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SACD - Dying already?

I just read the industry blurb in this month's TAS which described how it seems the stream of SACDs from Sony has pretty much dried up. I was in the largest local independent record store in my area last week and actually bought a SACD because it was music not available on CD. The SACD/DVD-A section was a bit smaller than a year ago and I asked the manager about it. He laughed and said they only sell 2-3 a month combined and he doesn't order many anymore.

Except for audiophiles, is anyone buying these things? Or, are all hopes and dreams of SACD slowly fading away (for at least Sony)?
tomryan
nickatkins
82 posts
 
It's quite likely SACD (or to a lesser extent DVD-A) will never find its niche with audiophiles because we all prefer vinyl, given the choice. However, SACD is definitely going in the right direction because:

(a) it's less of a compromise than CD sound,
(b) music recorded on DSD today (it could well be the medium of choice for the majority of studios) transfers naturally to the SACD format which means less to go wrong from instrument to disc and
(c) SACD shares a lot of what makes CD so popular: convenient size and durability.

Technically SACD has a lot going for it but its financial sense is less clear and it may well die from underinvestment.
andy2
1,555 posts
 
Robm321: You ought to send a resume to Jay Leno.
tomryan OP
796 posts
 
On that price thing...yep, I just saw a bunch of SACDs in Dearborn Music for $24.99. Again asked manager (who is a friend of mine) if they are selling any better, he said absolutely not. Said the "high res" discs have been moved three times throughout the store, each time to a less traveled and more out of the way place since they simply do not sell. He keeps them because Dearborn is and has always been an excellently stocked store but, at this point, they are simply "space takers".
rex
245 posts
 
I'm not surprised that your friend's store isn't moving SACDs. Why would anyone pay $24.99 for a disc that they can get at Best Buy or amazon.com for $14.99?
tomryan OP
796 posts
 
I checked Amazon for the make of SACDs and they charge $22.95. Also checked another brand which Dearborn sold for $22.95, Amazon had for $20.95. I have no idea what Best Buy sells 'em for or if they even carry 'em. Don't shop there much as it's one damn ugly place.
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