The Japanese offerings all have a serious problem when it comes to their choice of output devices in their players. NONE of the current SACD offerings use a decent output stage. There are definate sonic problems which are associated with this unfortunate design decision (some glare in the highs and dynamic, soundstage, and timbre anomolies). Hopefully, some "high end" companies will start offering their own variations of these Japanese SACD offerings. (This is what initially happened years ago, when the so called "high end" companies, offered their own variations of standard japanese cd players with better output stages and improved power supplies)
Too snobbish for SACD as it exists?
Perhaps I am wrong, but I get the feeling that the reason SACD players have not been as successful as hoped lies with the fact that the very persons for whom the benefits of the higher resolution format are appreciable are hesitant to put a Sony, Marantz or Pioneer product in their systems. A product like Krell, CJ, Levinson, etc.,while usually significantly more expensive than the aforementioned "mid-fi" brands provide the purchaser with a certain cache and a greater level of satisfaction, albeit sometimes a psychoacoustic contribution to the listening experience. I, personally, would be more willing to spend more on a quality SACD player from a true high-end company, however elitist that may sound, even knowing that I may be paying for diminished returns. I just wonder if there is a large pool of high-end consumers waiting to see what marquis companies will introduce before they commit to the format.