Is it worth buying an SACD player?

I sold my SACD player and sometimes I regret it. When I play an album I used to listen to in SA, it just doesn't sound as good anymore. SACD is really a wonderful format and I will probably get another SACD player down the road since new ones are still coming out.

Arthur

I think it interesting that Sony has yet to offer a Blue Ray player with SACD decoding. That makes me wonder about the future of SACD.

Sony does offer an Blue Ray Player with SACD decoding. It's the PS3 (except the 40 GB version). But Sony has abandonded the music side of SACD.

I have about 200 SACDs and DVD Audio discs (DVD Audio is closer to death's door than SACD, but they are both destined for extinction.) That said, there are a few niche labels which continue to offer new SACD material and there is a good assortment of SACD and DVD Audio discs available used. I have no regrets about having purchased the hardware and software and would do so now despite the doomsday future of the formats.

As for sound quality, both formats are superior, in my opinion, to LP and redbook CD. I have a number of discs in SACD or DVD Audio and LP and/or redbook CD versions. In all cases, the SACDs and DVD A discs are remarkably better.

BTW, SACD and DVD A are generally accessed by analogue, not digital connection. The Sony ES-XA9000 and some Denon players have proprietary digital out connections which work only with their high-end receivers/preamps. The standard Coax and optical digital connections do not transmit any SACD or DVD A signals. Therefore, unless you're intending to spend thousands, you needn't worry about analogue connection; it's the only way to go. I wonder if you simply haven't discovered that your current player can play SACD material. Some SACDs are multi-layer discs; they have five-channel and/or two-channel SACD layers as well as standard Redbook CD layers. You have to choose which layer to listen to. If your DVD player has the SACD logo on it, it definitely plays at least the two-channel SACD layers as well as the Redbood CD layers.

Unsound:
I think it interesting that Sony has yet to offer a Blue Ray player with SACD decoding. That makes me wonder about the future of SACD.

Yes but they introduced two new SACD players at CEDIA.

Pzuckerman:
BTW, SACD and DVD A are generally accessed by analogue, not digital connection.

Until recently when DSD via HDMI has become common.

Kal

Pioneer kept making a couple of Laser Disc players for a few years after the obvious demise of that format too.