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Any hope for SACD?

Is there any hope at all for transferring more music, especially classic popular music, to SACD?

I mean, so many audio companies are investing so much in R+D for the hardware, but, to me clearly, there is huge bang for the buck in having an SACD version of the recording.
For example, the recent Carole King Music SACD is incredible, with a totally natural image density and rock-solid soundstaging (qualities I hear in most SACDs of long-familiar albums). Is there no economic justification for this? You get so much for so little. I wish the audio companies would band together to fund this. It sure would make equipment demos sound better.

My little system at home with SACD trounced the quality of even the megabuck systems at the NY show a few weeks ago, including all the vinyl demos to my ears. (My EMM XDS1 helps, but my Sony 5400 on SACD is also quite fine.)

It just seems like such an incredible waste that SACD is dead or dying and nobody in the audiophile or larger music community is talking about this. Does everything have to suffer at the invisible hand of the profit motive? This is an artistic pursuit fundamentally, and you might as well always show all the paintings in the world behind blurry glass. It's a crime that, say, the Beatles aren't available in SACD or any HiRez format.
rgs92
edorr
714 posts
 
This issue is not SACD /DSD per se. Blu Ray audio can carry encoded high rez multi channel LPCM audio that is sonically at par with SACD. Unfortunately, there appears to be little appetite for actually releasing much music only content on Blu Ray. The future is downloadable high rez, which will be 2 channel. The writing on the wall is labels like chesky releasing all their MCH high rez content as downloadable 96/24, as opposed to Blu Ray.

Only live concerts and classical will be released in MCH, mostly on BR video discs.
mechans
3,048 posts
 
Of this you must be sure, he was dead as as a doornail.
vicdamone
850 posts
 
What are some options used to process downloadable MCH high-rez?
doggiehowser
672 posts
 
I think some AVRs do playback multichannel FLAC. I recall reading that some of the higher end Denons do.

Some media streamer players like Popcorn Hour also playback multichannel FLAC.

Oppo too

http://wiki.oppodigital.com/index.php?title=BDP-93_Media_Files_FAQ#Does_FLAC_support_mean_high-res_24-bit_FLAC_too.3F

Does FLAC support mean high-res 24-bit FLAC too?

Yes. 24-bit/192Khz (stereo) and 24-bit/192Khz (multi-channel).
don_c55
1,025 posts
 
Search SACD on amazon and you will find 4,000+ SACDs. Some regular CDs show up mixed in. 90% classical, 9% jazz, 1% popular and rock.

Also look at Acoustic Sounds for many SACDs.

SACDs are all "limited" editions so do not hesitate to buy or the title will vanish forever!

Customers have to support what may be the "last" physical Hi Rez format, for it to survive.

SACD is not DEAD!
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