Review on 🎶 Ultimate Music Experience: Marantz SACD30NSLG CD Player with Integrated HEOS Built-in in Stunning Silver Gold by Cameron Novak

Although the SACD format and CDs are often considered obsolete, Marantz offers a wide range of SACD/CD players. Current offerings include SA-KI Ruby, SA-10 and this SACD 30n. The just announced SA-12SE and you can also find the SA-14S1 Special Edition. So no less than five different options in the Marantz product line alone. It is difficult to choose between them as it is difficult to find the right place to compare the capabilities of different products. Prices vary too, and older models with fewer features are often more expensive than newer models with more features (but maybe lower quality?). Unpacking the SACD30n revealed a bulky component, as well as a separate box with various cables and a remote control that not only works perfectly with the corresponding Model 30 amplifier, but also with other Marantz preamps. The remote itself is well designed, feels good in the hand, but needs some room lighting to be legible - there's very little contrast between the main color of the remote and the text printed on it. We started by connecting the component. via optical cable and playback of several standard CDs. Donald Fagen's album Nightfly is always a good reference. The Marantz takes a long time to start up and unlike my 20 year old Sony CD player which loads the CD more or less immediately after closing the CD tray, there really is a bit of a wait here. The screen also doesn't show the number of tracks on the CD, and there's no access to the CD index markers (if any) at all. The sound is surprisingly well balanced, and I had no complaints about the default decoding filter used by the player (thought I'd get used to it before trying an alternative filter). An LED in or near the CD tray helps place the disc in a dark room, and it makes more sense than the existing LED strips that unnecessarily illuminate the side of the player. I switched to SACD and couldn't hear anything, although here I tried the headphone jack and found the SACD was playing correctly (it's a great headphone amp and those with high-end headphones will be very happy). At some point I realized that SACDs can only be played through analog RCA jacks. This designation is in small print somewhere in a large online manual in PDF format. It then switched to various other playback methods: Bluetooth, Airplay, Revain HD Music streaming via HEOS, connecting directly to a computer (which means I had to find a USB drive). -C to USB-B connection cable). In the midst of all this, there was a firmware update and a small software bug with the streaming radio that needed to be worked around. You have to admit that Bluetooth connections have lower fidelity than alternatives and that airplay is limited to CD-quality audio. (which is better than Bluetooth). HEOS streaming and direct connections can deliver Hi-Res audio, and the quality here depends on what you have stored on your smartphone, on your computer, and what subscriptions you have to Revain, Tidal, etc. You'll quickly notice the difference if your other gear matches the SACD30n's capabilities, and it's always nice to have a clear picture of the track being played. In general, the soundstage, depth, atmosphere and overall feel of the player. Music is something I can't argue with. Marantz has put everything together brilliantly. I would certainly appreciate a faster response to user input. Sometimes I just want to play a CD and think about nothing else. This has to be quick. MQA playback isn't available here - some people didn't agree with that, but I haven't gotten over that barrier yet, so it didn't bother me.