SACD vs DVD audio vs 24/96..??

Sony has released an sacd player in Europe that will street here at less than 800 this fall. As those prices fall, I'd expect more sales and more recordings to be available, and could be a decent installed base when/if the dvd-a crowd gets their copy-protection act together.

I don't know which format will come out on top, maybe neither one will make it. All I can say is that we audiophiles have been waiting for 15 years to have a truly high resolution format and now that it's here I'm going for it. I just ordered the SCD-777ES from J&R Music World. They are selling this machine for $1799. That's like half price! Considering how the thing is built and how it reportedly sounds with conventional CD's I think it is a real bargain.Yes, I'm sure that Sony will soon bring out a machine for $1000 or less but you can be sure that it won't be built like this baby. I agree with the reviewers that SACD is the way to go for purist audiophiles. I will probably get a do all player for my Home Theater system when they come out but I'm sticking to a purist 2 channel aproach for my serious listening. There is some confusion as to compatibility of 6 channel SACD discs. Acording to SONY, there will be a 2 channel mix on all discs, therefore your 2 channel player will not become obsolete (unless the format does). I'll post again after the machine arrives and I have evaluated it.

None will survive... these formats are only for audiophiles, and no one else can afford it. All the record companies wont produce discs for them if no one has players. Everything will go mp3, but thats about it. Why not just get the ebst CD players and not worry about SCD or DVDA etc.. they arent going to get the support. I guess depending on your music tastes it will though, but its what id buy. 10,000,000 CD tracks.. 50 SCD.. go figure

DAT machines are still in use, years after they supposedly "died". It's the recording industry's standard format. Sadly, I agree that SACD is probably doomed, sooner or later. I heard the SCD-1, and loved it. I'm also suspicious of DVD-A's chances of making it. The way I see it, it boils down to what the record companies are willing to support. The gains that DVD produced over VHS were easy to see. It didnt take long for everyone to get behind it. The gains that SACD offers over CD is noticeable only to a few.(US) Most recording companies, I imagine, would be unlikely to produce this format.(similar in that respect to pre-recorded minidisc or dat. Hopefully, the new buzz over upsampling will lead to something that will be on par, at least with DVD-A, if not SACD. I fear that in another 5 years, we'll be having this same conversation.

I would be very happy if SACD survived only as a nitch market. Heck, High End audio is a nitch market. The anaylagy to DAT is apropriate. It was never meant to be mass market. I don't expect there to be a SACD or DVDA player in every home unless it's thrown in for free with every $299 DVD player. I'm sure it could happen. You don't have to ask what they would sound like....