New Pioneer SACD player.

[cafe67]

Lol if you can find anybody who has them in stock or can let you have a listen to one 

[HarbethRob]

Finally recieved a response to my queries from the distributor. They are at least trying.

 

Has anyone actually heard one of these units yet?

 

Rob

 

[cafe67]

I received an email from powermove AV a couple of weeks ago advising they were organising a sample to be sent to my local dealer (. West coast hifi Malaga) haven't heard any thing since 

[HarbethRob]

Ok, that s good because I will be in Perth in March and will pop in and have a listen. Of course, it might actually get there by March 2019.

 

[cafe67]

Don't hold your breath 

[HarbethRob]

Quite right. I might be being a bit optimistic about the March 2019 date. I will pencil in March 2020.

[Max Headroom]

Ok so if you want an idea if the Pioneer is any good see the latest review of the Marantz SACD player, You’ll get an idea... https://www.stereo.net.au/reviews/review-marantz-sa-14s1-special-edition-sacd-player

[HarbethRob]

Thanks for finding the first actual review (or anything approaching a review). Very promising ... I am going to audtion the Yamaha CD s2100 but I will hold off buying anything until I hear more about the Pioneer.

[rantan]

8 minutes ago, HarbethRob said:

Thanks for finding the first actual review (or anything approaching a review). Very promising ... I am going to audtion the Yamaha CD s2100 but I will hold off buying anything until I hear more about the Pioneer.

Being 100% honest. I would hold off auditioning the Yamaha 2100.

 

It looks great and is built like a tank and I owned one for a while but it never really captured my heart or mind and was far less enjoyable and musical than my Rega Saturn. I acknowledge that this is merely an opinion and is subjective, but I really do think you can do better for the money.

Hopefully the Pioneer will be a lot better. The Marantz review reads very well also, but $5K these days is a lot for a CD player in a declining market.

 

Edit: with that said, I would very much like to hear the Pioneer. The price is far more approachable and the tonal balance would suit my system much better ( from what I have read )

Edited February 14, 2018 by rantan

[HarbethRob]

Rantan good to get your input. Fundamentally I do want a musical and enjoyable player.

 

Sadly Marantz is one of those brands that seems overpriced in Australia for reasons that are unfathomable to me. The comparable model in the UK can be had for about 1650 pounds! I just feel a strong desire to punish Marantz by not buying any of their products.

 

I have always been interested in the Rega Saturn by the way.

 

Luckily I am no hurry so I will see how this whole Pioneer story develops. The first rule is: ignore all the iniital hype!

[mw5671]

On 14/02/2018 at 9:11 PM, Max Headroom said:

Ok so if you want an idea if the Pioneer is any good see the latest review of the Marantz SACD player, You’ll get an idea... https://www.stereo.net.au/reviews/review-marantz-sa-14s1-special-edition-sacd-player

Read this review yesterday, which seems to be fairly balanced.

There’d need to be a discernible difference to the party listening , to cop the extra $1500 investment in the Marantz over the Pioneer.

If Marantz don’t move units, pricing will no doubt be revised. 

 

[cafe67]

Come on @famoz fess up 

[Famo]

With a review about to be published there's not a lot I can say cafe67. The review is filed with stereoNET and will be published within days. What I do advise is you read the Marantz SA14S1SE review live now on stereonet, and which has a capsule review of the Pioneer PD-70AE.

 

Through luck rather than planning both players arrived for review at the same time. Because I care about my stereo net colleagues I felt I had to include the Pioneer within the Marantz review to alert audiophiles they now had two superb SACD/CD player/DAC models on the market with one being about $1500 cheaper.

 

Last I heard, the Pioneer had an RRP of $3495 but it's been here more than a month and I'd have to confirm this price. As for where it's built, what I can say is stop obsessing: it's built in Malaysia but the build quality screams "Japanese High End" all the way. The review gives stereonet readers a short history of Pioneer's most recent history. The company sold it audio division to Onkyo but kept about a 15 per cent share in the new company which is called Pioneer/Onkyo. And most certainly many of Pioneer

's skilled audio engineers are employed in the new company.

 

The PD-70AE is the result of a collaborative effort by European and Japanese teams. It certainly doesn't sound like any Pioneer CD or SACD player I've ever heard before, and I've heard plenty. No previous Pioneer player has the timing and pace exhibited by the PD70-AE. Nor the level of transparency and detail this player delivers by the truckloads. And the bottom end...well, it's gobsmacking. I ex[plained why I believe the new Pioneer player sounds so different. Read both reviews carefully.

 

The question you may want answered her is: which is the better player? I hope within the context of both reviews taken together, that question is asked and answered as directly and honestly as I could. The answer may not be the one unsophisticated audio neophytes are looking for, but surely someone as experienced as you cafe67, will be totally satisfied.

 

Suffice to say, the Pioneer is a machine to be taken very, very seriously by any prospective buyer. Ditto for the Marantz, a player I said in my review is one of Marantz's best ever. 

 

Hopefully the two reviews sort out which player might suit you best. I've tried to be helpful and informative. And that's all an audio journalist can do.

 

 

 

Edited February 24, 2018 by Peter Familari
literals

[Max Headroom]

Ok the review is up and what a player it is!!!

[cafe67]

After all the hype, think I’ll stick with my cds2100

[maximus]

Hello all,

I've just ordered a brand new PD-70AE silver in colour, delivery is next week. After Famo's review, I couldn't hold back and got a reasonable price to boot. It's replacing a Cyrus CDI and PXR 2 which I know is possibly  at opposite ends of sound reproduction, but I'm taking a stab at it.

