SACD & other Formats

Never owned a SACD player, I currently use a Cambridge Audio Stream Magic 6 V2 which gives me 100% flexibility to try computer audio, downloads, streaming, movies, etc. Sounds great, never offensive. My past experience with digital was the higher you climbed the more trade offs you faced. Some CDPs produced pleasing sound but musically sucked, none could deliver the drive and impact of Led Zep and the sultry voice of Diana Krall. I gave up digital then because I realized it limited what was musically engaging. A good vinyl system doesn't do that, that is why I primarily listen to vinyl.

My last big CDP was a Naim CDS2 and my current amp is a Rega Osiris, so the Isis CDP seems to stick out as a logical choice if I wanted a good red book player. I am familiar with the Modwright product and suspect a modded Oppo would probably sound nice.

At this point I am more interested in the quality of the mastering, how broad the selection is to determine is it worth going back? Guess I should try a few Hybrid discs because the mastering should still come through on what I currently use.

"03-05-15: Ptss
Musichead, heed ZD. SACD was/(is) just a blip on the radar.
It will imminently be out of date as hi-des downloads are going to provide stunning audio quality -- it's happening now."

That's certainly a true statement. Downloads may end up saving high end audio altogether. To produce physical albums in different formats is a big expense. Not to mention risk. To offer music as downloads in multiple resolutions, really won't cost anything extra. The only real downside is illegal file sharing.

Does anyone know why digital downloads cost $18 to $30 for a single album with no bonus tracks or contemporaneous concerts, no deluxe booklet with new interviews and essays?

I think the cost to get a download to the consumer is minimal and I know that the price will not come down as volume grows. Most people are used to getting their music for free these days and one of the reasons SACD failed was that people thought they cost too much. So what are the record people thinking?

"So what are the record people thinking?"

They don't think.

What kind of downloads are you talking about, high rez or something else? That does seem very high.

SACD hasn't failed. As a matter of fact, with the right rig, SACD is awesome. From a guy that started with records in the late sixty's until the ninety's, and migrated to CDs because of convenience, SACDs are the perfect format for great sounding tunes and still fulfill the habit of loading and changing physical media. Old habits die hard, and as the vinyl crowd was rewarded with a total resurgence of high quality new pressings with all the ancillaries, liner notes, pictures, a physical, storable, collectible form of music which still appeals to us old timers, SACD provides all that in a digital, compact form. And now that is "dying", you can buy disc's at ever lowering prices.
What's better than that?