Rega Saturn-R CD Player

Having had the pleasure of it's big brother (sister?) Isis last week I now coincidentally have the loan of a Saturn-R. My Naim CDS unfortunately packed in last week (laser I think) so I took it to my local dealer to get looked at and tried a few things out when I was there and came home with this Saturn-R loaner.

Have to say, I'm impressed. It's one of the few CD players I've heard that I could possibly live with. It's very coherent top to bottom with good dynamics and tonality. It's basically a whipping cream presentation compared to the double cream of the Isis which I'm preferring in my system. I find the image sizes more realistic than the jumbo pictures the Isis would throw up which actually made the sound stage feel compressed. It doesn't have that endless drive either of the big player and delivers music in a similarly natural fashion to the Naim. Image definition and placement is superb. Bass is also a standout, weighty, well timed and punchy.

I really like it, it *just* misses out on that last two percent of reality, that magic dust that only really good TDA1541 DAC players seem to be able to deliver to take you *there*. Bass weight and macro dynamics are better though. If the old girl is beyond recovery this might be a keeper, we'll see. Great player, real music maker. Bargain at this money I feel. Very well built too. You can't beat a top loader either, no drawer mech to go wrong and you feel part of the thing when you close the lid...I know :mental:

I know this is an old post, but I'd like to add a few things about my experience.

I've owned a Saturn-R since about 2020. It does indeed impress in it's overall presentation in the sound quality department, but apart from that, in my experience it's been an unreliable player to live with.

It doesn't play CDRs, skips either when cold or mid-way through perfectly good CDs and has lost the CD text display that older Rega players like the Jupiter had. It sometimes refuses to read perfectly good CDs at random too. In terms of the DAC functionality, it serves nothing in the way of phone connectivity and worse still, only has a USB-B socket for connection with a laptop etc.

I can't help being left with the lingering feeling of getting less of an overall CD player for more money, when compared to the impressive overall ability of my old Marantz CD-6005. I sold the CD-6005 to a good friend when I bought the Rega, and every time he puts a CD on at his house I can't help but feel slightly envious! The two are nowhere near the same price range, but Marantz certainly delivers competently in all departments when compared to the Rega's strength in only one.

I'm seriously considering trading the Saturn-R in for some change towards either a Marantz SACD 30n, SA-12SE or similar.... after some thorough (preferably home-based) auditioning of course.