A SACD player is not just for playing SACDs.... A SACD player will "generally" serve as a higher fidelity transport or stand alone player with redbook, shm, blu-spec, etc cds as well, in comparison to a regular cd player.
Sony themselves have moved on to a object based format called 360 reality audio and upmixers that can blow your socks off, if you figure out how to set up a high fidelity multi channel system.
A dumbed down version of it has even flowed into their headphones. But, some kid who experienced it on 500 dollar headphones won’t be buying a sacd player and an archaic 20k stereo system because the latter will feel like a letdown to him.... no surprise, old man hifi is on its deathbed.
I’ve given up on DSD - even though my dac will play DSD. Sacd are mostly multi channel - and the only way I can successfully play an sacd layer is to use the dac in the oppo and output all analog channels to my multi channel ht processor
ive also found that there are few sacd recordings recorded well enough to bother with the hassle - red book cd’s on the pro ject transport sound better than the tidal streamed equivalent - but it mostly depends on the quality of the original recording - and how many copies of dire straits / pink Floyd and steely Dan do you need to have
id rather listen to discs through my two channel set up than the multi channel home theatre set up as the fidelity is better
