Thread: Anyone still involved with SACD ??

Howdy, all! I didn't know where to post this one. A search of SACD points to myriad posts on HD DVD and BD, but apparently nothing specifically about SACD.

This technology passed me by during my recent 10+ years with no real audio system. Now that I installed the new HT and the receiver has the 5.1 analog inputs for SACD I was thinking of getting a cheapo player to see what it's all about. The Sony SCD-CE595 for about $130 seemed worthy and I might find something in a local big-box store. There are plenty of titles still out there that interest me, notably Dark Side that will probably be my first acqusition, followed by some Moody Blues and perhaps Arrowsmith, etc.

Any thoughts? Is this technology headed absolutely nowhere at this point? What higher-grade players might still be out there that will send the DSD over HDMI?

TIA and BRgds...

Originally Posted by bhelms

Howdy, all! I didn't know where to post this one. A search of SACD points to myriad posts on HD DVD and BD, but apparently nothing specifically about SACD.

What is SACD?

Originally Posted by bhelms

Is this technology headed absolutely nowhere at this point?

Yes. Not only headed, it has arrived where it headed...

Originally Posted by bhelms

What higher-grade players might still be out there that will send the DSD over HDMI?

There is a good chance that the immortal classics will be out on BD. Might take a few years.

In the mean time, have a look at DTS WAV CD if you want multichannel audio.
It is probably as "widespread" as SACD, but can be found on the internet, comes in CD WAV format
and can often be played by $50 old CD players with a digital (coax or optical) out... Or a PC.

I've seen Pink Floyd, Eagles, Led Zeppelin, The Who...

Diogen.

It's already passed nowhere and is on it's way to oblivion. I bought a few DVD-Audio discs. Also on greased tracks to audio history footnotes.

The PS3 will play SACD. I've been tempted to buy one to check it out. Our taste in music coincides. If you try any, let me know if they're worth getting, over the DVD versions.

SACD and DVD-Audio came and went, but they were a bit too late. They got killed by the MP3 "revolution" and also killed by the music publishers who demanded royalties for each version on a disc. For example, a Hybrid SACD would have a CD stereo layer, an SACD stereo layer, and a 5.1 surround layer. The publishers wanted 3x the royalties...."bye bye" SACD and DVD-Audio.

Not to mention that they needed 6 analog cables and special players and receivers to play them in surround, and retail started out with a bang then went out with a wimper.

Internal workings in the Sony corporation also helped to kill SACD in that for th 500th issue of Rolling Stone an SACD was included that had some great tracks on it. At the same time UMG was about to release classic Elton John and Eric Clapton titles in SACD. Dark Side of the Moon had just come out and SACD was getting press and was poised to break into the mainstream. However, in a boardroom somewhere, Sony Music decided to stop producing large numbers of new title pop/rock SACDs. This could not have happened at a worse time. They cancelled announced projects like more Dylan discs, and only a very few non-classical titles trickeled out in 2004/2005. They do release a classical SACD from time to time, but once Sony itself bailed, and stoppedbsidizing labels like UMG, the end was near.

The second batch of Eltons (Don't Shoot Me, Caribou, Made in England, Rock of the Westies, Blue Movies) were mixed and ready to roll, only to be stopped by UMG before production.

It was a sad thing to happen for a surround sound fan. WB/Rhino followed suit and stopped releasing surround DVD-Audios, and that was that.

The oddest thing is that there are more cars today that can play DVD-Audio discs then ever before, but there are no discs to buy to play in them.

Sucks................

The Oppo upconverting players as well as all non-40GB PS3's can play SACD's. AFAIK, neither can do DSD.

There are still some SACD's being produced by smaller houses.


Super Audio CD - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

sacd: Music Search Results - Buy.com

Telarc International: SACD -- All Releases



There are a couple of places to choose from a good selection of sacd discs.
Telarc has a few dvd-a discs too, but specialize more in sacd.

Tks guys for the insight! I stopped by both CC and BB last evening. CC was advertising that Sony changer I mentioned in my OP for $130 but apparently that's only via the website. Same price through Amazon. I didn't see any SACD titles in the store but I didn't look closely. BB actually had 2 of the players in stock for $160. I won't pay that price. I asked about titles thinking that they would be in a separate section somewhere. They are actually mixed in with the regular CDs and I found Dark Side immediately. It's the same price as the regular CD - $15 !!

I'll look closely at what titles are available through Amazon and make a decision accordingly. The investment won't be large and if I like what I hear I might pursure this a little more, like I have HD DVD. Just because it's obsolete doesn't make it sound any worse!

(I don't have HS internet at home and not sure if I ever will, so downloadable options are still not an option for me.)

Now that music is being released on Blu-ray, maybe our "surround sound" fix is on the way.

Yeah, perhaps. I still need to figure when I'm going to pull the trigger on BD. In the interim I have postponed my SACD acquisition. If I stumble into one for cheaper (as in the proverbial "offer I can't refuse") then I'll reconsider, but it's not the unit price that's really the issue. (I was also interested in having a CD changer for when I'm out in the pool...) I'm now rethinking the whole thing about replacing parts of my collection just to get the SS capability, and that would apply to the BD option as well...