SACD 2 channel vs Hybrid SACD

Hybrid means just what Rprince explained: i.e. the disc can be played on a regular redbook CD player, or any SACD player, two channel or multichannel. My beef is that now the damn record companies will ONLY release SACD's that can be mastered from multichannel originals. (70's Quad and newer DSD masters.) This means that the treasure trove of great performances that were recorded in the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's will never be released in SACD, and will become ever more difficult to obtain even in CD. This is not progress, it is greed!!!

Mr.Distortion, you misuderstood what I wrote. My point was that record companies are, at present, only releasing SACD's derived from multichannel SOURCES. This rules out excellent two-channel masters (especially classical and jazz) which would greatly benefit from the high-resolution formats. Rprince, you are right, Telarc WAS planning to continue to release the excellent Soundstream masters. I was told this almost two years ago by a Telarc exec. However, they changed their mind, and now will only release recordings derived from multichannel masters. (Thank God these are pure DSD, not the 24/48 crap many of the others are using including Deutsche Grammophone, and even Chandos.) If indeed there is a new Mercury series of SACD's coming, that would indeed be very good news!

Rprince: Great!! I am salivating over the opportunity to sample some of these great Mercury Living Presence releases. I was lucky to have listened to several of the original master tapes (3 channel) with Frederick Fennell back in 1960. This was one of the unforgetable audio experiences of my life, and I can hardly wait to relive these musical memories! Thanks so much for bringing me such exciting news!!

Rprince: No, I was not at Eastman at the time, although I have known a number of musicians/teachers who were. I was teaching English at Penn Manor High School in Millersville, Pa., and was helping out with that year's district band festival. I got the job (What a job!!!) of being Fennell's host for the weekend. He mentioned that the had the masters of two forthcoming releases ("Diverse Winds", and "West Point") with him, and was looking for a place where he could review them and grant approval for pressing and release. I happened to know a recording engineer in Lancaster who had all the good stuff (Ampex 300, Goodmans corner horns, Scott monoblocks etc.). We listened with Dr. Fennell, and I was blown away by the sound! From that day on, I KNEW what was meant by "just like master tape"!