I have heard the SACD format and found it to be quite good - ablbiet it was a sample disc. My feeling is that SACD will fail as a "mass-market" format, while DVD-A will become the "mass-market" format of the future. The price will probably be such (in a couple of years) that it would be a no-brainer for someone who is in the market for a DVD video player to buy a player that has DVD-A capability built-in - esp. if there is not much of a premium in price. My biggest fear, and one I don't see being discussed here oddly enough, is that DVD-A will be mainly used for multi-channel audio - NOT super high quality 2 channel. Everything I have read about DVD-A (in the marketing hype) is that you will get "music" in a 5.1 or 6 channel arrangement - similar to Dolby digital or DTS. I'm sure the recording engineers will be employing this surround technique when they make the software. With this "fear" in mind, I think the SACD format will have a "niche" market for us 2-channel folks. My thinking is that (in the future) I'll have two digital playback systems. One will be for all of my current 16 bit, 2-channel discs and the other will be a DVD-A, where I can watch movies and listen to the newer recording format - presuming bands record that way and (future band's) music is worth a crap! My advice - get the best digital system you can afford today if your in to good 'ol STEREO!
Relief? The New Digital Players
On a digital note is anyone relieved that the preliminary reports on the new digital format/players are not all that favoring IMO? I keep hearing the word "thin" used to describe the sound, both from this site as well as a few dealers that have attended trade shows. I have wanted a second CD source and have been kind of placed on hold in the interim. Thin would not be the way to go with our current system which I do not wish to change, and in which I had planned on using the new player, and the old one in a second system. If the new format does not sound miles better I do not see the industry changing formats anytime soon. How good are the new players? Are they thin sounding as I have heard to date or is there more to it?