Anyone still involved with SACD ??

[philhu]

BTW, DVD-A disks play in a PS3, you just need a receiver to decode the stream, and my new Sony 5300 does just that. And my Rev A 60G PS3 also does Super Audio disks.

Also, the 5300 instruction manual actually has a section and connectors for a SACD input, and 2 pages in the manual for how it won't let you copy audio from a SACD disk. So, Sony still 'acts' like it is a viable format.

HEHE

 

[Stacy A]

So, I can throw one of my DVD-A discs into the PS3 and it will send it, untouched, to my Onkyo AV receiver?

That's great to hear, but I don't have the HDMI connected - because my TV is too old to have HDMI inputs. So, the best I could get would be the DD5.1 track. I'll continue to use my Denon DVD/DVD-A player for my DVD-A discs.

 

[bhelms]

I don't have a PS3 yet, but apparently (per phil) it indeed provides the highspeed bitstream output for the SACD or DVD-A signal to the receiver (as opposed to coax or optical) over HDMI 1.3. Another option is having 5.1 (7.1 on the PS3?) multi-channel analog outputs like my player has. In that case all the decoding has to be done in the player, at whatever level of competency it has for that, rather than in the receiver where a newer/higher-quality decoder might do the better job. With my cheapo Sony that's the only 5.1 option I have, but my 6 analog connections are doing a great job in my humble system!

philhu - I am also caught-up in that same Sony 5300 world! (Love that receiver!) Sony also has a proprietary transfer - DSD I believe? - that might do the same thing IF a player has that output, which mine does not. (I don't have the 5300 manual handy to explore that further.) Are there other SACD or DVD-A players out there that do have the DSD capability? I guess they would have to be Sonys tho'...!

Re: not being able to record audio via the multichannel or HD inputs - until there is a format to encode/record the SS or HD program content, I don't see that as an issue. Perhaps we can lament not being able to record the HD signals to a 2-channel audio medium, but I don't think any such recorder would capture the higher BW quality anyway. Correct me if I'm wrong on that - maybe there's something out there of which I am unware?? What's available now in HD recorders, and can those accept a multichannel audio source?

Since the standard CD tracks from these hybrid SACD disks are going to another input on the receiver, those can be recorded like any standard CD signal from another player. No quality gain however...

 

[bhelms]

...As long as they still make the Hybrid disc, I will continue to purchase them.
In many cases the difference in the price is only $1 or 2.

Great! Other than DS, I have yet to find a "comparably-priced" SACD. Everything from the sources I looked at are at least $16. Let me know what you find...

 

[navychop]

BTW, DVD-A disks play in a PS3, you just need a receiver to decode the stream, and my new Sony 5300 does just that. And my Rev A 60G PS3 also does Super Audio disks.

Are you sure about that? It's not just playing the "CD" version? After all, DVD-A is kind of a mortal enemy of Sony & their SACD format. I have my PS3 connected to an Onkyo 805 w/HDMI - I'll have to try it tonight.

 

[philhu]

Are you sure about that? It's not just playing the "CD" version? After all, DVD-A is kind of a mortal enemy of Sony & their SACD format. I have my PS3 connected to an Onkyo 805 w/HDMI - I'll have to try it tonight.

Positive. You can't miss it on these disks and the multichannel light lights on the rcvr
which is a sure give-away. Saying Dolby Digital 3/2.1

 

[navychop]

AHHHHH- feel my relief. I can pop in a cheapo minimalist DVD recorder, remove my JVC 7 disc player, and still play DVD-A in full glory. And then get a GOOD DVD recorder when they come out (next year, hopefully).

Uhh, errr- "Saying Dolby Digital 3/2.1" ?

 

[bhelms]

AHHHHH- feel my relief. I can pop in a cheapo minimalist DVD recorder, remove my JVC 7 disc player, and still play DVD-A in full glory. And then get a GOOD DVD recorder when they come out (next year, hopefully).

Uhh, errr- "Saying Dolby Digital 3/2.1" ?

Good deal!

For that last statement of course you need a "Sony Decoder Ring" to make sense of it, unless your Onkyo gives a similar message? In my system it's just telling me the speaker configuration I programmed in. I'm guessing it will say DD 3/4.1 when I install/enable the SBs...or not. Time will tell...!

 

[bhelms]

Just pulled the trigger on that Moody Blues collection for $138 including shipping. Check it out:

MUSICDIRECT - MOODY BLUES IMPORT SACD BUNDLE (5 TITLES) (8 x HYBRID SACD)

I'll eventually add Every Good Boy... (not part of this collection) to round it out. But musicdirect wants $30 for that one and I bet I can find it cheaper elsewhere. I don't think Long Distance Voyager was ever released on SACD and I already have that in regular CD.

More to come...!

 

[navychop]

Ohhh, my wallet hurts just thinking about it. But I do love those albums. And alternate versions? Hmmmm. And yes, Every Good Boy Deserves Favor is a must. So long as they're not stereo only SACDs.

I'll just have to wait until you've posted your review. And then your second review, after you've heard them all sober!

I still recall nights in college when we'd listen to Moody Blues and Yes and drink the night away. Darkened room, no real conversation. Glorious.

 

[bhelms]

I have similar memories, or at least I THINK I do...! (Too much fog remains from those days.) I was a Fraternity Brother at the time (technically still am of course!) and shared some great music, beer, and whatever with quite a few great guys. (I think there were women involved as well. I met my wife in that House.) In fact I still do "Friday Happies" with about 5 of them, after all these years! We were all Moody Blues fans, and will be again...! (I'm also a BIG Yes fan, through their several renderings.)

