On all SACD's there is a 2 channel stereo version. On multichannel discs there is also a seperate multi-channel version of the same music, mixed differently. The stereo version is not converted to stereo on multichannel discs by the player(though on many players you can select which version you want "on the fly" through the players controls), its seperate from the multichannel information. In some cases the stereo version is preffered on multichannel discs, though there is no universal rule about that. When in doubt about a disc do as I do search: http://www.sa-cd.net Search the title and read the reviews and see what others have to say- you'll save a lot of time and money that way. It seems that a lot of the users here prefer stereo sacd, then again this is a site which is mostly stereo only guys- so it may not seem like a fair debate to hold.
2 channel SACD vs Multichannel SACD players...
Is there a difference between dedicated 2 channel SACD players and multi-channel SACD players? Do they read the information the same? How do multichannel SACD players output into 2 channel? Is 2 channel playback from a dedicated 2 channel SACD superior to a multi-channel, non-dedicated 2 channel player?
Or is this a moot point? Is SACD, SACD, and it all depends on the build quality of the unit?
Or is this a moot point? Is SACD, SACD, and it all depends on the build quality of the unit?