Sony 9000 ES SACD output stage cold

Simon: Are you saying that this is so of both playback modes? Thanks.

I'm going to take a flyer here (is that the expression?) and suggest that some audiophiles may not like the sound of SACD. In many ways it is not "spectacular." Compared to redbook CDs, it may strike you as softer and less well defined and you may like it less. Nothing to be ashamed of. I think this is why a mainstream audience is not going to demand it.

As others have said, SACD sounds warmer and smoother. For me, the main thing it has going for it is the way the music flows. Hard for me to find other words than that. This quality is both subtle and profound at the same time.

Excellent observation, Drubin. I might add that the sound of SACD is also more open (not a feeling as if listening in a box), with less high frequency hash and accordingly less apparent energy in that frequency range. Some people may miss that energy on rock and jazz recordings, although, at least for classical music, I find SACD's presentation to be more natural. And while the dynamic range improvement of SACD over CD is substantial, very few recordings out there available on SACD take full advantage of that increased range, certainly no pop recordings I have heard.

Dekey: I implied both modes (changes were done in analog stage). You have to give unit another 200-300 hours to fully "open up".
Rcprince: One of many advantages of SACD over CD, as you said, is greater dynamic range. Sony and others utilize it in full in their classical symphonic music re-issues and new recordings. I don't think POP needs good dynamic range at all but "being there" quality is a must

Simon: I agree with you, but note that some of the Sony reissues are restricted in dynamic range because of the limits of the analog tape used in the recording. Still sound better and more dynamic than their CD counterparts, though.