Thread: "A Dying Format"

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Post by emaidel August 25, 2014 (1 of 12)
This site has been up and running for years, with its primary purpose of supporting and promoting the SACD medium. Unfortunately, elsewhere, especially when doing an online search for "SACD," all one can find is a series of postings claiming that the format is "dying," or already dead, with "no discernible differences between it and regular CD's." The ever-useful Wikipedia is one of those sites proclaiming the demise of the format as well.

Sigh.....


A recent visit to a high-end retailer nearby was more of the same with no SACD player in sight.

Hopefully, this site, and the labels that (at least for the time being) are still producing SACD's will keep this wonderful format alive, though not thriving, and we members will keep purchasing these discs long enough to keep SACD's around for at least another 12 years.

While I can't possibly compare the CD and SACD layers of each hybrid disc I own, whenever I do make such a comparison, the difference is always noticeable, and sometimes even startling. Someday the hard-line opposition may eventually take its head out of the sand. Let's hope so.

Post by stvnharr August 25, 2014 (2 of 12)
Nothing new at all. Ten years ago these kind of posts were thick as flies, and then the posts, rather than sacd, died off. Why resurrect this now?

Post by old-dog-newtricks August 25, 2014 (3 of 12)
I happened to visit Harrods last week and while they have a very small selection of Hifi 4 out of the 5 players they had in stock were SACD capable. They were also using an SACD player for headphone demonstration. Not typical and maybe more to do with the fact that the amp/player main brands stocked are Marantz and Denon. They have not had a 'record' department for years.

Post by armenian August 25, 2014 (4 of 12)
SACD has always been a niche within niche, do not believe that this is going to change.
As for the uncertain future of SACD, no matter what happens to it here you can always count on Japanese to carry the torch.

Vahe

Post by Yoropiko1 August 25, 2014 (5 of 12)
Its clear that all formats eventually decline and SACD is no exception, however, like Vinyl, there will always be those who wish to keep an interest in the medium. So even if it does become a more expensive proposition to produce, whilst there are people like us here willing to buy it there will be somebody out there willing to provide it.
Its not all gloom and doom, SACD has paved the way to DSD downloads and given the wider range of DSD capable DACs there is no reason why SACD's legacy cannot continue through that means, it does after all offer all the benefits of SACD ( sound wise ) and in fact exceeds it ( you'll never encounter DSD64/DSD128 SACDs! ) in a more convenient package ( all the content is online and doesn't require expensive disc based transports ).
Ironically, it suprises me that this very site hasnt changed its name to SA-CD and DSD.net, seems to me the two are synonymous, but instead includes Blu ray Audio in its title which is purely PCM based with little or no likelyhood of it ever containing DSD based tracks?.

Post by Iain August 25, 2014 (6 of 12)
armenian said:

SACD has always been a niche within niche, do not believe that this is going to change.
...

Vahe

One question that's always been in the back of my mind is, what's the first order niche? : )

Or, am I simply being thick WRT this?

Post by Euell Neverno August 25, 2014 (7 of 12)
Iain said:

One question that's always been in the back of my mind is, what's the first order niche? : )

Classical?

Post by Wilhelm—Xu Zhong-Rui August 25, 2014 (8 of 12)
Before us great Death stands
Our fate held close within his quiet hands.
When with proud joy we lift Life's red wine
To drink deep of the mystic shining cup
And ecstasy through all our being leaps—
Death bows his head and weeps.
— R.M.R. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10200935506942330

Post by armenian August 25, 2014 (9 of 12)
Euell Neverno said:

Classical?

Yes.

Post by Lunna August 25, 2014 (10 of 12)
Yoropiko1 said:

Its clear that all formats eventually decline and SACD is no exception, however, like Vinyl, there will always be those who wish to keep an interest in the medium. So even if it does become a more expensive proposition to produce, whilst there are people like us here willing to buy it there will be somebody out there willing to provide it.
Its not all gloom and doom, SACD has paved the way to DSD downloads and given the wider range of DSD capable DACs there is no reason why SACD's legacy cannot continue through that means, it does after all offer all the benefits of SACD ( sound wise ) and in fact exceeds it ( you'll never encounter DSD64/DSD128 SACDs! ) in a more convenient package ( all the content is online and doesn't require expensive disc based transports ).
Ironically, it suprises me that this very site hasnt changed its name to SA-CD and DSD.net, seems to me the two are synonymous, but instead includes Blu ray Audio in its title which is purely PCM based with little or no likelyhood of it ever containing DSD based tracks?.

Pretty spot on. I'm slowly leaning more towards High Definition downloads (even "mere" 24/96) because of their flexibility compared to SACDs, which are 'rock bound,' so to speak. It's nice to have this stuff, for instance, available on my laptop when I travel, etc.

Yes, resell value goes down the tubes with downloading, but ultimately, it's about the music, isn't it?

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