An exceptionally good redbook player with an equally exceptional recording (a choice MFSL gold, for example) is very hard to beat...my opinion.
It's also very hard to say which format is "best" without considering the infinate variables surrounding such a comparison. Some SACD mixes sound horrific and ruin perfectly good recordings. It goes the other way, too.
I say buy a unit that supports the music you have, and/or the format you see yourself continuing to buy. Don't buy music from an artist simply because it's in the format your source component supports; Buy it because it's your favorite artist. Buy the source component that plays it!
If all my favorite music was limited to 8-track cassettes (what a nightmare!), I'd probably buy the best damned 8track player made (is that an oxymoron!?). Anyway, it's about the music. If you remember this, the rest will follow.
It's also very hard to say which format is "best" without considering the infinate variables surrounding such a comparison. Some SACD mixes sound horrific and ruin perfectly good recordings. It goes the other way, too.
I say buy a unit that supports the music you have, and/or the format you see yourself continuing to buy. Don't buy music from an artist simply because it's in the format your source component supports; Buy it because it's your favorite artist. Buy the source component that plays it!
If all my favorite music was limited to 8-track cassettes (what a nightmare!), I'd probably buy the best damned 8track player made (is that an oxymoron!?). Anyway, it's about the music. If you remember this, the rest will follow.