Marantz has unveiled its brand new SA-7S1 flagship Super Audio CD (SACD) player. It's literally a heavyweight: it weighs 22kg, and will cost you an astonishing £5,000.
Following in the footsteps of the highly-regarded SA-1, Marantz says that the new SA-7S1 delivers a sound "so pure it redefines compact disc's audio capabilities". Bold claims indeed.
The full-metal chassis on the SA-7S1 employs a double-layer bottom plate and substantial shock-absorbing feet to virtually eliminate sound-degrading vibration. The case is completely copper-plated to guard against electrical interference and, thanks to some cool engineering, no screws are visible.
Marantz's impressive attention to detail doesn't stop there, either. All key internal components are copper shielded, while a segmented power supply includes a high-capacity Super Ring toroidal transformer entirely shielded by an aluminium shorting ring and a copper-plated case.
Dripping with quality
And all these deliciously expensive components are backed up by over-sized storage capacitors custom made to exacting Marantz specifications, and a low-noise LCD display that can be turned off.
Unique to Marantz is the SACD player's full and complete separation of digital and analogue sections. This not only separates the digital and analogue power supplies, but also divides them at ground level as well. The outcome is an analogue signal totally free from digital interference.
"Clad in a gold finish that fronts the tank-like metal chassis, implementing state-of-the-art engineering, and using the very finest materials to an unprecedented level of craftsmanship, one can easily say the SA-7S1 is worth its colossal 22kg weight in gold," reads the Marantz release. And for £4,999.90, you'd hope so too.
The SA-7S1 will be available from June 2007.
