SACD vs DVD audio vs 24/96..??

I don't know which format will come out on top, maybe neither one will make it. All I can say is that we audiophiles have been waiting for 15 years to have a truly high resolution format and now that it's here I'm going for it. I just ordered the SCD-777ES from J&R Music World. They are selling this machine for $1799. That's like half price! Considering how the thing is built and how it reportedly sounds with conventional CD's I think it is a real bargain.Yes, I'm sure that Sony will soon bring out a machine for $1000 or less but you can be sure that it won't be built like this baby. I agree with the reviewers that SACD is the way to go for purist audiophiles. I will probably get a do all player for my Home Theater system when they come out but I'm sticking to a purist 2 channel aproach for my serious listening. There is some confusion as to compatibility of 6 channel SACD discs. Acording to SONY, there will be a 2 channel mix on all discs, therefore your 2 channel player will not become obsolete (unless the format does). I'll post again after the machine arrives and I have evaluated it.

None will survive... these formats are only for audiophiles, and no one else can afford it. All the record companies wont produce discs for them if no one has players. Everything will go mp3, but thats about it. Why not just get the ebst CD players and not worry about SCD or DVDA etc.. they arent going to get the support. I guess depending on your music tastes it will though, but its what id buy. 10,000,000 CD tracks.. 50 SCD.. go figure

I would be very happy if SACD survived only as a nitch market. Heck, High End audio is a nitch market. The anaylagy to DAT is apropriate. It was never meant to be mass market. I don't expect there to be a SACD or DVDA player in every home unless it's thrown in for free with every $299 DVD player. I'm sure it could happen. You don't have to ask what they would sound like....

I can already see SACD's DVDA discs adding to the same nitch as we have seen for Audiophile labels. People are bitching that the discs are expensive. Yes, they do cost more than CD's, but they are about the same price as Mo-Fi, XRCD's etc that we audiophiles have been happily shelling out for for years. Heck, I have stacks of Direct to disc LP's. And they still sound great! So now we have the oportunity to buy a virtual copy of the master tape instead of overpriced gold plated sixteen bit crap that often sounds only marginaly better than the standard issue. It seems we should all be rejoicing. How many copies of Kind of Blue do you own? I have 4 or 5. I expect the SACD copy to be the final word. Case closed. This is why I hope that the Specialty labels jump on SACD. I think that if enough people have one of the players then the audiophile comunity will demand that all of their issues be in one of the high bit rate formats. It is really tragic that Mo Fi went under. With their connections to the various labels they could have perhaps eventually released their entire catalog on SACD. Perhaps DCC or some other company will pick up the ball. I doubt JVC since they are heavily invested in DVD. If there is the demand someone will fill it unless legal restrictions or cost prohibits it. Telarc, Audioquest, Chesky and others are starting to put out SACD's. NOTE: I'm not interested in replacing my entire CD collection. Frankly, most of it is not well enough recorded to be worth it. But there are great recordings that demand and deserve the highest quality.