Any updates on firewire and SACD?

This is sort of an apples and oranges question. The two standards have nothing to do with each other.

If you are really asking when will there be a pure hi data rate digital output from SACD equipment that's not a technical question. Its a legal copy right question. You see the manufacturers and record companies are shacking in their boots about your ability to copy a 24/96 quality digital image. A firewire connection would imply you could do that.

SO the answer is probably never.

turnaround: according to dcs, the IEEE1394 (firewire) interface has already been adopted as the standard for copy-protected digital transmission of sacd signals. dcs uses the IEEE1394 on its new verdi sacd/cd transport. if and when sacd becomes a viable and desirable format, boulder dacs may be refitted with IEEE1394 inputs. i wouldn't be surprised if other highend dacs are also being built with firewire connections already installed or with such an upgradeable feature in mind. -cfb

the dcs info may be found at: http://www.dcsltd.co.uk/verdi.htm

Firewire is a universal interface, much like USB is. As a generic interface, it's up to the user to define what data flows through and whether the data is encrypted or not. So to answer your question, um, not sure what the question is to be honest...

jeff: the reason the question is important lies in the stndardization of connections/ports for sacd data transmission. if one company , for example, chose to make a transport that used a proprietary connection (as accuphase has done), then that transport could not be used with other companies' dacs unless adapters were available for those dacs. having a more-or-less standardized interface allows consumers to mix and match different companies' components. the copy protection of the data streams "allowed" to be carried via firewire is, indeed, a separate issue. -cfb

I believe that dCS is shipping a firewire based transport called the Verdi. I am not sure who does/owns the encryption algorithm. I think Sony sets how the signal is encrypted and it's up to the record label to enable it on the disk. I think Stereophile came across a SACD disk that put out 24/96 on the digital out - if I remember correctly.