Price Paid:  $585.00 from Audio Show

Summary:
This review is for the SA-8001. This product has absolutely re-awakened my interest and enthusiasm in music. As a basic CD player the 8001 is as good as I have heard. Deep clean bass, smooth mid range and very natural top end provides detail that is hard to describe. Playing all my old CD's and hearing ,or should I say noticing things I hadn't been aware of before. Hearing the individual voices of background singers for example that previously weren't distinct, but rather blended. As I am new to SACD's I really can't compare other than to say the sound is awesome.Anyone considering this type of product should definiteley audition the SA-8001

Strengths:
Build,musicality.

Weaknesses:
None so far.

Similar Products Used:
Marantz CD 67SE, Arcam CD72T

Price Paid:  $650.00 from accesories4less.com

Summary:
This player sounds fantastic. I have no real complaints there. The imaging and resolution are great. I have had some problems with playback. After I got it, I started having issues reading stuff. To make a long story short, the thing has been fixed twice under warranty so far. I say so far, because after geting it back for the second time about 2 weeks ago, it is starting to show the same problems again. Hopefully marantz will resolve this issue somehow. I am a professional musician, and rely on this player to be able to listen to pieces I need to play on upcoming performances. It is a major hassle to have to listen to Mahler in the car to hear something in the piece.

Strengths:
Resolution, Imaging, Warmth.

Weaknesses:
Can't get it to work all the time.

jrhymeammo

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
4.20 of 5, 5.00 votes

Price Paid:  $720.00 from American Theater thr

Summary:
Im reviewing this brand new SA8001 I purchased from American Theater thru Audiogon.
This unit is a huge imrovement for me over my Yamaha CDC-845, I've played with a cheap Sony SACD player before and decided SACD format wasnt worth my money. Well in this hobby you'll get what you pay for 95% of the time. This Marantz didnt have that harsh sound Sony provided. Sound is silky smooth. I'm a vinyl guy but this player allows me to enjoy my CDs.

I thought I would take a chance on this player and if I didnt like it I would return it or sell it on Agon for around $700. I'm keeping it.

Strengths:
RBCD sounds remarkably good that SACD is just an added bonus.

Weaknesses:
It takes about 5 seconds to read titles of SACDs. Not abig deal but figured I would mention it.

johnjohn

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
4.70 of 5, 10.00 votes

Price Paid:  $900.00 from local retailer

Summary:
This review covers the new SA8001. Rrosev is absolutely correct - I also have an LP12 and the two sound remarkably alike. In the SA8001 Marantz has made significant refinements. Having had both 8260 and 8001 in my system, I can say the latter outperforms the former in all categories except transparency. Though quite good within their price class, neither machine is really all that transparent when compared to the best. But the 8001 at least has decent bass, timbre and dynamics, and reads TOC properly. The transport also runs quieter. The 8260 is a respectable $1K player, but the new 8001 tromps the competition. It outperforms the Rotel, comparably priced Vincent, and virtually all of the British competition, and is on par with most $1.5K-$2K machines. If weight is any indication of quality, this player weighs 17 lb and sports a toroidal power transformer much bigger than the measly e-core in the 8260; in fact it is almost as big as the one in the SA14 and SA11. The only under $1K player I prefer to the 8001 is the Jolida JD100A, but 8001 sounds flatter and has better bass. This has got to be the last word in solid state CD players under $1K.

Strengths:
Good bass, dynamics; good soundstaging; absolutely neutral timbre; handsome cosmetics

Weaknesses:
Confusing, cheap looking remote

Similar Products Used:
Arcam, Rotel, Sony, Cambridge

rrosev

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5, 6.00 votes

Price Paid:  $899.00 from Musicdirect

Summary:
If you are having TOC error problems with your 8260, I recommend the Marantz sa-8001. If you find that the difference in performance between redbook and SACD playback of your 8260 is too great, I recommend the Marantz sa-8001. If you find that the dynamic range on your 8260 does not reflect the reality of live performaces, I recommend the Marantz sa-8001. If you find the 8260 tonally too sweet and wish for more realistic timbre reproduction, I recommend the Marantz sa-8001. I listen mostly to live music in halls with great acoustics. The Marantz line of cd players are the few CD players I can tolerate listening to for an extended period of time, and I find that the Marantz CD player approximate the analog playback of my updated Linn Sondek setup. The 8001 comes the closest to my turntable, lacking only its richness of colors and weight in soundstage of a full orchestra.

Strengths:
resolution of both redbook and SACD playback
preserving the coherency of musical phrasing
preserving the wide range of musical articulation
wide-frequency extremes
tight and tuneful bass
vocals - both male and female
cymbals reproduction

Weaknesses:
bass slam and fullness
high sound pressure, particular the explosions of drum sets and the bass drum

Similar Products Used:
Marantz 8260
Cal Audio Icon II
Krell 300CD
Rage Planet