Coping in an Age of Uncertainty


there have been numerous threads here, i know, about sacd v. dvd-a, upsampling, oversampling, etc. a number of these threads have included discussions of which, if any, new digital format will replace what we now call “redbook” cd’s. i don’t wish to rehash these discussions. rather, i’d like to hear from others how they are coping with the “age of uncertainty” in the realm of digital audio. is it better to “roll the dice” and invest in sacd or dvd a? ignore the contenders for the new and get the best possible out of redbook cd’s? buy with upgradeability firmly in mind? follow another path? i don’t post this query out of mere curiosity. i really haven’t figured out what course i should follow. i’d appreciate your giving me a hand. -kelly
cornfedboy
after reading all these posts, i am disappointed in my fellow audiophiles. as someone mentioned above, there is no format war between audiophiles, sacd is the clear winner, however in the mainstream, dvd-a may have a lead in the sense that dvd (as a format) is already such a success that its music counterpart already has all that advertising support behind it. also, neither format will prevail if we all sit on the fence and wait for others to dictate what happens. you think you are the only ones who are sitting ont he fence? the reference that someone made to sacd:betamax is erroneous as well. beta is still used in many studios professionally and then transferred to vhs and sacd has many licensed supporters of which they have "shared" their technology. for the price you can buy an sacd player at ($1000-2000) what can you lose? true the redbook playback does not exceed that of a wadia 860 or a naim cdx (comes awful close) but look at what people are comparing it to; megabuck top of the line transport/dac combos that easily exceed the price of the 9000 or 777. and if you don't like the sound of the internal sony dac for redbook, use the digital out to a dac of your choice. if the format war decides in favor of something other than sacd, not only do you have a killer 60lb (777) or 30lb (9000) machine that plays cd's (777/9000) excellently for its price, you also have the benefit of getting sacd (777/9000) and unequalled dvd playback (9000). not to mention that wahtever format wins the other will not vanish into oblivion it will simply exist at a lower marketed level. i have a 777 and have not looked back since. iam overly impressed with the performance i have received from it and whether or not sacd rules top dog i will continue to enjoy it until its time to update to a new player in 5 or so years just like we all do with almost all of our equipment. btw i bought my 777 from oade bros. for $1500 including shipping.

sony scd-777es
silver audio silver bullets 6.0 (wbt topline)
evs ultimate attenuators (vishay resistors)
Bel canto evo 200.2 monoblocks
tekline tl 650 speaker cable
various diy power cords
magnepan IIIa's
ps audio p300
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I second Tmartinjn copy of the quotes in Positive Feedback Magazine. If you cannot hear the difference between CD and SACD you should not spend serious money on HiFI equipment.
The magazine review states it as plainly as it should be stated.
I bought a Sony 777es player to use as a stand alone for SACD and as a transport for my Perpetual Technologies P1 & P3 boxes (along with the upgraded power supply). PT boxes are shockingly good. I have never heard regular cd's sound so analog. No digital edge whatsoever. I now have the best of both worlds.
All that is required for triumph of evil is for enough good men to do nothing[quoted from positive feedback]I will add and women to this.Anyhow it also say,s that all audiophiles and music lovers should be supporting both analog and sacd so there for i am as guilty as all the rest of you sitting on the fence as i listen to sacd and ignore vinyl.