Coping in an Age of Uncertainty


there have been numerous threads here, i know, about sacd v. dvd-a, upsampling, oversampling, etc. a number of these threads have included discussions of which, if any, new digital format will replace what we now call “redbook” cd’s. i don’t wish to rehash these discussions. rather, i’d like to hear from others how they are coping with the “age of uncertainty” in the realm of digital audio. is it better to “roll the dice” and invest in sacd or dvd a? ignore the contenders for the new and get the best possible out of redbook cd’s? buy with upgradeability firmly in mind? follow another path? i don’t post this query out of mere curiosity. i really haven’t figured out what course i should follow. i’d appreciate your giving me a hand. -kelly
cornfedboy
Article from the most recent Positive Feedback Magazine stating that the war is over.
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http://www.positive-feedback.com/0804/Crock_S_ACD.htm
If you decided not to read the above article, let me reprint an excerpt:

If you read of, or hear people that say, "SACD is no big deal," you MUST immediately ask yourself if they are deaf,
if they have a mediocre audio system, or if they have hidden agendas. Only these reasons could explain why
anyone wouldn’t be absolutely shocked by the beauty of SACD music.
after reading all these posts, i am disappointed in my fellow audiophiles. as someone mentioned above, there is no format war between audiophiles, sacd is the clear winner, however in the mainstream, dvd-a may have a lead in the sense that dvd (as a format) is already such a success that its music counterpart already has all that advertising support behind it. also, neither format will prevail if we all sit on the fence and wait for others to dictate what happens. you think you are the only ones who are sitting ont he fence? the reference that someone made to sacd:betamax is erroneous as well. beta is still used in many studios professionally and then transferred to vhs and sacd has many licensed supporters of which they have "shared" their technology. for the price you can buy an sacd player at ($1000-2000) what can you lose? true the redbook playback does not exceed that of a wadia 860 or a naim cdx (comes awful close) but look at what people are comparing it to; megabuck top of the line transport/dac combos that easily exceed the price of the 9000 or 777. and if you don't like the sound of the internal sony dac for redbook, use the digital out to a dac of your choice. if the format war decides in favor of something other than sacd, not only do you have a killer 60lb (777) or 30lb (9000) machine that plays cd's (777/9000) excellently for its price, you also have the benefit of getting sacd (777/9000) and unequalled dvd playback (9000). not to mention that wahtever format wins the other will not vanish into oblivion it will simply exist at a lower marketed level. i have a 777 and have not looked back since. iam overly impressed with the performance i have received from it and whether or not sacd rules top dog i will continue to enjoy it until its time to update to a new player in 5 or so years just like we all do with almost all of our equipment. btw i bought my 777 from oade bros. for $1500 including shipping.

sony scd-777es
silver audio silver bullets 6.0 (wbt topline)
evs ultimate attenuators (vishay resistors)
Bel canto evo 200.2 monoblocks
tekline tl 650 speaker cable
various diy power cords
magnepan IIIa's
ps audio p300
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I second Tmartinjn copy of the quotes in Positive Feedback Magazine. If you cannot hear the difference between CD and SACD you should not spend serious money on HiFI equipment.
The magazine review states it as plainly as it should be stated.