Hybrid SACD are they compatible w/non SACD playe

Hybrid SACD's have two formats, SACD and RBCD. These hybrid CD's will play on either type of player. SACD CDP's will usually default to SACD layer, but on some at least on my Marantz you can also select RBCD layer instead of the SACD layer. The hybrids should play on any CDP - that was the point in making them hybrids.

Re differences in sound I assume you mean an ordinary redbook CD and the same performance on hybrid disc played back on a redbook player. I've never pinned down a difference in sound quality. The obverse is not necessarily so on my Marantz SA11s3. It has excellent dynamics, more so than my other CDP's, and it seems that ordinary redbook CD's take on that quality, but I don't think this is anything inherent in the CD itself.

FWIW.

The Hybrid SACD's are 2 layers. One for CD and the other SACD. Playing it in your ARC will access the CD layer. It should sound no different than a regular CD. If you do think it sounds better, its probably because your ARC is a better sounding component than your SACD player. Just because SACD is a better format doesn't mean that it will automatically sound better than any CD player. To get the best out of SACD's, you'll need to get a high end component, just like you would for any other component.

I think that is the biggest reason why people who try SACD, aren't that impressed with it. Myself included. I went out and bought a Sony DVD/SACD player and was a little disappointed with the results.

Hybrid SACD's do have a CD layer that is playable on a normal CD player. I would borrow a hybrid SACD from your local library to determine if your CD player can pick up this format. The quality of the music on the CD layer is based on the quality of the recording. I've read some reviews of hybrid SACD's where the reviewers have concluded that recordings placed on the SACD and CD layers are different. So be careful!

A recent article published in an audio society journal, based on a double blind tests, determined that the key to high fidelity sound is in the quality of the mastering and recording of the music (not in the word length or sampling frequency). So the key is finding a well mastered recording. Many of the recordings which end up on SACD's are indeed better than their CD counterparts. However , this is not due to the SACD technology.

All cd players should be able to play the CD layer of a hybrid. I know that there are some who claim that putting two layers on the disc compromizes the performance of both layers. I have no idea about that. I own quite a few hybrids (mostly classical) and only play the CD layer. They sound quite good to me (I assume anyone who goes through the trouble of issuing a SACD has probably done a good job of recording and mastering regardless of the format).

There is a Japanese SACD manufacturer that issues very high priced discs made of some material other than conventional polycarbonate that insists that single layer is superior to hybrid. I heard a few and the discs do sound good. However, they do not issue a CD or hybrid equivalent, so there is no way to make comparisons.

Thank you all for your input and education for me on this question. I have been seeing Hybrids from Audio Fidelity and some of the titles are attractive to me and have been wondering about the ability to play them. Thanks to all of your respective input it puts my mind to rest that I would be able to do if I choose. Thank you all very much for your help.