State of HDCD and SACD

01-16-07: Paulfolbrecht
FWIW, I've added Sony to my 'Enemies' list.

They're at #673 at the moment following 'Jane Fonda' and 'New York Mimes'.

LOL!

FWIW, Sony is much higher on my 'Enemies' list, they come in at #342, right behind 'New Coke'.

You'll be happy, the Marantz SA-11 is a great machine....now send it to Underwood Wally for the Ultimate tube mod and..........

John

You're right Paul, it is a tube buffer stage, not a tube output stage. Maybe the sonic difference is the better caps and diodes, who knows? I certainly cannot explain the benefits of a tube buffer stage, though I do know that Musical Fidelity made a lot of money selling outboard tube buffers.
It does sound pretty damn good though.

FWIW, I was joking. Simply enjoy your Marantz SA-11.

John

Well actually Paul the SA-11 is now about 2 years old as well, it was released in 2005. However, Marantz has just released the SA-7S1 as well, which also supports SACD and lists for $6999.99.

It's a shame that Sony doesn't continue to support the format, from a hardware or software end of it, as I think that is what is killing SACD. Though not technically dead yet, it is a dying format on life support.
For instance, why don't the Sony Blu-Ray DVD players also play SACD's? They play CD's, and this was Sony's format in the beginning. Sony has pulled the plug and moved on, just like they did with Beta VCR's. Without Sony's support, the format will die, IMHO.

John

Blu-Ray technology had nothing to do with my point. My point was that until Blu-Ray, Sony had always supported their SACD technology in their DVD players, they no longer do. So Sony, the creator of SACD has officially shitcanned SACD and moved on. Just like they did with Beta, and will do in the future with Blu-Ray, Sony is unwilling to support their new technologies. I'm not interested in Blu-Ray, because it will be another superior, yet failed technology from Sony.

If you can remember, Beta didn't die overnight. It took several years. I haven't heard that SACD has been on it's death bed for a decade now, I think you're exaggerating. I felt Sony dealt the deathblow two years ago when they pulled the plug on the software. Now they've pulled the plug on the hardware. When the creator pulls the plug, one does have to wonder how long it can survive.

FWIW, I own a SACD player and love the format. It certainly is closer to vinyl than redbook. I can't let my emotions deny the facts though. I love my mother, yet I see her growing weaker in front of my eyes.

FWIW, on the Sony website, there is a link about SACD. In the FAQ section, one question is: Where can I buy a SACD player? In the answer there is a link to Sony Home Audio products from SonyStyle. When clicking on this link, the response is 'This merchant is no longer participating in the affiliate program.'

Now if that isn't a sign of the creator abandoning his creation, what is?

Mark,
If you'll read the thread a little closer, you'll see that the originator has already purchased a player. A Marantz SA-11S1. Read his last post on 1-15-07.

John

Prepare yourself, Cary cd players sound very different from their preamps and amps, IMHO. I would think that your Marantz sounds closer to the Cary preamp/amp sound that you're used to hearing.

I would say ' It's a shame the buying public snobbed it's nose at it!''

Soniqmike

While I agree to some extent, I do believe that the format developer shares the responsibility as well. I waited on Sony to flood the market with software to make buying SACD a more viable option. While I did buy a SACD player, and a few dozen SACD's. I think the overall lack of software was to blame for the demise of SACD. Sure, you can get 'audiophile' recordings on SACD, but the major labels with the most popular artists never subscribed to the medium. It's hard to blame the consumer's that the software was not released. Without software, who needs hardware?

The software was released as a cottage industry, so the SACD hardware never grew beyond a cottage industry. Maybe if they had originally released hybrid cd's instead of SACD only, they would have had more success, who knows? It's a moot point now anyway.

John