SACD Transport

The Super Audio Compact Disc was Sony and Philip's follow-up format to the original Compact Disc—itself an innovation that fundamentally changed the world forever. It's hard to get lightning to strike twice, which is why it should have been no surprise at the SACD's tepid success. The problem for Sony and Philips getting their new super format to replace the many millions of CDs already in play turned out to be of their own making. Few but audiophiles cared about getting sound better than the CD. After all, the CD was pitched as perfect sound forever. Now, nearly 40 years after the introduction of the Compact Disc, we chuckle at the absurdity of their marketing claim. Chuckles aside, I think it's helpful to recognize just how big a step better than CDs SACD's can be. A CD is limited to just under a gigabyte of data, while a dual-layer SACD can store about 13 times more data. SACD's greater storage capacity allows a new and better sounding format to capture our music—DSD. And on top of DSD we can have multiple channels as well as a complimentary CD layer ensuring older CD-only players aren't incompatible. PS Audio's latest transport, the PerfectWave SACD Transport, or PST for short, is more than just a better transport capable of playing SACD. The PST ushers in an entirely new way of delivering digital audio data—whether from a CD or SACD—to your DAC. Galvanically isolated audio data—pure and noise-free digital audio data without any physical or electrical connection to the transport's inner workings. Galvanic isolation happens through our AirGap interface isolating the unit's internal power supplies and transport mechanism from your connected DAC. PST owners get the isolated benefits regardless of how they connect its output to their DAC: I2S, Coax, AES/EBU. What's wonderful about this innovation is we don't need SACDs to take advantage of it. Good old "perfect sound forever" CDs sound unlike anything you have ever imagined possible. Yup, just good old CDs shine as never before. If you want to learn more or experience for yourself the benefits of total isolation for CDs or SACDs, head here.