What clinched the deal, apart from price, was Peters' comments   'Doesn't sound like Pioneer of the past'...its got serious PRAT. I'll admit it, I haven't been this excited since I bought my Densen pre/pow over 3 years ago.

 

cheers Frank.

 

 

[cafe67]

Be interesting to hear your thoughts . Congrats on your purchase

[maximus]

2 hours ago, cafe67 said:

Be interesting to hear your thoughts . Congrats on your purchase

Thanks, all will be told in the coming weeks.

[buddyev]

On 24/05/2018 at 3:23 PM, maximus said:

Thanks, all will be told in the coming weeks.

Very interested to hear a comparison between the pioneer and the Cyrus.

[maximus]

Hi All,

The Pioneer PD-70AE arrived approx 3 weeks ago, and yes the first thing noticeable was the sheer weight, almost 20kg, you couldh've mistaken it for a power amp it was so heavy.

Unpacking it was a real delight, kinda like a kid unwrapping Chrissy presents, quickly ripped off all the black tape, out of the box and onto the Hi Fi rack.

The CD player sits big and bold, rather ugly according to my wife and daughter, but I think it looks typically Japanese, I wouldn't say good looking as other HI End products, ie Accuphase, Esoteric or Metronome, but handsome all the same.

I decided to leave the player running until it reached close to 300 hrs so I could get an honest gist of its true capability, but after 35-40hrs I couldn't refrain myself from hearing it and chucked on Becks 'Sea Change'.

 

I'm using a Densen B200+/B320+, the pre is the 200 and the power the 320, speakers are the current Proac Tablette 10's, single ended RCA's in a room of 6x7mts. Quite large for the little Proacs but the sound stage thrown was wide and high, better than many floor standers I've had over the years.

Even over the next couple of minutes, I favoured the Pioneer over my previous Cyrus CDI/PXR 2. It was more relaxed and nuanced but focus was very similar.

I stopped playing after the first track and kept the player on for roughly 300hrs as mentioned earlier.

 

After fully running in the CD player I threw Becks 'Sea Change' on again, same volume as previous listen and WOW!, into the hallway I was thrown, sound stage grew even bigger, mids totally opened up and bass was prodigious. The timbre of insruments was very good but not at the level of Accuphase and higher end Esoterics per say, but this couldh've been undecisive as my system would probably be deemed as 'Mid Fi' and not High End to which the aforementioned players were heard. Timing was spot on, as good as my Cyrus Combo.

 

When playing average recordings, ie Cult, Pretenders or YES's Close To The Edge, sound quality became brittle , sort of bright through the Tablettes. This was very normal as these recordings were known for their compressed nature, but when changing over to well recorded material, Dido, Beck, Nick Drake, Dixi Chicks, Chris Botti to mention a few, you could swear two different systems were at play, bass was tight and top end so sweet, which didn't surprise as the speakers are using the same tweeters as the Response series.

I guess that tells me the player is neutral, not favouring one side or another, but I would agree with Famo's write up where it would probably favour warmish setups rather than cooler, still best to audition, it could be a synergy thing.

 

Curiosity got the best of me and I also wanted to hear the PD-70AE in balanced mode, so I organised an audition at a good friends joint.

His system consists of the following :

 

AMP- Accoustic Arts amp 2 mk 3.

Pre - Accustic Arts Reference Pre 2 Mk 2 tube balanced

Gold Note Mediterraneo

Phono Accustic Arts reference phono 2

Purist Audio Corvus speaker cables, interconnects/phono

Gigawatt Power conditioner

Black Diamond Voodoo Power cords

Avalon Indra Floor standing speakers

 

You'd probably call that pretty much a Hi End setup.

I also bought along some Hybrid SACD's, Brother in Arms Dire Straits & Getz/Gilberto Girl From Ipanema. 

 

I'll make this short but the SACD's and previously mentioned CD's in Balanced mode had better definition and seemed a lot quieter, I'll not

forget the bass note from Aussie Crawls recent Greatest Hit song 'Reckless' pounding me in the chest, something to behold, the PD-70AE was fabulous in this rendition and all the CD's before this, much like the audition on the Densen duo but of a mightier scale with little distortion noticeable.

The player blended in like clockwork seamlessly, beautifully balanced instrumentation, true to life in timbre and rhythm, this is one stunning player portraying a sound quality  I've never experienced in my home period, its not only articulate, but engaging and musical, not unlike Densen and Naim players.

 

Digital is evolving at a rapid rate as seen with the latest DACS HUGO 2 and Gieseler Gross, you can throw in the PD-70AE as well, in my humble opinion one of the true HI FI bargains.

 

**PS, I had the good fortune of listening to Sam's Gold Note vinyl setup with Saxophonist Sonny Stitt at the helm. This is one pristine recording, rendering realism I've only heard on rare occasions, once again showing the purity of this system.

The CD player was no match here as expected , but I'm still keen to acquire the SACD version of this recording before too long.

 

Thanks Sam for lending me your sound system for nigh on 4 hrs as well as the complimentary snag rolls, nibblies and most importantly the red that was on offer.

 

Thanks also to Atish and Bowen from Digital Cinema NSW for being so helpful during the sale. Great service, these guys really knew the Product inside out. 

 

cheers Frank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      

 

[MuBh]

Pictures would be good Frank

[maximus]

On 15/06/2018 at 8:41 PM, MukeshB said:

Pictures would be good Frank

[maximus]

Some pics...

[MuBh]

1 minute ago, maximus said:

what a beauty...thanks for sharing.

[a.dent]

No USB input?