[bangraman]

When it's good, it's good. I mainly concentrate on Classical and Jazz for SACD because those are the most available titles, but what I'm saying is that there are more time I feel ripped off than not... especially when the CD layers of some SACD discs seem a bit worse than necessary, if you know what I mean. Or maybe it was a bad master which was effectively enhanced by the SACDing process... I don't know. At the moment I'd say the 'wow' : 'oh no, ripped off' ratio is probably 1:3 but the 'wow's are wowing me enough to stick with SACD. But really, it should be a 1:0 ratio.

 

[Flea Bag]

I'll just contribute what little I have to say regarding SACD.

It's still slightly expensive at the moment but by far my largest concerns are:

1. I can't create back-ups from them like I can with my redbook CDs to prevent the originals from getting scratched.

2. There's no provision for digital output other than through IEEE1394/firewire/i.Link. which means I can't use an outboard DAC unless I purchase something like the dCs elgar or a Teac D-70 which cost at least $5k. Also, I would love to see a CD changer with IEEE1394 outputs, don't know of any in existance at the moment.

Finally, just a question but does anyone have experiences regarding how good an SACD sounds (coming out of a $1k SACD player) compared to a redbook connected to a good DAC like perhaps a Musical Fidelity Tri-vista 21 or an X-DAC?

 

[Ferbose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by elrod-tom I think one of the big differences in the media are the wideness (if that's the word) of dynamic range. I think this is one of the reasons why SACD are proving to be so popular for classical music. Think about any CD recording that you've ever heard of Beethoven's Pastorale. The quieter movements are louder than is natural, and the louder always seem (at least to me) to be hitting the ceiling. Now, listen to that same piece on SACD, and you'll find the experience very different indeed. If nothing else, the music seems to find a much more lifelike presentation. BTW - I can't take full credit for the example shown above. My Mother-in-Law is a classically trained pianist with an MA in Music Theory from a European university. She noticed the difference immediately when I played the SACD for her, and finds SACD to be much more like she always remembered hearing it, both live and from analog sources like reel-to-reel and (gasp!!) old vinyl recordings (though she did mention that the pops and crackles made it unlistenable in some cases...SIGH!!).

I agree that SACD seems to make the most difference for classical recording, especially violin. I feel it is a matter of higher frequency bandwidth than a dynamic range issue, but I could be wrong. SACD seems to create a kind of airiness that is different from hi-rez PCM. But I have too few hi-rez PCM recordings to really judge on this. SACD has quite a few sonic advantages to CD, but I feel the most significant difference is in acousitc instruments with hi frequency harmonics (violin, piano, cymbals, etc.). I think the observation of your mother-in-law is very valid.

 

[Welly Wu]

SA-CD and DVD-Audio look to be going the route of HDCD and JVC XRCD. They are still available and enjoyed by audiophiles. Small audiophile record labels and retailers will continue to stock them.

SONY Blu-Ray and HD-DVD have provisions for high resolution audio such as DTS-ES, 192kHz/24bit, etc. but I think both Hollywood and record executives have learned that convenience increases the cash flow while quality is ignored by the general public. They only support those high resolution audio formats on paper and in theory, but don't be lead into believing that either of these formats are anything other than pure high resolution video formats.

 

[soundboy]

Still not quite "dead"....

Dire Straits releases 20th anniversary edition of "Brothers In Arms" on 5.1 SACD

Genesis starts work on "Nursery Cryme" 5.1 SACD

and an article in the NY Times in which the new president of Sony BMG Masterworks hints of Sony releasing SACDs of its Masterworks Heritage series in the same fashion as BMG's Living Stereo series.

 

[acs236]

I'd be super excited about Nursery Chryme, but what about Lamb and Trick? They were supposed to come out first.

Quote:

Originally Posted by soundboy Still not quite "dead".... Dire Straits releases 20th anniversary edition of "Brothers In Arms" on 5.1 SACD Genesis starts work on "Nursery Cryme" 5.1 SACD and an article in the NY Times in which the new president of Sony BMG Masterworks hints of Sony releasing SACDs of its Masterworks Heritage series in the same fashion as BMG's Living Stereo series.

 

[soundboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by acs236 I'd be super excited about Nursery Chryme, but what about Lamb and Trick? They were supposed to come out first.

According to Genesis' website, the high-rez "Lamb" has been postponed til later this year. In fact, everything Genesis in the US has been postponed until later this year. Genesis' high-rez engineer Nick Davis mentioned a possible September release date for the high-rez "Lamb".

 

[robert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soundboy Still not quite "dead".... Dire Straits releases 20th anniversary edition of "Brothers In Arms" on 5.1 SACD Genesis starts work on "Nursery Cryme" 5.1 SACD and an article in the NY Times in which the new president of Sony BMG Masterworks hints of Sony releasing SACDs of its Masterworks Heritage series in the same fashion as BMG's Living Stereo series.

well, may be a post-mortem twitch: are not both 16 bit digital recordings? thus just another scam? you can't get more bits out than you put in; may be less.

 

[soundboy]

Here's the story on the upcoming SACD of "Brothers In Arms"....

http://www.highfidelityreview.com/ne...umber=15140897

"Nursery Cryme" should be an analog recording.

 

[TimSchirmer]

...suckers

 

[robert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimSchirmer ...suckers

well, may haps. and will this new version include *all* of the "money for nothing" lyrics???

enquiring minds want to know.

my bet: CENSORED!!!

 

[soundboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robert well, may haps. and will this new version include *all* of the "money for nothing" lyrics??? enquiring minds want to know. my bet: CENSORED!!!

All of the lyrics to "Money For Nothing"?

 

[cris.rodrigo]

SACD is a high quality format for music. High quality formats are not dying, just reinventing themselves. We shall see what the next big thing is...