Source: http://www.avrev.com/home-theater-audio-sources/dvd-audio-sacd-players/marantz-sa-14s1-sacd-player-dsd-dac-3.html
Marantz SA-14S1 SACD Player & DSD DAC
Internally, Marantz provides for several digital filters, a DC Offset option, and a Noise Shaping function, all accessible from the front panel or the supplied remote unit. You can also switch inputs, and control a Marantz integrated amplifier with the same remote. Looking at the whole package, this is a lot of product for $2500.
Set Up & Listening
I supported the SA-14S with Symposium Rollerblock Jr resonance control, outfitted it with a Element Cord power cable, and connected it to a variety of amplifiers with Darwin Ascension silver interconnects. No other special tweaks were used. I spun SACDs and CDs for the first half of the review period; then tested the player as a standalone DAC.
Marantz SA-14S1 SACD Player REMOTERight out of the box, the SA-14S1 showed all of the excellent transparency, even tonal balance, and analog-like texture to SACDs that the previous batch of players I reviewed exhibited. The first disc I played -- Dead Can Dance?s sublime Aion, superbly mastered in DSD, and a musical tour de force -- was simply ravishing. I was so immersed in the music that I played several other DCD SACDs, including the impressive Spiritchaser. The SA-14S1 served dynamic range on this recording well, with the mix taking advantage of the full stereo spectrum.
I spun numerous SACDs mastered from analog tapes, including the Sony Bob Dylan catalog, the Elton John remasters, and titles from Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, and more. All were better than their CD counterparts. Mobile Fidelity?s DSD remaster of The Band?s Music From Big Pink is particularly good, if a bit over equalized for my taste. The organic quality of these classic recordings is better preserved in DSD, in my opinion. One title that really made the CD version obsolete in my eyes was Dylan?s Highway 61 Revisited. I really don?t know if it is possible to get closer to the master tape in a digital format. The SA-14S1 preserved all the nuances on this historic album.
I also own a handful of native DSD-recorded SACDs, including the simply unparalleled recording of Rachmaninoff?s Symphonic Dances by Semyon Bychkov and the Koln Symphony. This, along with being one of my favorite music pieces, is simply a benchmark recording. I use it as a reference for evaluating SACD players quite often. The SA-14S1 renders the strings with uncanny lifelike texture. The sound of the orchestra is produced with real life scale, a rarity. The SA-14S1 did a tremendous job with several RCA Living Stereo classical recordings as well, putting on full display why DSD is an excellent digital format. Its ability to produce analog-like continuity and coherence, even with very complex music, puts it a step beyond PCM.
The SA-14S1 distinguished itself on good sounding Redbook CDs as well, extracting what seemed like close to the maximum information contained on the discs. I was quite taken with the way the Marantz rendered tracks from We Are Only Riders: The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project. It is a tribute to Pierce, the late punk rocker, featuring performances by Nick Cave, Mark Lanegan, Debbie Harry, and more. The only way to describe the overall feel was ?undigital?.
As a standalone DAC, the SA 14S1 really impressed me (as did both the NA-11S1 and SA-11S3). Marantz has found some sort of magic in their DAC sound across all inputs. Using a Squeezebox Touch, via both coaxial and optical, yielded excellent results, with all sample rates up to 192 Khz being decoded with no issues.
For the part of the review I was looking forward to the most, I used my HP Laptop with JRiver Media Center 19 installed, with a KinRex Y Craft USB cable connected to the SA-14S1 for the specific purpose of using the Marantz as a DSD DAC. The set up process was painless, and simply required downloading the Marantz driver, and selecting it as the output. I then connected a hard drive to the laptop with a decent number of DSD files and hit play.
The sound of these DSD files through the SA-14S1 was absolutely stunning -- beyond my expectations even -- and on par with the NA-11S1. I cued tracks from many different music genres, including classical, jazz, and singer songwriter. There was a mix of DSD-mastered analog recordings and, even better, native DSD recordings. These native DSD-format recordings yet again showed me that DSD is simply the closest thing to the analog ideal I have heard. I especially recommend recordings by singer/songwriter David Elias, by the way.
I also streamed a variety of PCM files, at all sample rates, using the SA-14S1?s USB input and the results were also up to par. Music emerged from totally quiet backgrounds, with dimension and body. And, again, even Redbook CD files were elevated in quality. The brand new remaster of Del Amitri?s Change Everything sounded as fresh and vibrant as did back in 1989.
For the final review phase, I plugged an iPad, filled with ALAC files, directly to the SA-14S1?s front USB input. As with the NA-11S1, the sound was beyond reproach. Terry Callier?s classic jazz folk masterpiece, I Just Can?t Help My Self, showed the front input was the equal of the other digital inputs. The track ?Brown Eyed Lady? was an absolute joy, with surprising texture. You can also plug in removable storage, but the files, limited to 96 Khz, must be in mp3, WMA, AAC, or WAV format.
Conclusion
The Marantz SA-14S1 SACD player and DSD DAC impressed me to no end. On optical discs, it was a remarkable SACD and CD player. As a PCM DAC and file player, it was up to the standard I have come to expect from Marantz. As a DSD DAC, it was simply a superb performer. It worked flawlessly and was a pleasure to use all around.
The SA-14S1 is built as solid as you would expect from Marantz, and its ability to play from any source may have set a new standard at this price point. The only feature not available is network streaming, which is the domain of the NA-11S1. However, plug your Squeezebox, Sonos, or equivalent, and off you go. Excellent playback from SACDs, CDs, iPods, hi rez PCM, and DSD for $2500 earns the SA-14S1 an AVrev.com Best Value Award.
