Reviews:
http://www.soundstage.com/revequip/esoteric_sa10.htm
"What I heard was a CD player that offered acute retrieval of low-level detail, the ability to sort out massed voices and instruments, better-than-average dynamic prowess, a wide and deep soundstage, and excellent reproduction of vocals." But with SACDs, "that's the format with which [the SA-10] really shines." "Its ease was addictive" and "detail retrieval…was the best I’ve heard in my system."
The SA-10’s reproduction of low-level detail -- the fine points often obscured in the music -- was impressive. With Sonny Rollins’ latest CD, Sonny Please [Emarcy B0008], the percussion instruments in the background were not buried in the mix but were also not thrust out more than would be natural. Instead, everything was just there, placed in the soundstage as it would be had I been present in the studio.
Massed voices, such as those on the Turtle Creek Chorale’s new CD Serenade [Reference Recordings RR-110], were well delineated, and big-band music was sorted out well. Take the new Charles Tolliver CD Big Band With Love [Blue Note 0946 3 69315 2 4]. What I heard was no formless blob of sound, but rather a soundstage cluttered with individual instruments that I could follow easily.
When it came to reproduction of vocals -- always one of the major factors in judging any piece of audio equipment -- the SA-10 did a fine job. From the hip-hop vocals of Speech to the sultry soul/blues of Bettye Lavette through the pop sound of I-Nine, all of which I listened to on the Paste Magazine Sampler #19 [no catalog number], the SA-10 made each sound distinct. These very personal vocal styles and vocal inflections came through loud and clear, despite all the different production values.
All in all, I wouldn't say the SA-10 is one of those CD players that will make you question why anyone would need to listen to another format, but it does a more-than-satisfactory job of reproducing CDs, and it does so with little or no digital-induced fatigue. But CD replay isn’t the major reason for purchasing the SA-10. If you’re considering the SA-10, you likely have a number of SACDs, because that's the format with which it really shines. Its ease was addictive. I listened for as long as I wanted, the time spent reveling in its sound limited only by the clock and my schedule.
So, the SA-10 offers very good CD replay and beyond-reproach SACD playback. Is it $3500 worth for both? Absolutely. I could live with the SA-10 as my single digital source into the foreseeable future. The SA-10 isn't the ultimate in either CD or SACD playback -- it doesn’t offer all that the megabuck players and separates do. Its CD replay in particular doesn’t equal that of some top-flight standalone players, but it's very good nonetheless.
However, the SA-10 certainly lives up to the high sonic standards Esoteric has set for itself -- and if you check the SoundStage! archives, you’ll see that many of us here have been favorably impressed with Esoteric products in the past. The SA-10 is the digital source for audiophiles on a budget, allowing us to jump off the equipment merry-go-round and get on with the enjoyment of our music collections. It's Esoteric and affordable.