I think really good sacd played on even one of the very few good sacd players out there sounds as good as any vinyl you can throw at it. To hear people talk you would think every vinyl album out there sounds like gods gift to man,lets get real people. I like vinyl and it does sound good but there is just as many stinkers on vinyl as on anything else. I think xrcd is very good but not up there with the best sacds. I would not have said this a couple of years ago but sacd is hard to tell from the very best vinyl out there it is so lush and smooth sounding and redbook is falling behind fast on my play lists.
XRCD vs. SACD
Having listened to several JVC xrcd's on some state of the art redbook gear, I am of the opinion that most that I have heard sound more natural to me than SACD on a budget Sony SACD player. I have not, however, listened to any higher-end SACD players in my system. I would be very interested to hear from those who have made this comparison and can provide some input with regard to how the XRCDs compare.