SACD finally taking-off? non-classical listeners

Since my name has been mentioned, here are a few issues that seem to have been overlooked.

Ultimately, this is about music, and with over 6,500 LP's in my personal library the cost to replace with SACD (even at $9.95) would exceed $70,000.00. This would be a larger investment than my analog playback system, and leaves no budget for upgrade of the digital hardware.

Lets assume I was willing to change formats, spend the money time and effort, the quality of reproduction would be less than I began with. LP is superior with the hardware currently available, and would require the release of a few hundred thousand SACD's in order for me to access the "culled" 6500 piece library. After more than 20 years, many of my LP titles are still unavailable on compact disc. I doubt any of these will ever be released on SACD.

For the record, I own a Sony 9000 ES SACD player and consider it a true bargain. It does a good job on redbook and much better on SACD. I enjoy its rugged construction, good looks and non fussy personality, not to mention the convenience of remote control. I buy CD of artists that do not release on LP and buy SACD's when possible, due to it's superior sound.

My Sony, even after adding Purist Dominus interconnect and power cable, Symposium Roller blocks, and isolation shelves still cost less than my analog or any previous high end digital systems.

That being said, there is a great deal of difference between acceptable, good, great, excellent, and unbelievable or unforgettable.

I realize it must be difficult for those who have not heard analog at it's ultimate to understand where our passion comes from. All of these discussions about quality are relative. Relative to the listener, the situation and the actual experience of the audiophile.

Limited experience combined with an unwavering defense of a one sided opinion is what angers me. Happily that there are only a couple of these posters that come to mind at Audiogon forums.

Unfortunately there is no way for a person who owns both formats and has tested at every price level to convince those who have not. I don't mind having a person tell me it does not matter to them. What disturbs me is the person who has not experienced both sides telling everyone that it should not matter to anyone.

I agree with Albert. Those of us who have extensive experience with high quality equipment in both formats are probably better prepared to speak to their relative merits. But see again my remarks about why people who have heavily invested in one format are unlikely to have much good to say about the other.

Just for the record, I haven't heard anyone say that "it should not matter to anyone." I have, rather, heard quite a few calls for tolerance interspersed with dogmatic pronouncements that one or the other format is superior.

will

I don't think anybody really expects one to replace their entire library with the latest "Johnny come lately". Old titles are rereleased so that new comers can enjoy them on "their" systems and to expand the use of recordings so that they may be used in cars or where ever (as well as adding to corporate profits). While I don't expect it anytime soon, maybe one day these new formats will be competitive with the sound (the very reason it exists) of analog.

Albert your comments are correct and well stated. Of course anyone who has an extensive library in one format will continue to invest in hearing it at it's best. You have also built extensive cd and SACD libraries if I'm not mistaken, meaning that you have opened your thinking to all formats. This is good, it's those who simply discount SACD as the latest "beta" or "marketing" scam that I get tired of. If I had a library of 6000+ albums I too would be heavily invested in vinyl playback, but I'm not going to go out and buy every $1.00 album just so IO have such a collection.
I hope we can see all formats are viable, and that it's reasons other than price and availability of software that we chose our format. Sound quality is one, but at the levels we are speaking of the quality is there in all three, cd, vinyl and SACD.

Unsound. I hope you are right. How nice it would be to sit with a remote control and choose the song you want, enjoying the same quality of sound provided by state of the art analog.

I suspect it is possible. I have had the pleasure of listening to master digital tape at the home of Andrew Litton. He is a member of my music listening group, and won a music Grammy for his work. He is truly a creative genius.

( Walton: Belshazzar's Feast / Andrew Litton, conductor; Neville Creed, David Hill, chorus masters ).
     
The master takes from the live performances of the Dallas symphony is the only digital source I have heard that is equal to analog. Perhaps it's because it's a first generation tape, not mixed or re sampled, and because it is yet untouched by the record producers.

When the finished product is finally released, (compact disc) and played side by side with that master, it is an absolute joke. Truly a point of frustration for Andrew as well as myself.

http://www.dallassymphony.com/index.php

If the companies that produce and release the software shared Andrews passion, perhaps we could overcome these obstacles. I doubt that the cost (relative to all the expenses involved) would amount to a miniscule of the budget.

I think you would be stunned by the results of playing near perfect software in our present music systems. Bigger than many tweaks costing thousands of dollars. I feel cheated every time I think about it.