[markl]

I'm a subscriber and I was surprised to see a full page ad for a Sony SACDP in the new issue. The focus of the ad was SACD technology ("It's audio technology that will awaken your ears to new textures, layers, and sounds") as embodied by the new Rolling Stones re-masters. Well, they're officially taking SACD to the masses if nothing else.

Mark

 

[andrzejpw]

Hmm, just saw the ad. Its great that SACD is really getting exposure, but will people care?

 

[markl]

Sony seems to think so. Again, a major corporation like Sony isn't throwing money away on SACD... There hasn't been some internal coup of audiophiles that have taken over a rogue business unit of Sony to see to it that SACD succeeds. They're deadly serious about this new format, and they clearly believe in it-- to the degree that they're finally ready to position it to the general audience and not just audiophiles.

About time. This is a very re-assuring ad.

Mark

 

[kelly]

Sony has often had more success on a re-launch of a product.... but I'd have expected to see more software with this one. They can't pull it off on Rolling Stones alone and the buying season is from last week of November to mid February. Maybe they're just hoping to snare people planning to buy a DVD player for a Christmas present anyway but if there are new software announcements on the way, I wish they'd get on with it.

(Wonder why Time Magazine... as opposed to say: Stereophile, Entertainment Weekly or Rolling Stone.)

 

[jude]

I stopped by Barnes & Noble today on my way home to pick up a CD I ordered, and the salesperson mentioned the new Rolling Stones remasters. I told him I bought some of those, and that the SACD layers are even more impressive. He seemed surprised that I knew what SACD is, and even more surprised that I own a couple of SACD players. He said he's thinking of buying an SACD player, and said he wished B&N carried more SACD's. I'm not used to running into people who know what SACD is. Who knows....

 

[carlo]

Quote:

(Wonder why Time Magazine... as opposed to say: Stereophile, Entertainment Weekly or Rolling Stone.) -the racoon

Rolling Stone still covers music issues?

 

[chadbang]

From a Sony Press statement:

"Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of over $58.5 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001, and it employs 181,800 people worldwide. Sony Corporation of America recorded over $17.4 billion in sales in the U.S. for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001.

58 billion... nice that they could cough up for one ad in Time to push their new format.

 

[FCJ]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly (Wonder why Time Magazine... as opposed to say: Stereophile, Entertainment Weekly or Rolling Stone.)

Much larger audience. They need to get SACD players into people's hands, so they are going after the largest audience possible. I just wonder what the "conversion rate" is from the add (number of people who see the ad and buy the player divided by the number of people who see the ad)?

 

[FCJ]

Quote:

Originally posted by chadbang From a Sony Press statement: "Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of over $58.5 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001, and it employs 181,800 people worldwide. Sony Corporation of America recorded over $17.4 billion in sales in the U.S. for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001. 58 billion... nice that they could cough up for one ad in Time to push their new format.

Maybe Sony should give each of its employees an SACD player, all 181,800 of 'em. Just think, the number of HHs with an SACD player would increase by a factor of, what, 10-20?

 

[mikeg]

I just picked up five Sony SACDs at $15.29 each, during a special sale at Best Buy. As it turned out, a composition on one of the SACDs duplicated what I already had on a regular CD in my collection, and this gave me a chance to compare the two formats. WOW, what an amazing improvement SACD is over regular CD. The composition that I compared is Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G Minor. The CD that I compared to the
Sony SACD is a digital recording by EMI, with Sir Neville Marriner conducting (CDC 7 49073 2). The SACD sound has an amazingly broad, spacious, and open sound stage. Sounds of all solo instruments are clear, and extremely well focused. As a listener I feel exactly as if I'm sitting in a large concert hall, enjoying the sound of a wonderful orchestra, as modified and influenced by hall acoustics. By comparison to SACD, the regular CD sounds cold and artificial. It lacks the openness and spaciousness of sound stage of the SACD, and sounds like the sterile product of a sound studio. I guess this is what I've heard audiophiles refer to as the cold sound of CDs versus the warmer sound of LPs. It's a real surprise to me, since I've previously not done this sort of comparison. As for the equipment that I use, it's as follows: AKG K1000 headphone; Maratz SA8260 SACD; ASL AQ-1005DT power amp.; ASL Passive TIDT preamp.; and high quality interconnect cables.

 

[chadbang]

Well, that's tantalizing Mikeg. I personally hope SACD flies, I love new toys and if the sound is that much better count me in. I think I'm gonna give it another year or two. however. I at least need to have the catalogues of twenty or more of my favourite artists on SACD to make it worthwhile. I think that's a fair request.

 

[markl]

Quote:

(Wonder why Time Magazine... as opposed to say: Stereophile, Entertainment Weekly or Rolling Stone.)

Well, as for Stereophile and all the other audio mags I'm aware of, many times over they've paid for multi-page ads that explain the technology, I've seen them. These are pull-out brochures on high-quality paper! Can't get much more bold than that.

mikeg,
Good for you! Thanks for the feedback.

Mark

 

[Calanctus]

My neighbourhood has just started carrying SACDs. It was DVD-A only a few weeks ago--about 100 titles. Now they have about 10-15 SACDs. Every week a few more show up. Maybe there is some momentum building.

That said, I don't understand Sony's strategy (lack of one?) for launching SACD. They really seem to have given it minimal support on the software side.

 

[TimSchirmer]

Sony is more evil than the RIAA.

Regardless...

Even though i am a Vinyl Facist, I hope the format succeeds. I just hope they remaster EVERYTHING, and not just the big-name jazz/classical stuff.

I really would like to see more "underground" type music on SACD. It's hard enough to find what I like on vinyl. Impossible to find on CD, and when i do find stuff on vinyl it is always used, and never in good condition.

 

[DanG]

Quote:

Originally posted by markl Again, a major corporation like Sony isn't throwing money away on SACD...

Hm, just like they didn't throw away money on Betamax and Minidisc, huh. This is also the same "major corporation" that sells four different methods of portable recorded digital music listening -- MD, CD, CDR(with MP3), and MP3. Sometimes I wonder if Sony is run any better than GM.

Don't get too excited just because Sony USA is engaging in another marketing campaign. They've made many stupid mistakes before, and they'll continue to make stupid mistakes.