I too was very curious as to whether or not these would be stereo SACD vs. SS as the information provided does not specify. But there is also no such declaration for Seventh Sojourn and that one is indeed 5.1 SS, or certainly seems that way in terms of a very full sound field and "positioning" (I need to confirm!). And the blue "Multichannel" light on the both the player and receiver are lit for this one, as they are for all 5 titles (6 disks total) that I now have.

The information provided on the main disk tracks for the set I just ordered says "Remastered" as expected. For the first 2 it's from "Original Master Tapes" and for the last 3 it's from "Original Quad Masters", which I think is usually a seque into 5.1 per readings I recall. Hopefully they all are, but I could see where the earlier albums might have less original tracks from which to work.

Incidentally, on Seventh Sojourn the bonus tracks are not in the SACD layer. I expect to find them in the regular CD layer, but haven't verified that. This is also an "Import SACD" version, as is the set I just ordered which might mean the same mixing strategies. So I hope/expect that the "original" tracks for each of the 5 albums will be in 5.1 SS, and the bonus stuff will be a mix in various layers, all TBD of course.

"Favor" needs to be a future purchase, hopefully for less. It is detailed similar to Seventh Sojourn in the website.

 

[randers29259]

I just ordered 3 SACDs from Telarc Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture, Great Film Fantasies, Epics. They were all $20 each

 

[navychop]

Please let us know how good or otherwise they are.

 

[Jamey K]

I bought several and I like what I have: "Homecoming-America" "Hotel California"-Eagles; "Rumors"Fleetwood and "Pet Sounds" Beach Boys on DVD-A. I have "Innocent Man-Billy Joel" Dylan & Pink Floyd on SACD. I love the sound...I forget to listen to them though.

I was looking forward to The Beatles in some 5.1 config. The Yellow Submarine ST was so very good.

 

[bhelms]

Confirming: Seventh Sojourn is in fact 5.1 SS, as labeled multiple places on the packaging and as indicated by the equipment. (I really had no doubt!) Now the big question is how many of the 5 disks in that MB set will be SS as well? Should have them early next week so the suspense won't be for long...!

 

[bidger`]

BTW, DVD-A disks play in a PS3, you just need a receiver to decode the stream, and my new Sony 5300 does just that.

Well, any DVD player capable of decoding the DD and DTS 5.1 soundtracks on DVD-Audio discs, I did that before I picked up a universal (plays both SACD and DVD-Audio discs) Pioneer player, DV-A45, and that's when I heard the high resolution, 24-bit 96kHz multichannel and 192kHz stereo, mixes and realized it made a huge difference on the DVD-Audio discs. Almost like Standard Definition and High Definition video.

Jon Urban is known from the QuadraphonicQuad Forums, a huge enthusiast of multichannel, so he knows what it's all about. He's right in my mind when he says they're dead formats, if you're into mainstream music. If you're into Jazz and/or Classical, you might find some releases of interest on boutique labels.

Blu-ray was mentioned, but if the labels take the same approach Jon mentioned, charging separately for each mix, I can't imagine consumers shelling out for that. Time will tell, but where were you guys five years ago?!

 

[navychop]

5 years ago, I was buying DVD-As. When I could find any that interested me. I made no converts.

I put Dark Side in the PS3, pushed Pure Audio on the Onkyo, and it sounded great. For some reason, if Pure Audio isn't on, it's only in stereo. And I can't get the PS3 to FF or skip a track. Or respond to the controls in any way. I've posted under Video Games to hopefully get a response on this problem. Can't live with it like that.

I'll try a DVD-A later.

 

[navychop]

OK- I played Yes Fragile on DVD-A on my PS3 and Onkyo 805. No, it does NOT play the DVD-A. It plays the "CD" part in stereo. No setting I tried gave me surround sound. Placing the Onkyo in pure audio did nothing. But it sounded superb in my JVC player, that plays DVD-A. Frankly, the separation I think was better than the Dark Side SACD I played. That could well be differences in the sources.

Not happy. Back to looking for a DVD recorder that plays DVD-A. And SACD too, if I can't get the PS3 to skip tracks.

 

[JonUrban]

OK- I played Yes Fragile on DVD-A on my PS3 and Onkyo 805. No, it does NOT play the DVD-A. It plays the "CD" part in stereo. No setting I tried gave me surround sound. Placing the Onkyo in pure audio did nothing. But it sounded superb in my JVC player, that plays DVD-A. Frankly, the separation I think was better than the Dark Side SACD I played. That could well be differences in the sources.

Not happy. Back to looking for a DVD recorder that plays DVD-A. And SACD too, if I can't get the PS3 to skip tracks.

The PS3 cannot and will not play the DVd-Audio Hi Rez stereo or surround tracks. Sony would never allow that, even now.

However, you should be able to play the surround Dolby Digital or DTS tracks on the DVD-Audio discs' DVD layer from any discs that have them - on any player/receiver that can play DD or DTS.

Remember though, you'd just be playing the DVD surround tracks, not the DVD-A tracks. Still, it's surround sound, so it can't be that bad!

 

[SatinKzo]

I love my SACD and DVD-A's. I use the Oppo 980 with my Onkyo 606. Only have a handful of discs, but we enjoy all of them. I really wish these formats would have taken off, at least one of them. I actually enjoy the SACD's a bit more.

I've picked up a few on ebay and Amazon recently for decent prices. Actually surprised to see what some of my collection is going for ebay.