Rega Saturn Mk3 CD Player

Although British specialists Rega Research are best known for their turntables they have carved out an enviable reputation for their electronic products as well. Here we have an example of one of their current range of CD Players – the Saturn 3. It is in very good condition, with some light marking on the front panel – please see photographs. It comes supplied in original factory packaging, with remote control, mains cable, and of course it also has our normal three month warranty.
Rega Say….
The new Saturn MK3 is re-housed in our very latest case designed to match the rest of the Rega range. The Saturn MK3 CD-DAC player offers complete flexibility and integration into any audio system. Essentially two products in one, the Saturn MK3 houses an independent DAC circuit and a high specification CD transport. Both sections are fully remote controllable via the supplied Solaris remote handset.
You will find plenty of connectivity options, up to and including 24bit-192 kHz. The Saturn MK3 has two optical inputs, two Co-Axial inputs, a fully asynchronous USB and an added ‘direct’ digital output from the CD playback section. This ensures the Saturn MK3 integrates perfectly into any system and provides the perfect partner for the Rega Elicit MK5 integrated amplifier.
The Saturn MK3 uses our proven digital to analogue converter and analogue output amplifier technology coupled with a pair of Wolfson WM8742 digital to analogue converter ICs. The Saturn MK3 utilises our own CD section power supply which was a result of the research & development of our reference CD player along with the improved microcontroller and display drivers.
The Saturn MK3 uses a high stability master clock and high capacity power supply in the CD circuitry, high performance PLL digital interface receiver, isolated digital inputs and high performance power supply architecture in the DAC circuitry. Signal switching between the CD and DAC functions are performed in the digital to analogue converter stage. The signal path of the CD section in CD mode is kept to a minimum.
The DAC USB input has been improved with asynchronous operation at sample rates of 44.1 to 192 kHz with a bit rate of up to 24 bits. The USB input has the same galvanic isolation as used in the Rega DAC-R. The USB uses dedicated drivers in the computer, enabling full ASIO operation, thus eliminating signal degradation caused by generic windows based drivers.
Specifications:
CD Player
Laser: Semiconductor laser
Wavelength: 790nm
Digital Sampling Frequency: 44.1kHz
Frequency Response: (100kΩ load) = 17Hz -0.02dB to 20.5kHz -0.02dB
Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.005% @ 1kHz (CDA), 0.012% (MP3 320kb/s)
Signal to Noise Ratio: -109dB (A Weighted Relative to the maximum output level)
Digital Outputs: SPDIF Optical TOSlink & SPDIF Isolated 0.5V 75Ω Co-axial
DAC
Frequency Response (100kΩ load): Low data rate 44.1/48kHz Filter 2 = 10Hz -0.05dB to 20kHz -0.1dB; Medium data rate 88.2/96kHz Filter 2 = 10Hz -0.05dB to 30kHz -1dB; High data rate 176.4/192kHz Filter 2 = 10Hz -0.05dB to 41kHz -1dB
Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.006% @ 1kHz (USB input @ 24bit 88.2kHz using ASIO driver) (Note: To achieve best THD levels use ASIO drivers)
Signal to Noise Ratio: -109dB (24bit 96kHz A Weighted Relative to the maximum output level)
Supported Data Rates: 32k (Optical/TOSlink only), 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 192kHz. Bit resolution 16 to 24bit
Digital Inputs: USB: Isolated (24bit 44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192kHz); Input 1: Optical/TOSlink (24bit 32/44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192kHz); Input 2: Optical /TOSlink (24bit 32/44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192kHz); Input 3: Isolated 75Ω Co-axial (24bit 32/44.1/48/88.2/96/176.4/192kHz); Input 4: Isolated 75Ω Co-axial (24bit32/44.1
/48/88.2/96/176.4/192kHz)
Digital outputs (via receiver & PLL): SPDIF Optical TOSlink & SPDIF Isolated 0.5V 75Ω Co-axial
DAC: Parallel Wolfson WM8742
Maximum Analogue Output Level: 2.18V (minimum load impedance 10kΩ)
Power Consumption: 15.5W @ 230V (minimum 190V maximum 253V) @ 50/60Hz; 15.5W @ 115V (minimum 95V maximum 126.5V) @ 50/60Hz
Dimensions: 432 (W) x 320 (D) x 82 (H) mm
Required Space for Operation: 432 (W) x 350 (D) x 170 (H) mm
Weight: 9.7 kg

For a review from Hi-Fi World magazine please click HERE