<font color='#000000'>I have had the opportunity to audition a friends two channel system a few times over the last couple of weeks. His system consists of.
1. Sony SCD-1 (stock)
2. Classé CA-400 monoblock amplifiers
3. Genesis 201 loudspeakers
He wired the system up in a balanced configuration all the way to the speakers using Transparent cables. The speakers use a 4 x 400W servo amplifer for the bass. He also has line power conditioning.
After listening to a number of both regular CDs and SACD I was surprised by two things.
1. How good some regular RBCDs can sound. Some were simply amazing. James Taylor's October Road was in this group.
2. How little difference there is between CD and SACD. It is better, don't get me wrong, but not to the extent the hype would have it. To me it was a small incremental improvement. We listened to Patricia Barber, Diana Krall etc., the usual suspects.
Having heard it, I would not be inclined to pay twice as much for a hybrid CD. If an SACD track comes along as part of the package, then I would certainly pick that over a regular RBCD only, but not at a premium.
As for players, most people would not imagine the system I got to audition let alone own it. I wonder what difference SACD makes on more modest systems?
Paul</font>
