SACD vs ANALOG

I remember when CD's came out. The cheapest players were $1500 and there was little software. I bought 2 CDs a year before I bought my first CD player. It was almost 3 years until you could buy CDs in normal record stores, and then it was a small section in the back corner.

The same was true with DVD. I bought my first DVD player in early 1999. No stores in the Wash. DC area sold or rented DVDs. Even now the selection of DVDs in many rental stores is too small. Just two months ago, my neighbor told me that DVD won't make it. The equipment and software is too expensive and its not recordable. I'm sure if I asked, he would have also told me that CDs and VHS would remain top sellers into the next century.

Tmartinjr, as an owner of an SACD player, I hope you are correct, although in each of the cases you mention the new medium was a considerable step up in convenience (CD vs. LP, DVD vs. Laserdisc) or quality (in the case of DVD; perceived quality with LP, due to the apparent clarity and the lack of ticks and pops). Here, the disc is the same size as a CD and to the masses who only want MP3 quality sound the sonic improvements are not as noticeable. Nonetheless, with 6-channel SACD players and discs becoming available, perhaps that is what will help the software catch on with the masses. Having just listened to the Delos Mahler 2 SACD last night with its silky, analog-like strings and stupendous dynamic range, it's clear to me we have a format that is worth supporting; let's hope the record companies and the general music-buying partners agree.

Not all changes need to be radical. Sometimes the changes are smaller, like the move from 78's to 33's. Or in HT, the move from Dolby Prologic to Dolby Digital to DTS.

Right now, the only radical change I think possible would be a change to a format like MP3 or Windows Media. I do not believe MP3 has reached CD quality, but the next generation might. I see that the newer players have options to decrease compression. There is value to having players with no moving parts. Digital files also are easy to duplicate so the record companies will continue their legal battles. I do not foresee a high-end version of MP3 this decade, but MP3 could negatively impact CD sales.

I own both a SONY SCD-1 and an Oracel Delphi MK V SE turntable. For me , the issue is not which of the two formats is better. I simple terms, the SCD-1 with its superb playback of regular CDs and its SACD capabiltiy, allows me to enjoy the music without focusing on the technology. I now can listen to digital for hours without any irritation as I have been able to do with my Oracle front end. That is the bottom line. I still buy regular CDs and LPs with the music that I enjoy

as an owner of the marantz sa-1, the linn cd-12, and a basis 2500/graham 2.0/koetsu/aesthetix vinyl rig i enjoy each format. i have 3000 cds, 2500 lps, and 125 sacds. sacd and 33rpm vinyl are neck and neck in sound quality overall. the enjoyment level of vinyl is higher with the aesthetix io phono stage which the marantz sa-1 can't quite match even though it has a more resolution. this is not a software issue but an analogue output issue. when sacd devices have reached the maturity of gear such as the aesthetix io my belief is that it will leave vinyl in the dust. 45rpm vinyl is definitly better than sacd as the additional resolution shines thru.

in the last 6 months i have bought more vinyl than sacds so that kind of shows where i'm at.