The plight of SACD....


Venturing into a local Audio Supermarket chain the other day...I found the latest advancement in digital audio relegated to a cheesy Kiosk in the very back of the store...complete with a Bose cube set-up...and the new Stones hybrid of "Got Live If you want it" (a dismal live recording regardless of format) blaring to a very disinterested public...no wonder average Joe aint buyin'...

Even with Sony "dumbing down" SACD/dvd players to the sub $500 level...without the software catalog to support it...and with the majority of the public A)satisfied with current redbook sound and B)not possessing even moderate midfi audio sytems to hear the sonic benefits...it appears SACD is going to be the next DAT commerical failure...ditto for DVD-Audio...these new products are not "market driven"...they are being forced on consumers...

The majority are not audiophiles let alone audio enthusiasts...accurate or improved sonics do not play an important role in their lives...redbook became dominant because its main competitor at the time was not the LP but the pre-recorded cassette...a dreadful format made worse by Dolby B...the Compact Disc won out but any digital format at the time would have...it offered convenience,portability,and eventually...compatability...

As someone who has invested a small amount in a SACD player and software...and was one of the first on my block to have a CD player...I have waited almost 20yrs for a digital
format that gives a hi-end analog system a run for its money...that day is both here and gone...I predict that SACD will remain a fringe format...similiar to DAT...in that
it will live on in professional applications...and have a small loyal following that truly appreciates its greatness...heres to hoping Im wrong...
128x128phasecorrect
It's pretty ironic that someone with the moniker "Phasecorrect" is considering returning to vinyl!
I do feel bad for the "early birds" who spent a ton of money on a false promise that this medium was really the answer to their prayers...then again...if you make compulsive purchases...you usually get burned....at any rate...I wouldn't advise spending alot of cash on a SACD...
Twl, the more i read about the compromises and complexities inherent in the digital format, the more i am inclined to believe you about vinyl...
however, i also agree w/ ghostrider and others about if music's the thing, the largest catalog wins.
Most recently news articles have pronounced the death of CD players. Just no market since the mass market can buy a DVD player that also plays CD's and MP3's! Even some cheap Sony's can do SACD. Pioneer,that high-end brand, is making a univeral player. That's the future.
Like many here, I've been in this hobby for close to 30 years. I have owned many fine turntables over the years including Linn, Sota, VPI and am now quite satisfied with a Well Tempered Reference. I pretty much agree with TWL, and at this level vinyl sure has my vote. Much of the music I own on LP has never been released on CD and likely never will. And has anyone here ever heard a decent Beatles CD? I held out for close to ten years after the introduction of CD before buying my first CD player. Until Meridian came out with the their first modified player it all sounded so bad to these ears. But there came a point when there really wasn't any choice if you wanted new music that was only available in a digital format. Thanks to high end audio we now have some really excellent players, DACs and transports. And the quality of digital recordings certainly has improved a great deal since those early ear bleeding days. One thing that has not changed though is the quality of some recordings are much better than others. I have plenty of LPs that I love but have to leave the room to listen to. Same with CDs. In the end it is the music that really matters and that's the only reason I'm in this silly hobby. I find it very interesting that today there are far more high end tables and cartridges than there ever were in the pre CD days. And although it's a bit expensive, there are a lot of new remastered LPs coming out all the time.

One of the really nice things that has come out of all of the digital format wars is it has made it possible for those of us on a budget to own very high end DACs, players and transports. So many people have sold off their DACs and players because they are afraid of missing out on the latest technology or are afraid to be left holding a rapidly depreciating asset. I own a Audio Logic DAC I picked up on Audiogon for only a $1000 that comes close enough to the sound of my turntable with a CEC TL2 belt drive transport to keep me very happy. As good as it may be, I too do not expect SACD to last for all the aforementioned reasons. But there are plenty of redbook CDs, and with musical DACs like my Audio Logic going for pennies on the dollar I don't care. I feel like I have the best of both worlds and that makes me happy.