SACD - Dying already?

I read an article in a popular magazine recently that stated how MP3 has changed music for the better the way that CD's changed it 20 years ago. I believe it was in Runner's World, and the article was about a different topic - but I have seen similar comments in other places. The average consumer wants convenience and my best guess is that digital satellite radio, MP3's, iPods, and the like are the mass-market future. Flattening/compression of a soundstage is not a trait that is detectable in a car or on inexpensive home audio systems/boomboxes. I am interested in sacd, but ...

Good post...Mp3 puts new music out to large audience.Seed enough ground and you get a crop of future music lovers. A cross section of them will most likely pursue hearing beloved tunes in higher resolution formats.I started w/45's then later had Turntable and reciever and casette both auto and home.It has always been the music I loved that drove me,not the format.If Ipods,satellite,ect or hot,then it bodes well for all.Thanks for that touchstone.

Yep records have large multi-decade history,and remain a presence with multiple levels to market to still. HiRez is still fruit on the vine,with very little bottled. Word has it that a summer campaign for HiRez is about to be launched.Many familier talking heads in the media are supposed to tout it in soundbites and short puff peices.
Like Gabbro said,mass consumer wants convenience first.
Il cuore desidera che cosa il cuore desidera.

>> The average consumer wants convenience and my best guess is that digital satellite radio, MP3's, iPods, and the like are the mass-market future.

Apple's iTunes uses AAC audio, which blows away MP3s. I've compared identical tunes from original CDs and a CD-R burned from an AAC file -- it's VERY hard to hear any difference. Also, playing digital music from a hard drive eliminates jitter.

Uh oh, Radknee...the SACD crowd will put a contract on you.

By the way, I was at a graduation party two weeks ago and the DJ was using an MP3 file to play music. Apart from the inability to mix songs, everything she played sounded harsh with no bass to speak of. Lots of people (none audiophiles) were complaining about it. I've not got much experince with MP3s but if this is how they sound, God help us.

>> Uh oh, Radknee...the SACD crowd will put a contract on you
I support SACD, own an SACD player, and buy SACDs :-)

>>everything she played sounded harsh with no bass to speak of
Like I said, Apple's AAC files are almost indistinguishable from CD -- unlike MP3s.

Then again, if these MP3s were downloaded illegally via file sharing, got knows the quality that went into the original encoding.

BTW, Wilson audio did a test at CES (you can read this in TAS) where they setup 2 systems -- one with their speakers, and one with another manufacturer's speakers. The system with the other manufacturer's speakers was using state-of-the-art digital gear and amplification. Everyone listening to the 2 systems thought the Wilson system superior -- surprise, the digital front end for the Wilson system was an Apple iPod ;-)