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The plight of SACD....

Venturing into a local Audio Supermarket chain the other day...I found the latest advancement in digital audio relegated to a cheesy Kiosk in the very back of the store...complete with a Bose cube set-up...and the new Stones hybrid of "Got Live If you want it" (a dismal live recording regardless of format) blaring to a very disinterested public...no wonder average Joe aint buyin'...

Even with Sony "dumbing down" SACD/dvd players to the sub $500 level...without the software catalog to support it...and with the majority of the public A)satisfied with current redbook sound and B)not possessing even moderate midfi audio sytems to hear the sonic benefits...it appears SACD is going to be the next DAT commerical failure...ditto for DVD-Audio...these new products are not "market driven"...they are being forced on consumers...

The majority are not audiophiles let alone audio enthusiasts...accurate or improved sonics do not play an important role in their lives...redbook became dominant because its main competitor at the time was not the LP but the pre-recorded cassette...a dreadful format made worse by Dolby B...the Compact Disc won out but any digital format at the time would have...it offered convenience,portability,and eventually...compatability...

As someone who has invested a small amount in a SACD player and software...and was one of the first on my block to have a CD player...I have waited almost 20yrs for a digital
format that gives a hi-end analog system a run for its money...that day is both here and gone...I predict that SACD will remain a fringe format...similiar to DAT...in that
it will live on in professional applications...and have a small loyal following that truly appreciates its greatness...heres to hoping Im wrong...
phasecorrect

Showing 1 response by tmartinjr

tmartinjr
7 posts
 
I don't care what the public buys. Hey, most buy $199 stereo systems, or MP3 compatiable computers. With this equipment, I would buy CSs as well.

There's now over 800 SACDs, not 200. www.aMusicDirect.com currently lists 594 SACDs for sale at their site alone. There's more SACDs than I'm willing to buy.

I now own 100 SACDs. I have a couple that sound similar to the CD version, but I've never found a poor sounding SACD. I find poorly recorded CDs and DVD-Vs often. Buying a SACD is insurance that the recording is well engineered.

By the way, the same can't be said for DVD-A. Many DVD-As do not equal the CD counterpart. I bought two DVD-A players, but returned them both.

Now you may not like certain type of music that is recorded on SACD (e.g. Jazz, classical, etc.), but that's not a reason to pu-pu SACD. I don't like Rap. That does not make CD technology inferior because most Rap is on CDs.

If one needs to worry about a dying format, they should worry about vinyl. I can find SACDs at Circuit City and Best Buy. Can't find any vinyl. The public doesn't seem to care about buying vinyl--especially the younger generation.
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