Naim CDX and Hybrid SACD discs

Hi-Fi Corner
1

Hi
I have just got a bunch of SACDs. Only one of them seems to put the SACD notification up on the display on my CDX. Is there any way that the CDX can be set to ignore the red book layer and play the DSD layer?

2

The CDX will only play the CD layer of a dual layer SACD. To play the SACD player you will need an SACD player.

p.s. when you talk about “SACD notification” on the CDX display, I assume you mean the HDCD flag. This just shows that the CD layer is HDCD encoded, and thus is decoded by the PMD100 HDCD filter in the CDX.

3

Thanks Richard. Yes, I did mean the HDCD message.

I assumed being SACD compatible it would use the SACD layer when one was available on a dual layered hybrid disc.

Does the CDX2 work the same way?

4

Yes, exactly the same with the CDX2, although the filter there is the later PMD200. Neither will play the SACD layer - a proper SACD player required.

Note though that the SACD layer is not automatically superior. I recall comparing the Stones dual layer SACDs with the CD layer played on a CD5+FC2 against the same disc played by my SONY SACD player (I can’t now recall the model, but middle of the range with a good rep for sound) and the CD layer via the Naim was preferable to my ears.

5

Thanks again Richard

6

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