SACD - Dying already?

Both AAC and MP3 can sound very good or very bad depending on the bit rate. You can't just say one is better than the other. In my experience, ripping a CD to 320kbs MP3 VBR sounded indistinguishable from a CD. At 128kbs, both formats sounded harsh.

SACD and DVD-A are both dying in my opinion. They are both transition formats that over the next several years will be replaced by the next hi-res format, whatever that may be. I can't see either becoming a niche market because, unlike vinyl, digital music is going to continue to evolve and improve well into the future, making existing formats obsolete.

DVD-A and SACD don't fit in anywhere. For audiophiles, they don't sound as good as vinyl, for normal people (non audiophiles);) they don't have enough selection and most people don't care if it is a little better than normal CD (like audiophiles do) and as Uncle John pointed out downloadable digital music is going to dominate the future because of ease and continued sound improvement.

You want proof. What year did DVD-A and SACD come out? (several years ago) Look on your local music retailer's shelves and see how big that section is. Usually a four foot by four foot section in a warehouse sized store full of CDs -- Insignificant. Do you really think they will dominate in 5 or ten years from now? If so, that's what they were saying 5 years ago. At this rate, they might have an isles worth of SACD DVD-A by the year 2020. But by then something else new and better will come out. You do the math.

Records have been around for over 100 years and are still being used by audiophiles. The sound quality of Vinyl has yet to be matched.

So, I'll ask again where does SACD or DVD-A fit in?

It's fun to talk about them, isn't it?

For me, hi-rez format never lived. I never bought into it because none of my fave bands are available on them. This is coming from someone who definitely think redbook software is the weakest link in my system. Redbook technology itself is not that bad. I can still be totally enthralled by a well recorded redbook software and especially if its on HDCD.

I've always thought of myself as more of a gear lover than a music lover. This discussion made me realize I am more of a music lover relative to a gear lover. If I was a gear lover, I would have jumped on the hi rez format despite it not having any content in my opinion. But then I realize that I actually welcome the challenge in trying to build a redbook friendly system. So, maybe I am more of a gear head after all.