SAE D102 CD-player Review

The D102 is part of SAE’s Computer Direct-Line series of audio components. Its control and signal circuits are electrically and physically isolated from each other, and all control operations are performed through computer circuitry, with front-panel pushbuttons or from the remote control. Power is not completely removed from the D102 when it is not in use. Instead of the usual on/off power switch, it has a standby switch that shuts off its audio circuits while maintaining power to the control and memory circuits.

The D102, which uses a singlespot Philips laser system, has separate 14-bit, quadruple-oversampling digital-to-analog (d/a) converters and digital filters for each channel. Except for a small headphone level knob, all of its controls are center-pivoted rocker switches, usually sharing complementary functions such as pause/play and reverse/forward. There are two sets of audio outputs on the rear apron, one fixed-level and one variable-level. Another pair of jacks, marked STANDBY IN and STANDBY OUT, allows the D102 to be switched on and off from an SAE preamplifier.

With the exception of an elongated volume control, which smoothly increases or decreases the variable line-output level, all of the controls on the D102 have the same size and shape, and they are grouped in two closely spaced six-button arrays. They are all clearly marked as to function, however.

The operating status of the controls is shown by red LED’s next to the control buttons or on the display at the top of the panel. Unlike many CD players, whose display windows sometimes tell the user more than he or she really wants or needs to know, the SAE D102 reduces displayed information to a practical minimum. For example, the normal display shows only the track and index number of the current selection. When a disc is first loaded, the time/track button toggles the display between the total number of tracks and the total playing time.

Most of the other controls are conventional: fast search in either direction with audible sound, track skipping in either direction, pause/ play, stop/standby, and open/close. One side of the prog/review button is used to program the player to play up to twenty tracks in any sequence and to review the stored program sequence on the display. Its other side is used to repeat the entire disc or selected tracks.

The D102 is furnished with a wireless remote control that duplicates all of its programming and disc-play functions except for entering the standby mode and opening or closing the disc drawer. The motorized volume control can also be operated from the remote unit.

The SAE D102 has a heavy-duty 19-inch front panel that is slotted for rack mounting. It also comes with walnut-veneer wood side plates for home installations. The top and front panel are finished in black with clear, legible white markings. The player measures 13 inches deep and 3-1/2 inches high, and it weighs 16-3/4 pounds. Price: $549.

Lab Tests

The output voltage from a 0-dB test signal was 1.97 volts at both sets of outputs, and the channel imbalance was 0.22 dB. The total harmonic distortion was a low 0.0016 percent at 0 dB, increasing to 0.0056 at — 10 dB and 0.026 percent at —20 dB. The latter two readings consisted of at least seven harmonics within the audio range, whereas at 0 dB there was only a single detectable harmonic.

The D102 had excellent measurements for most other performance parameters. The interchannel phase shift was virtually zero, because of the separate d/a converters (we measured about 1 degree of shift at 20.000 Hz). The low-level conversion linearity was very good, with less than a 1.5-dB error at any level down to — 100 dB. Channel separation was very strong at low and middle frequencies (110 dB at 100 Hz) but narrowed to 71 dB at 20,000 Hz. The frequency response had some ripple fluctuations above 2.000 Hz, but its overall variation was a very small +0.1, —0.2 dB from 20 to 20,000 Hz.

The slew time of the laser transport was about average (3.5 seconds) for the actual track change, but the computer control system introduced a lag of a couple of seconds between the operation of a track-skip button and the beginning of the move. The subjective impression was of a rather leisurely response time. This lag did not occur in a normal advance from one track to the next.

The most surprising—and most unexpected—characteristic of the D102 was its sensitivity to physical impact. Even moderate jarring, such as might occur if the player were moved a few inches on a table, frequently caused it to shut down. Fairly light finger tapping on the top of the cabinet usually caused skipping and sometimes a shut-down. Such sensitivity is not unheard of among CD players, but it is somewhat rare in the price class of the D102. No problems should be encountered in any normal use of the player, however. Our tests, after all, are designed to disclose even minor weaknesses in a product, as well as to confirm its specifications.

Comments

The SAE D102 does a first-rate job of playing CD’s, extracting the full potential of each recording. Although unorthodox in some of its features and controls, it operated smoothly and quietly. The control system took some getting used to, but it soon became as natural to operate the D102 as most other CD players.

The remote control worked well, and the ability to adjust the signal level from the CD player is a genuine convenience if your amplifier lacks a remote control. Those users who believe that interchannel phase shift (resulting from the delay of 11.3 microseconds or less between channels when a d/a converter is switched between them) causes undesirable sonic qualities will find this machine quite free of those qualities. Similarly, a person who feels cheated when program signals below — 80 dB are not reproduced at their correct levels can be assured that the D102 delivers them at least as accurately as any we know of.

While I found the unusual computer-control system of the D102 to be an obstacle at first, a few hours of use convinced me that the system makes at least as much sense as any other, and probably more than most. Indeed, my only substantive criticism of the player’s human engineering concerns its inability to display both track and time information simultaneously. Even some of the least expensive CD players can do so, and I find it a great convenience. In every other important respect, the SAE D102 is an excellent machine.

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