2. digital
  3. 1106779239

I'm totally confused about Hi Rez formats

I was hoping that somebody out there could help this two-channel audiophile make some sense out of the DVD-A and SACD formats. I was interested in exploring these hi resolutiuon formats, but was told by a salesman that the benefits of these formats are only achieved when used in multichannel setups. I went to the dealer under the impression that if one wished to, he or she could simply use such players as two channel digital front ends, and still obtain the benefit of the higher sampling rate and bit rate. I know of one high end player like the Marantz SA-11 that only has two channel analog outputs.

I was interested in testing the waters with a universal player, but I don't want to go nuts and spend thousands of dollars until I have a chance to experiment with the possibilities. Certainly, I have no use for the so-called high resolution formats unless I can truly obtain higher resolution in a two channel system. I am not interested in multichannel audio at the moment. Can somebody please explain things to me.

Thanks!!
mstram

Showing 1 response by newbie13

newbie13
242 posts
 
Multi channel music will be a niche player like LaserDisc. The problem is outside of audiophiles no one just sits and listens to music. It is background filler or listening is done while doing other things not sitting in the sweet spot of multiple speakers. Multi channel works great for movies because you're sitting still. Can't rip SACD/DVD-A to your ipod or burn a copy for the car. Can't be played on a computer server based system. You have to buy all the extra interconnects. That leaves audiophiles as the only viable market for multi channel music.
More to discover