I completely see it your way, but I extend the process a couple steps further. Ideally, I would be able to expand my 2-channel SACD system (please click on my system link if curiosity gets the best of you) into a 5-channel SACD setup. When I do so, I would consider a universal player so I could listen to DVD-A, since I'd already have 5 speakers anyhow.
There are problems, though. Right now, even high-end universal players are reported to have serious shortcomings. Some of them struggle badly with bass management. For others, time alignment is the issue, and the system will only sound right if the rear speakers are *precisely* as far from the listening position as the front speakers. (This can be a real rarity, unless your room size is truly generous. Living in a city where space is pricey, I will probably never have a really large listening room.) Besides, I'd have to put a bulky center channel on top of my TV, which only has about a 3-inch shelf before it drops off on top, making a center almost impossible to balance.
Bottom line? Basically, it's a hell of a good thing that I like the material that's available on SACD a lot more than the DVD-A's that have hit the marketplace, because my 2-channel, trouble-free setup basically coerces me into having SACD anyway.
There are problems, though. Right now, even high-end universal players are reported to have serious shortcomings. Some of them struggle badly with bass management. For others, time alignment is the issue, and the system will only sound right if the rear speakers are *precisely* as far from the listening position as the front speakers. (This can be a real rarity, unless your room size is truly generous. Living in a city where space is pricey, I will probably never have a really large listening room.) Besides, I'd have to put a bulky center channel on top of my TV, which only has about a 3-inch shelf before it drops off on top, making a center almost impossible to balance.
Bottom line? Basically, it's a hell of a good thing that I like the material that's available on SACD a lot more than the DVD-A's that have hit the marketplace, because my 2-channel, trouble-free setup basically coerces me into having SACD anyway.