DVD/SACD on the Verge?


I've been looking to upgrade my cd player for some time now and suddenly there are several top rated models becomming available like the Audio Aero Capitole, Cary 306/200, Meridian, Wadia and Electrocompaniet. Does this mean that the transition from redbook players is finally about to begin? One dealer advised me to wait until May when a lot of new players will be introduced.
tonyp54
Another important factor is to get interesting titles that are not copies of PCM recordings.In my experience I have found just the opposite, that audiophile redbook will and usualy does sound better and good CPs than the SACD counterparts that have been transfered from PCM.On the other hand,a true DSD recording is without question superior.
I fully agree with the many good points mentioned about
the lack of SACD & DVD-A software. I think it should also
be mentioned, that many of the SACD discs I see for sale
are priced upwards of $20.00. And many are priced in some
of the catalogs at $25.00 & $30.00.
I love my music as much as anyone - but I'm not about
to rush out and replace my 400+ CDs with SACDs at $20.00
or more a pop.
As the owner of a commercial media duplication company,
I would also like to point out that the actual manufacturing
costs to produce a CD are well below $1.00. And SACDs are
not a great deal more expensive to manufacture.
Not too many years from now business majors will study SACD & DVD audio to learn how to not market a new product.Obviously those who are behind both formats have not studied history & are doomed to repeat it.
Tony, What many people non't realize is that a good SACD player will greatly improve the sound of your regular CDs. There are now between 300 to 400 SACD disks released so far. Some good and soom not. As you wait for more SACD releases, just sit back and listen to the improvement in sound in your old CDs. To get more information on this, please read Kalman Rubinson's review of the Sony SCD-XA777ES SACD/CD player in the January, 2002 issue of "Stereophile" magazine.
I guess all you doubters have pretty short memories and don't remember when CD was the new format. I recall visiting my local music retailer every week, wad of cash in sweaty hands, ready to pounce on ANY new arrival of decent CD's. At first, all the CD's were kept in something just larger than a SHOEBOX on the front counter. People would stop and regard them with curiosity, then move on to the cassette tape and vinyl section of the store. I would implore the always sympathetic owner to find more CD's for me to buy. It took a couple years to get a reasonable library of favorite recordings, and nearly a decade to get most of the stuff I owned on vinyl. SACD is not as revolutionarty a format change as CD was from vinyl--it is more of a refinement than a totally new medium. However, it is better--there is no arguement against that. I don't care how super your CD player is--SACD is better. Almost every recording in every style of music simply sounds better. Sony will eventually clear the considerable bottlenecks of SACD production (imagine the amount of equipment needed to remaster and reproduce discs all over the world), the software will flow, prices will drop, players will be sold, and you cynics will need to find something else about which to gripe!