Hybrid SACD are they compatible w/non SACD playe

All cd players should be able to play the CD layer of a hybrid. I know that there are some who claim that putting two layers on the disc compromizes the performance of both layers. I have no idea about that. I own quite a few hybrids (mostly classical) and only play the CD layer. They sound quite good to me (I assume anyone who goes through the trouble of issuing a SACD has probably done a good job of recording and mastering regardless of the format).

There is a Japanese SACD manufacturer that issues very high priced discs made of some material other than conventional polycarbonate that insists that single layer is superior to hybrid. I heard a few and the discs do sound good. However, they do not issue a CD or hybrid equivalent, so there is no way to make comparisons.

Hybrid SACD's do have a CD layer that is playable on a normal CD player. I would borrow a hybrid SACD from your local library to determine if your CD player can pick up this format. The quality of the music on the CD layer is based on the quality of the recording. I've read some reviews of hybrid SACD's where the reviewers have concluded that recordings placed on the SACD and CD layers are different. So be careful!

A recent article published in an audio society journal, based on a double blind tests, determined that the key to high fidelity sound is in the quality of the mastering and recording of the music (not in the word length or sampling frequency). So the key is finding a well mastered recording. Many of the recordings which end up on SACD's are indeed better than their CD counterparts. However , this is not due to the SACD technology.

Thank you all for your input and education for me on this question. I have been seeing Hybrids from Audio Fidelity and some of the titles are attractive to me and have been wondering about the ability to play them. Thanks to all of your respective input it puts my mind to rest that I would be able to do if I choose. Thank you all very much for your help.