CD vs SACD in STEREO

kraftwerkturbo

Excellent advice as above. There are (2) SACD camps. One is for multichannel (5.1) set-up. While the other is Stereo or (2) channel systems.  Either way, you cannot go wrong.  What other gear and Cabling is in your System?  Season's Greetings.

Happy Listening!

@larsman 

"I could be mistaken".

Sorry, I saw no need to emphasize it any further!

That's funny. In nature, surround sound is, well, all around us!

That's funny. In musical performances, the sound is in front of us. Yes, there are echoes and spatial cues behind us, but a well sorted system will create an immersive soundstage, given the right source material, where the speakers "disappear", unlike surround sound recordings, which typically draw attention to the individual speakers. 

Mainstream SACD has ALWAYS been about multi-channel, 5.1 or 5.0. 

Source? You realize that most early SACDs and players were two channel and the same holds true today for most high-end SACD players.

@big_greg .

i cannot think of any classical SACD (I have hundreds of them) that draws attention to particular speakers. Pop/rock is different - Brothers in Arms does seem to be remixed to, though!

Dolby Atmos definitely does not draw attention to individual speakers.  It maps 'flight paths' for sound sources, and it is up to the processor to map these flight paths proportionally to whatever actual speakers may be in the user's installation.

the sound is in front of us

Not according to AI (my emphases though)

While a tiny fraction might be direct sound (especially up close), the vast majority of the immersive sound experience in a concert hall comes from carefully managed reflections, which build up to create the desired acoustic environment. 

My 'home' acoustic is the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, which has just gone through AUD$100-m on a refit to get this right!