HDCD VS SACD

Thanks for those links to save on SACD. Thanks a lot.

K's right though... SACD is a classical lover's sanctuary. DVDA though seems to have tried to gain the younger more pop oriented audience.

the numbers I saw on the Wickopedia site for HD was similar to the numbers for SACD. Around 5000 titles. of which how many were dupes for the SACD format wasn't mentioned.

The immediate future given the Apple business model is excelling and quite succesful now, will definitely be in downloading music over that of buying the orig hard copies. personally, I've no problems with that what so ever.... so long as those files remain cost effective. $2.50 per is stretching it for me. Given the usual 2 or 3 best tracks on any album and the balance seems more filler than fun, any higher tarriff there will simply point me towards the CD instead.

The downside to the HR files is the compilation of them into a playlist that makes snese. I prefer sessions at times vs random cuts being cast about, and then there's the levels to contend with too. I never attunuate volume levels of files for consistency. I just run higher to lower in the so & so playlist. that works best for me.

I guess it all comes down to just what one can or will be able to live with... and I'm quite OK with Red Book generally speaking. A little A/B'ing of HR files to lossless ones will tell me that tale in a better light.

Amazon is not the last word in availability for SACD but they have a lot. The prices are always high for items out of print. I also hardly ever buy from amazon directly. I buy from the resellers that are selling through amazon. I also buy some of mine from yourmusic.com for 6.99. Although their supply is dwindling they have all of the Elton Johns and the Carpenters Greatest Hits is 6.99 as opposed to amazon who has it for 35.00. They also have classical. There's also deepdiscount.com and cduniverse.com.
So most SACDs can be purchased at the same or close to the price of a regular CD. And the CD layer can be copied, ripped put into itunes etc at the same quality as a regular CD. Then you still have the high resolution SACD to play back when you want better quality and or surround. The only problem I see is the lack of titles available.

Good analysis Rwwear.

Rwwear

Agreed.

The lack of titles & artists is for me the whole thing. of course it is nice to find a plumb in all of it.

Same thing goes for the Mo Fi remastered CDs, and XR. I really gotta love it before I'd drop $30 on an album. Maybe the next itteration of Waiting For Columbus, on XR, or SACD.... or some Johnny Nocturne in likewise formats.

www.half.com is another online joint I've been using for years now, a sub of ebay, and all indy sellers.

Buying 'digipak' is another path for savings, if the case type is of little concern. Same disc, lesser packing, and less costly.

If you already own a HDCD enabled CDP or DAC it's worth seeking out HDCD discs. IMO they bring a little something to the party and usually cost little or nothing more than non HDCD versions of the same CD.