more major players jumping on the sacd bandwagon

We talk a lot about how you can play regular CDs on a SACD machine and they sound very good. How about the other way around. If SACD cannot be played on non SACD machines, then the whole world including Joe consumer will need a new CD player. Will they buy one regardless of the number of record companies making the SACD discs? Eventually as old CD players wear out, everyone will have SACD capability, but will it happen in time?

Sony keeps coming with hardware that most people can afford but that is not the only answer - we need more software of music we do not already have the LP, cassette, cd and gold cd of - it will unfortunately be only a high end adventure for those jazz, classical, and blues entusiast - us rockers may not be able to hang in there. I have a player but get tired of listening to the 30 discs I have. Sony needs to give away software with the players - like 10 or so for this to advance.

Sugarbrie, there actually are a good number of new classical SACD releases now coming out from Telarc, Delos, Hyperion, Lyrinx, Bis and Sony Classical, among others, most of which are DSD recordings or 20/24 bit recordings converted to DSD and all of which sound better, to me, than their CD counterparts. The major problem, I think, based on the threads I've seen here and elsewhere, has been no or few new pop recordings being issued in the format, which will be where the money can be made by the record companies. Not sure if this is because there are not that many DSD recording machines or a lack of DSD editing equipment at this time, but that seems to me to be the biggest stumbling block Sony will have to overcome. Sony may be succeeding in getting the public to buy SACD players, but the public also likes to buy pop recordings; hopefully Sony and the new companies joining the SACD bandwagon will address this, as I really like the format and am disappointed in the way DVD-A is being handled.

I am always looking for better sound, but it has to make economic sense for me. I hope it succeeds.

Well in the timeless SACD vs. The World battle there are those who support it, and those who deplore it. It does not matter what you tell these folks they will not budge, they like it or they don't, not much middle ground in the SACD battle very little gray area its either black or white. I am relatively young(not that you guys are old) and am into anything that will improve sound quality, I already have a SACD player and love it, I am a little too young for vinyl and I have a lot of CDs but often felt they sounded...digital. It seems to me that with SACD that is yet another level of resolution reveled and I don't think any audiophile can say they don't like better sound, and with the ease of use as a CD, it can't be beat. Yes if you are affraid of making the comitment then by all means wait, the gray area is a great place to be right now, but I would not rush out and buy a new state-of-the-art CD player. Anyone who will not admit to SACD's superior qualities over CD is simply not an audiophile.