Coping in an Age of Uncertainty

Please, don't let this thread die!

Well, there's no uncertainty anymore. SACD has become an audiophile product, something like MFSL in the '70's. And DVDA....

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I doubt if many here remember the mid 70s debacle over the CD4 and SQ4 formats. Both ended up being doomed. One is that RCA and Columbia could not come up with a decoding format that worked for both. So the four channel died a quick and I hope a painless death. Although I know many folks invested heavily at the time in this format. Only to have obsolete gear 18 months later.

As far as I am concerned SACD, DVD-A and other formats, is that I belive it is headed for the scrap yard as well. It will take sales in the millions to save either one. How many of us are going to repopulate or musical library with these additional formats? I won't go to that expense and the vast majority will not either. It is just not sensible to do so. The Redbook format has been with us since 1982 and was developed between Philips and Sony. I have every reason to belive that the Redbook format will continue for the fore see able future. Sure there are 18,20,22 and now 24 bit CDs on the market as well as HDCD, but the basic format remains Redbook.

I have two CD Players one a Classe CDP.5 player with HDCD and recently acquired an Arcam CD73 that is a 24 bit player. Very happy with both of them and is ceratinly all I need for the digital format.

If the SACD and DVD-A survives, which is highly doubtful at this point, it will be because the software and players have become more affordable. Players will in time, will only come down in price, if the demand for the software increases and the price of the software decreases. I just do not see that happening. Costs have to be recovered to do this, it will be cheaper for the manufactures to cut their losses and get out of the SACD, DVD-A arena.

I for one will stay with the current Redbook players I have and enjoy the music library I have amassed over the years. I see no reason to repopulate my library. Financially it just doesn't sense.

It's funny, I have been on the Hi-Rez bandwagon now for about 2 solid years. I have amassed about 150 SACD's and a handful of other Hi-Rez format discs. I can even be found at several points on this very thread saying GO! SACD GO! -- I think I am going to get off this ride though -- the vast majority of the SACD's I purchased were hybrids, and new music to me. But lately, I have made some comparisons between recently remastered redbook CD's and their SACD counterparts. I tell you, it is a really close call -- the quality of recent redbook remasters on decent equipmetn is so close to SACD that I would rather buy the redbook remaster because it is easier to find, costs a lot less, and sounds just as good.

Now, pure DSD recordings are incredible, and SACD's on a half way decent machine get you a level of sonic performance you would have to spend a lot more on a dedicated redbook CDP to acheive -- but, I think, if you can afford a pretty nice dedicated redbook CDP, you will get better quality from redbook CD's comparable to SACD. I think that is the direction I am going.