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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
phasecorrect's avatar
phasecorrect OP
2,013 posts
 
To be perfectly honest...I have never been thrilled about analog or current redbood playback ...they both have drawbacks...not surprisingly...the majority of the analog community has dismissed SACD as another "smoke and mirrors" digital marketing campaign...and surprisingly....resistance to SACD has come from the elite digital hi-end that has invested a tidy sum in DACs,transports,and software...and scorns any kind of universal hi-rez machine...they have called SACD a "marginal" improvement at best...but aren't all upgrades,to a cetain extent, marginal? an improvement is an improvement in my book...the difference between a $500 intergrated vs. a $1500 unit is marginal...audible but marginal...the difference between a $500 Cd player and a $1500 rig is marginal...again...audible...but marginal...
the law of diminishing returns is very prevelent in audio gear...regardless of the format outcome...I will add a decent TT to my system...and hopefully...an expanded SACD collection...
kana813
956 posts
 
Jade6- I'm looking at HP's New Super CD List on page 117 of issue 138(139 hasn't reached HI, if 139 says otherwise, I stand corrected) and there's no SACDs.

Four DADs are are listed under "Special Merit."

There's a difference between TAS & HP's recommendations.

I'm not crying "the sky is falling." I pointed out the Chesky sale, because you can buy a number of their titles in all three formats and compare.

I own equipment and music in all formats. I listen with an open mind, not my wallet.

SACD is different not better. The market place will determine if it's progress.

You've got a great system, suggest you try a DVD-A player/DAC of equal value/quality to your Sony and let us know how they compare.

Aloha.
brianmgrarcom
1,317 posts
 
Trey, thanks for the follow up.
twl
3,251 posts
 
Leaving vinyl out of it for the moment, I have had SACD and CD players, and felt that SACD was significantly better(comparing equally priced components). If I was just starting out, and assembling a collection of digital software, I'd rather use SACD, if I could get the titles I wanted, which wasn't the case. I think that the low selection of titles is hurting SACD more than anything else. The sonic improvements are there, even if some consider it small. And I agree with Phasecorrect, that the majority of opposition to hi-rez formats is coming from the CD contingent, for whatever reason. I really did not expect that. I expected the CD folks to jump in with both feet. I mean there is no obsolescence, you can still play the CDs on those machines. The smaller makers will not get into it, if they see all the digital folks "digging their heels in" in opposition to them.
tonyp54
130 posts
 
Does anyone doubt that the masses will prefer to listen to their favorite music while watching video of the band performing at the same time? This is why dvd-a will prevail in the long run. Audiophiles never have and never will drive the market. SACD just doesn't offer the quantum leap that cd offered over vinyl to be successful in the marketplace. I remember when cd was introduced, the average person experienced a huge jump in sound quality and convenience from the integrated tt, radio, cassette players that accounted for 95% of the equipment in use. As far as sacd finding a niche market, why would even an audiophile forgo the video option dvd-a offers if the sound of the two mediums is essentially equal? The future is about integration of home theater, audio and computers/internet access. SACD doesn't have a place in that vision.
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