Coping in an Age of Uncertainty

You have stated in other threads that you have quit an investment in HI-FI. Buy a used Sony 777 or Sony SCD-1 for between $1500 to $2700. The music that is available on SACD sound much better than CD's. If SACD doesn't survive sell the SACD player for what ever you can get, but enjoy the SACD while you can. Maybe with your vast connections you can pursued the music companies to stick with SACD.

I've pretty much been a vinyl guy and ignored digital playback for quite a while. However, there is such a vast library of great music on CD and so much more being produced (and reproduced) every day, that I finally broke down and sought out the best CD playback I could find without being completely insane about it. That happened to be the Ayre D-1, which is awfully expensive but does a tremendous job of CD playback and has the added benefits of DVD-A playback (better still) and terrific DVD video. (although I don't take advantage of that capability).

I'm happy. SACD is probably better and may win the next format war, but I must say that, in my experience, CD playback through SACD players is mediocre at best compared to most of the really good CD only players out there. Moreover, it will be many, many, many years before the library of SACD goods will be large enough to "open up" your collection of music the way my excellent CD/DVD player has opened up mine.

If one must have SACD, maybe the answer is to combine a SACD player with a good external DAC that will raise the level of the CD playback. I've decided not to bother but rather to get the best CD playback I can justify and then sit back and enjoy my record collection and some of the many genuinely wonderful CDs now being made until the next format becomes so dominant that I need it to get the music I want. In other words, my advice would be to wait for the music to dictate what you need. I went to CD because there was just too much music I couldn't get unless I did so.

There is no format war among audiophiles sacd is the clear cut winner and there is no debate about it check out www.widescreenreveiw.com/todaynews/audperf04.html you will not find a sole on earth who says dvd-a is better so like i said a vote to sit on the fence on this issue is a vote for whatever crap format the industry decides. Anybody who sits on the fence has no right to complain in the future about quality of whatever format we end up with.

Jab,there are all ready multi players and this is a reveiw from one the pioneer ax10. The wadia 860 cd player just blew away the pioneer player, outperforming it in every way on all material EXCEPT SACD[QUOTE UNQUOTE]This is a reveiw from www.widescreenreveiw.com/todaynews/audprf07.html check it out, like i said sacd is the clear winner.They say in a reveiw of a dvd-a only player in the same issue that it sounded simply terrible ,worse than redbook.