Marantz SA-14S1 SACD Player & DSD DAC
Internally, Marantz provides for several digital filters, a DC Offset option, and a Noise Shaping function, all accessible from the front panel or the supplied remote unit. You can also switch inputs, and control a Marantz integrated amplifier with the same remote. Looking at the whole package, this is a lot of product for $2500.
Set Up & Listening
I supported the SA-14S with Symposium Rollerblock Jr resonance control, outfitted it with a Element Cord power cable, and connected it to a variety of amplifiers with Darwin Ascension silver interconnects. No other special tweaks were used. I spun SACDs and CDs for the first half of the review period; then tested the player as a standalone DAC.
Marantz SA-14S1 SACD Player REMOTERight out of the box, the SA-14S1 showed all of the excellent transparency, even tonal balance, and analog-like texture to SACDs that the previous batch of players I reviewed exhibited. The first disc I played -- Dead Can Dance?s sublime Aion, superbly mastered in DSD, and a musical tour de force -- was simply ravishing. I was so immersed in the music that I played several other DCD SACDs, including the impressive Spiritchaser. The SA-14S1 served dynamic range on this recording well, with the mix taking advantage of the full stereo spectrum.
I spun numerous SACDs mastered from analog tapes, including the Sony Bob Dylan catalog, the Elton John remasters, and titles from Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, and more. All were better than their CD counterparts. Mobile Fidelity?s DSD remaster of The Band?s Music From Big Pink is particularly good, if a bit over equalized for my taste. The organic quality of these classic recordings is better preserved in DSD, in my opinion. One title that really made the CD version obsolete in my eyes was Dylan?s Highway 61 Revisited. I really don?t know if it is possible to get closer to the master tape in a digital format. The SA-14S1 preserved all the nuances on this historic album.
I also own a handful of native DSD-recorded SACDs, including the simply unparalleled recording of Rachmaninoff?s Symphonic Dances by Semyon Bychkov and the Koln Symphony. This, along with being one of my favorite music pieces, is simply a benchmark recording. I use it as a reference for evaluating SACD players quite often. The SA-14S1 renders the strings with uncanny lifelike texture. The sound of the orchestra is produced with real life scale, a rarity. The SA-14S1 did a tremendous job with several RCA Living Stereo classical recordings as well, putting on full display why DSD is an excellent digital format. Its ability to produce analog-like continuity and coherence, even with very complex music, puts it a step beyond PCM.
The SA-14S1 distinguished itself on good sounding Redbook CDs as well, extracting what seemed like close to the maximum information contained on the discs. I was quite taken with the way the Marantz rendered tracks from We Are Only Riders: The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project. It is a tribute to Pierce, the late punk rocker, featuring performances by Nick Cave, Mark Lanegan, Debbie Harry, and more. The only way to describe the overall feel was ?undigital?.
As a standalone DAC, the SA 14S1 really impressed me (as did both the NA-11S1 and SA-11S3). Marantz has found some sort of magic in their DAC sound across all inputs. Using a Squeezebox Touch, via both coaxial and optical, yielded excellent results, with all sample rates up to 192 Khz being decoded with no issues.
For the part of the review I was looking forward to the most, I used my HP Laptop with JRiver Media Center 19 installed, with a KinRex Y Craft USB cable connected to the SA-14S1 for the specific purpose of using the Marantz as a DSD DAC. The set up process was painless, and simply required downloading the Marantz driver, and selecting it as the output. I then connected a hard drive to the laptop with a decent number of DSD files and hit play.
The sound of these DSD files through the SA-14S1 was absolutely stunning -- beyond my expectations even -- and on par with the NA-11S1. I cued tracks from many different music genres, including classical, jazz, and singer songwriter. There was a mix of DSD-mastered analog recordings and, even better, native DSD recordings. These native DSD-format recordings yet again showed me that DSD is simply the closest thing to the analog ideal I have heard. I especially recommend recordings by singer/songwriter David Elias, by the way.
I also streamed a variety of PCM files, at all sample rates, using the SA-14S1?s USB input and the results were also up to par. Music emerged from totally quiet backgrounds, with dimension and body. And, again, even Redbook CD files were elevated in quality. The brand new remaster of Del Amitri?s Change Everything sounded as fresh and vibrant as did back in 1989.
For the final review phase, I plugged an iPad, filled with ALAC files, directly to the SA-14S1?s front USB input. As with the NA-11S1, the sound was beyond reproach. Terry Callier?s classic jazz folk masterpiece, I Just Can?t Help My Self, showed the front input was the equal of the other digital inputs. The track ?Brown Eyed Lady? was an absolute joy, with surprising texture. You can also plug in removable storage, but the files, limited to 96 Khz, must be in mp3, WMA, AAC, or WAV format.
Conclusion
The Marantz SA-14S1 SACD player and DSD DAC impressed me to no end. On optical discs, it was a remarkable SACD and CD player. As a PCM DAC and file player, it was up to the standard I have come to expect from Marantz. As a DSD DAC, it was simply a superb performer. It worked flawlessly and was a pleasure to use all around.
The SA-14S1 is built as solid as you would expect from Marantz, and its ability to play from any source may have set a new standard at this price point. The only feature not available is network streaming, which is the domain of the NA-11S1. However, plug your Squeezebox, Sonos, or equivalent, and off you go. Excellent playback from SACDs, CDs, iPods, hi rez PCM, and DSD for $2500 earns the SA-14S1 an AVrev.com Best Value Award.
