SACD VS DVD-AUDIO

First do a search here and at aa to search the archives. Then ask yourself if there are enough DVDa titles to keep you interested- you may not like every SACD title out there but at least the numbers are growing rapidly and there are over 1500 titles available at this moment. Also look at high end players, what's available for DVDa compared to SACD, there are more then a few $5k+ sacd players and maybe one or two DVDa- the extreme high end seems to show the future of where audio is going. I have listened to both and have chose SACD, even the best DVDa sounds dark to me- not to mention the need for a "monitor" to navigate some discs- I don't even own a TV let alone want one near my system!

I think its good to bring this up for discussion from time to time because this is the future of hi-fi(at this point) and the news changes constantly and NO one(not even Sean) can keep up with everything that is going on. I may be wrong DVDa may win, but SACD will still sound better, and I am gathering as many SACD's as I can just in case. Last summer there was rumor of SACD2 coming out with the same problems DVDa had(graphics, need a monitor to navigate discs, problems getting rights to said graphics), and it was suppose to be confirmed in September and all of the DVDa camp folks were claiming it was the end of SACD and DVDa had won. Well needless to say September has come and gone and no mention of SACD2, it was just a rumor. Something else I have noticed lately in non-audiophile magizines, there have been full page ads for SACD, can't say the same for DVDa. Check out http://www.sacdinfo.com it lists all of the SACD's available see if there is much that interests you, and then make a decision.

If you were smart(unlike me) you would wait for the dust to settle and side with the winner.

That is why I recommend a top-notch universal player for now, anyway.

I'm using an SCD-1 for SACD and a Toshiba SD-9200 to dabble in DVD-A. Of course I'm listening to both formats in 2 channel.

Actually both formats can be pretty good. Overall, SACD reminds more of analog than DVD-A, but DVD-A often has a sense of presence I haven't heard before from any other format.

The vedict is still out, in my opinion. Of course, with the lack of DVD-A titles, if may be moot.

Actually I know what the kid is saying, and he is right. While the selection of DVDA's pales in comparison to SACD software, There are more DVD's that will blow you out of the water. Selections like The Big Phat Band, The Blue Man group , not to mention Steeley Dan actually sound mind bogglingly good on DVD Audio. It is a highly underated format that is ignored due to people feeling they must take a side. And thats ashame. SACD while also a High rez format , is an entirely different beast. It is not designed to have electric guitars and a massive horn section knock you over. It is designed to bring you closer to the actual perfomance. For example , take the recent Stones releases. I Love them. To me they sound analog, and capture what the Stones sounded like on vinlyl back in the 60/70.s Is a young kid going to appreciate this , I dont think so. Now the biggest problem with many of the first batch of SACD releases, is that most of them sound like crap. I have no idea whether they did not have the right equipment or the engineers had no concept of what they were doing. However the good news is the Software is finally catching up to the Hardware . My last 5 SACD purchases have showed a major improvement in revelealing the beautiful sound of SACD ! Dylan, The Who, Roxy Music Avalon , to name a few sound downright breathtaking ! So in the end, do not shut yourself out of either format. Its best to have the capability to play both, otherwise you will miss out on some of the best sound available today. The quality of Software is key. Peace !