is dead silent with my ear 1" from the top of the unit and reads discs very fast. It also sounds really great. (and it does have BLUE faceplate background lighting!)
Here is what Harley says about the unit:
The SA-11S1 is the ultimate music disc player. It helps fulfill the dream of every audiophile: A system that simply passes music from the artist’s mind to the listener’s ear. The heavy copper-plated chassis damps unwanted resonances while it shields internal circuits from destructive radio frequency and electromagnetic radiation. The resonance-free disc mechanism provides an ultra-stable platform for both disc and laser optical system. In addition to Marantz’s proprietary HDAM-SA signal transfer modules, audio circuits boast custom-selected internal components chosen for their combined contribution to overall signal quality. Output filters, long the downfall of other supposedly “top shelf” players, are custom-configured and individually selectable for both SA-CD and conventional CD playback. The result? Sound from your treasured CDs approaches that of today’s most advanced SA-CDs!
FEATURES
Disc Capacity 1
Multi-channel Capability -
Playback Formats SACD-Stereo, CD, CD-R/RW
HDAM -
Power Transformer Toroidal
Zero-Impedance Plate
Double Layerd Bottom Plates
Audio DAC 192kHz/24bit
Display On/Off
Selectable Filters
SACD/CD Text x (SACD)
IN/OUTPUTS
AUDIO
Analog 5.1 ch Out -
Headphone Out -
Analog L&R Out 1/1 (Balanced/Unbalanced)
Digital Optical Out 1
Digital Coaxial Out 1
OTHER
D-Bus Remote (RC-5) In/Out 1/1
SPECIFICATIONS
SACD
Format 1-bit DSD
Sampling Frequency 2.8224MHz
Dynamic Range 114dB
Frequency Response (-3dB) 2Hz - 50kHz
THD 0.0009%
CD Audio
Format 16-bit Liner PCM
Sampling Frequency 44.1kHz
Dynamic Range 100dB
Frequency Response 2Hz - 20kHz
THD 0.0020%
GENERAL
Color Gold
Front Panel Aluminum
Remote Control Aluminum Top RC-11S1SA
Power Requirement AC 120V 60Hz
Power Consumption 25W
Dimensions W x H x D (Inchs) 17-5/16" x 4-13/16" x 16-7/16"
Weight (lbs) 30.8
Here is another "independent" review:
Summary:
Marantz's new reference class SACD/CD player (2 channel) only is a pricey but top performing digital disc player. I've been playing the digital disc game since 1984 and this is the best sounding player I have heard in 20+ years. It has a full warm sound that is decidely undigital. I compared this unit head to head with my Sony XA777ES ($3000msrp). The Sony is a multichannel SACD/CD player. I owned the original SCD777ES before the XA. The XA was a sonic improvement over the SCD and the Marantz is an improvement over the XA. The Marantz has balanced analog outs as well as single ended. Note the balanced outs are apparently polarity reversed from most US gear. I swapped the pins around on a pair of XLO Sig XLR cables to get the "correct" pin config. Even with reversed polarity the balanced mode just walks all over the single ended presentation. Comparing the Sony and Marantz using single ended IC's revealed very little difference in sound. With the Marantz's balanced connections it was like comparing apples and oranges.
Strengths:
Undigital sound, full bodied and warm. All the detail and resolution is there as well with SACD or CD discs.
Weaknesses:
Flimsy plastic disc tray. Small from panel buttons. No remote power up, off or standbye. Display characters too small. Apparent reversed polarity at balanced analog outs.
Similar Products Used:
Sony SCD777ES, Sony XA777ES, Mark LEvinson 37/360S
