I own the CDSD/DCC2 combo, and, until very recently, my CD collection consisted of all redbook CDs. I have recently picked up a few SACDs, several of which are on the TAS list of what are supposed to be some of the best SACDs available (from a quality of sound perspective). I have found that, while lesser quality SACDs offer very little if any sound quality improvement over their redbook cousins, the finest examples of SACD outperform the redbook format by a significant margin.
I would surmise that there are a few things at work here:
1. Many SACDs are simply not engineered in a way that exhibits the potential of the format and, therefore, offer only marginal improvement over the redbook format.
2. The Meitner gear does an excellent job with redbook CD and turns it into a reasonable facsimile of a pure DSD format. So an SACD needs to be engineered very well in order to surpass the redbook sound by a noticeable margin.
3. I believe that the relative complexity of the music has a lot to do with whether a particular SACD significantly outshines the same recording in redbook format. I have found that complex acoustic music (e.g., orchestral/vocal/chorus recordings) allows the SACD format to exhibit its virtues more dramatically than simpler forms of music.
I would highly recommend the Channel Classics SACD of the Bach Christmas Oratorio (The Netherlands Bach Society, CCS SA 20103). It was the first disc to really open my eyes to the potential of the SACD format. I understand that most of the Channel Classics SACDs offer excellent sound quality.
I would surmise that there are a few things at work here:
1. Many SACDs are simply not engineered in a way that exhibits the potential of the format and, therefore, offer only marginal improvement over the redbook format.
2. The Meitner gear does an excellent job with redbook CD and turns it into a reasonable facsimile of a pure DSD format. So an SACD needs to be engineered very well in order to surpass the redbook sound by a noticeable margin.
3. I believe that the relative complexity of the music has a lot to do with whether a particular SACD significantly outshines the same recording in redbook format. I have found that complex acoustic music (e.g., orchestral/vocal/chorus recordings) allows the SACD format to exhibit its virtues more dramatically than simpler forms of music.
I would highly recommend the Channel Classics SACD of the Bach Christmas Oratorio (The Netherlands Bach Society, CCS SA 20103). It was the first disc to really open my eyes to the potential of the SACD format. I understand that most of the Channel Classics SACDs offer excellent sound quality.