CD vs SACD in STEREO

@ericrhodes1 

ChatGPT is wrong. I suspect it's getting confused with DVD-Audio

No, I suspect you are the one getting confused.  To settle the debate, all you have to do is read the Scarlet Book but that costs money!

Only DVD-A was multi channel for a very long time after that. I sold them both in '99

Amazing 'cos the SACD defining document was only released in '99.  I suspect you are based in North America whereas SACD is a European / Japanese invention primarily designed for classical music.

SACD was always intended to support multiple formats, 5.1, PCM and Direct Stream Digital 64 imprinted in multiple layers on the disc which is why it immediately superseded DVD audio which I believe is only 96Khz PCM which also supported 5.1. I have a couple examples of those, Pet Sounds and Hotel California from when I had a Denon DVD player that supported the format. Much rather listen to them on vinyl!

Single layer SACD is also available of which I have a few Steely Dan Japanese SHM that are only mastered in stereo.

@richardbrand you "read it in a book that ’costs money?’

You do realize that sounds like, "I read it on the internet." Right?

Well I was among the first of those in the technologically ignorant "North America" to be trained by the distributors of and sell the first SACD player, the Sony SCD-1 in 1999.  An impressive piece indeed. Definitely only two channel unlike it’s competition from Technics (which I also sold and purchased) The DVD A10. 

@Richardbrand. My post specifically referred to multitrack recordings. I'm quite well aware of how to engineer two track recordings, thank you. 

@ericrhodes1 

 "read it in a book that ’costs money?’

You do realize that sounds like, "I read it on the internet." Right?

Oh dear.  Philips produced a series of technical engineering specifications for the CD and successive variations including SACD.  Each specification was given a distinct cover colour, and the specification became colloquially known by the colour of its cover. The specifications contain valuable intellectual property and are usually available from standards bodies

Standards Bodies (Official Source): The original Red Book standard is officially known as IEC 60908. You can purchase official versions from:

• The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)`.
• ISO (International Organization for Standardization)}

From CD Replication - Red Book and Other Rainbow Standards – Replicat - Vinyl Pressing - CD & DVD Replication & Printing - Album Packaging - Custom Branded Merch:

The Rainbow Books are a collection of standards created by Philips that define the allowed formats of Compact Discs. This list is an extract from the original article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Disc

Red Book

• CD-DA – Digital Audio extended by CD-Text

Yellow Book

• CD-ROM – Read-Only Memory and CD-ROM XA

Orange Book

• CD-R alias CD-WO or CD-WORM – Recordable, Write Once or Write Once, Read Many
• CD-RW alias CD-E – ReWritable or Erasable
• CD-MO – Magneto-Optical

White Book

• VCD – Video and
• CD-Bridge - Hybrid discs, e.g. CD-Ready

Blue Book

• E-CD – Enhanced,
• CD+ – plus and
• CD+G – plus Graphics (karaoke) extended by CD+EG / CD+XG,

Beige Book

• PCD – Photo (not Picture)

Green Book

• CD-i – interactive

Purple Book

• DDCD – Double Density

Scarlet Book

• SACD – Super Audio

By way of comparison, the internet is remarkably free from formal standards.  Almost all its features have been initiated as Requests For Comment.