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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 4 responses by tonyp54

tonyp54
130 posts
 
My 2 cents:
1) CDs sound fine if done right, that means a player in the 2k+ range.
2) Vinyl sounds better only when the pops, clicks and scratches are absent, which is about 50% of the time, and you can't play them in your car!
3) Corporate greed will kill sacd. Why would the public invest in sacd when the industry gives conflicting information and choices (dvd-a). Except for a few well heeled risk takers, the gp won't gamble their money on another format war... If sacd and dvd-a are equal, why not wait it out to see which one prevails?
tonyp54
130 posts
 
Does anyone doubt that the masses will prefer to listen to their favorite music while watching video of the band performing at the same time? This is why dvd-a will prevail in the long run. Audiophiles never have and never will drive the market. SACD just doesn't offer the quantum leap that cd offered over vinyl to be successful in the marketplace. I remember when cd was introduced, the average person experienced a huge jump in sound quality and convenience from the integrated tt, radio, cassette players that accounted for 95% of the equipment in use. As far as sacd finding a niche market, why would even an audiophile forgo the video option dvd-a offers if the sound of the two mediums is essentially equal? The future is about integration of home theater, audio and computers/internet access. SACD doesn't have a place in that vision.
tonyp54
130 posts
 
Socrates, I too have no interest in multi-channel music, but it's way too early to assume that dvd-a will not have 2 channel capability. The whole "next digital" medium thing is still in an evolutionary phase and I doubt we'll see the final version for quite some time. In any event, the point is that audiophiles will not decide what the next medium will be. We'll have to live with whatever the majority decides and make the best of our options... just like what happened with cd over the last 20 years.
tonyp54
130 posts
 
It's not that we don't want a new format, it's the fact that once again we are faced with two different solutions that are not compatible with each other. The failure of both formats so far is the fault of the industry, not the public. Neither side wants to commit fully because they know either one is a gamble at this point. There is not room for sacd, dvda and vinyl, and neither is replacing vinyl anytime soon from reading these posts. So we wind up with new multi players that don't play cd well and a scarcity of source material. Maybe the public is wisely waiting it out this time.
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