Blu Ray player versus CD/SACD player.

Curious, so many here seem to act like SACD is still a "thing". Is it?
Where are you buying these, and what kind of releases? Jazz, pop, classical?

Who is still releasing music in this format, and if it is so limited, is it really worth it when you can get DSD downloads (often in higher bit-rates)?

Online blurbs say, "Although SACDs are still being produced in limited quantities for a niche rock/pop market, the glory days of the format (approximately the years 2000 – 2005) are gone."

And, "Many SACD discs that were released from 2000-2005 are now out of print and available only on the used market. By 2009, the major record companies were no longer regularly releasing discs in the format, with new releases confined to the smaller labels".

Instead of finding new music on one of the streaming services to like and perhaps buy to support the artists in any format, vinyl or CD, do you actively seek out only SACD releases and then hope that you’ll like the music?

Just curious...2009 was well, a long time ago...

I could see it if someone was heavily invested in and had a large library of SACDs from "back in the good old days", but now?

I have about 400 CDs and about 30 SACDs.
Its only in the last 2-3 years when I have really been getting into Classical have I been actively seeking SACDs. Certain classical labels still issue this format, so it definitely is not dead! However, as many people have pointed out there are other options out there to listen to high quality digital formats, which in some ways has resulted in my creating this initial post.

I also sometimes listen to these in surround mode also, but this remains an occasional desire, and results in my switching some cables to pass things thru my AVR, which is still present in the rack but gets minimal use in recent years.

This is where my overall conundrum comes in……should I stick with physical media (in which I have a huge history and feel very comfortable with) or go streaming, HDD, etc?

All the info, feedback, and questions raised have all been great and have helped me starting to narrow down what my main interests/requirements are.

Keep ‘em coming!

E

@elliottbnewcombjr thanks for the link to the Sony machine.

I did check it out but have some hesitation about used, unseen components. However, not ruling it out completely and may contact the seller to see what his bottom line is?

My Oppo 103 takes umbrage with being called 'long in the tooth'.

Cheers

@ianhorseman thanks.  I just wasn't sure what the relevance of SACD was these days, but if you can find some used gems out there, and even a few new ones that trip your trigger then good luck to you. 

I'd forgotten that originally SACD were supposed to have surround information in addition to better overall sound quality compared to Redbook CDs. 

It's a pity that Sony tried to control it too much because of their piracy worries and that for the average clueless consumer it never caught on, or we all might be enjoying DSD64 and higher rate physical formats today.  Missed opportunities...