Sacd?

[rollinrocker]

I have about 40 dvd-a discs. For the most part they sound fantastic, but there are some duds. I have 4 sacd/hybrids but i don't even have a sacd player, the remastered two channel sounds great. There are new releases coming out every month, but not in any great numbers. Hi-rez is not dead, but pulse is weak!

 

[j_garcia]

Most SACDs just contain the exact same tracks on the CD layer that are on the redbook CD. They are NOT remastered just for the SACD release in most cases, AFAIK.

 

[rollinrocker]

I have both redbook and sacd versions of "avalon" and "dark side of the moon". Trust me, there IS a difference.

 

[treetownal]

I bought my Denon 1920 for about $250, refurbed with full warranty. It works great and SACD sounds great. You can probably get it cheaper if you looked hard enough. There are enough good SACD titles out there that it is worth it to own just for them.

 

[j_garcia]

DSoTM has at least a dozen versions and I couldn't tell you which one is on the SACD, so that one isn't so easy to pin down. Avalon is different from the previous RB because I think they went back to what I believe was a thought to be lost analog master and they probably were remastered. That is not the case for all hybrids though, because I have a few that it is clear that there is no difference. All I'm saying is don't assume that every hybrid will contain remastered CD tracks. On the Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral, the CD tracks are identical to the previous redbook release (AFAIK) for example.

 

[Jack Dotson]

Snip...
Anyway, I can't get enough of my SACDs. Love 'em. Loooooove 'em. And oh MAN would I love to pick up a Denon 1920 -- it's the only current player I'd be able to afford right now. But I'll contine to drool over the 3910 every time I stroll into Bay Bloor Radio. Sigh. So pretty . . . so shiny . . . sigh . . .

cheers,
supervij

How about the Sherwood Newcastle SD-860? Have you taken a look at it? There is very little written about it, but I took a chance a ordered one yesterday, $418 shipping included, three year warranty. Look too go to be true on paper, I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

 

[StanTheMan]

Yeah, the iPod annoys me. People seem to think it is some sort of nice piece of gear, and it most certainly is not. It is an MP3 player just like the rest of them, and it is subject to the same limitations - the quality of the MP3 files themselves.

It's nice because of the portability, and for folks who travel a lot, it's an easy way to take your tunes with you without lugging another suitcase. Considering how often I lugged around a portable cassette player (25 years ago or so), it likely also is great for the young 'uns. But the fact that folks think it has suitable sound quality for an every day player is disturbing as is the emphasis on singles rather than albums. Albums are art, man. A single....is just a single. It's easy to see why the industries love 'em though...the record labels made a bundle off 45s and they've been trying to get back there ever since the 45 bit the dust.

 

[Geno]

If you do a lot of air travel, the portables are a gift from God. I burn from my own CDs using MP3Pro at minimum 192Kbs Variable Bitrate, and the sound is quite good through my Etymotic earbuds. I have a 20 GB Archos player and have about 50 CDs on it, and it's still only about half full.
Gotta agree about critical listening at home, though. I find enough SACDs and DVDAs to satisfy my habits, and most of the DVD concerts in DTS are also good audio quality.

 

[shokhead]

The more i listen to SACD and DTS discs,the worst redbook cd's sound.

 

[j_garcia]

The more i listen to SACD and DTS discs,the worst redbook cd's sound.

Sorty of I do listen to my hires more and more too, The resolution definitely isn't there on most CDs, but that is not the fault of the media, it is the mastering. I do have a few CDs that I think sound great. Jazz at the Pawnshop is a redbook CD, but it actually has as much detail as my best SACDs. I'd buy it on SACD, but that version is ~$60!

 

[Ssebu]

Just two things I'd like to add:

First, you have to know that SACD players cannot output sound to your receiver in the digital domain, Sony (which created the format) won't allow it. You have to run six analog RCA cables from your player to your receiver. Therefore, many things you take for granted from your receiver have to be done by your player. For example, bass management. I have a Denon 1920 myself, and it does bass management, but the crossover frequency is fixed at 100 hertz. A lot of those universal players have fixed frequency bass management like that, but some have a crossover at 120 hertz, which is worse if you ask me. Players with a configurable crossover frequency are a lot more expensive than the 1920. Make sure to check the bass management and speaker calibration features of the players you shop for.

Second, I'd like to ask people why it is that they dislike dualdisc that much. I used to think that dualdiscs were like DVD-Audios, except that they dealt with the biggest letdown from that format: the lack of compatibility with CD players. I admit I was pretty disappointed last week when I bought a dualdisc and the DVD side only contained Dolby Digital, no MLP. However, I read that this is only a habit of Sony's. Therefore, NEVER buy dualdiscs from Sony BMG. However, my Nine Inch Nails dualdiscs are remarkable, and their DVD side is a full blown DVD-Audio. I'd love to have more disks like that, and I prefer that to normal DVD-Audios any day of the week.

 

[shokhead]

Not all Dualdisc are DVD-a

 

[j_garcia]

Just two things I'd like to add:

First, you have to know that SACD players cannot output sound to your receiver in the digital domain, Sony (which created the format) won't allow it.

Sorry, but that is incorrect. There are at least two approved digital connection types for passing SACD, IEEE (firewire) and now Denon Link, for compatible denon gear - both the receiver/pre/pro and the player have to have the same connection.

Second, I'd like to ask people why it is that they dislike dualdisc that much. I used to think that dualdiscs were like DVD-Audios, except that they dealt with the biggest letdown from that format: the lack of compatibility with CD players. I admit I was pretty disappointed last week when I bought a dualdisc and the DVD side only contained Dolby Digital, no MLP. However, I read that this is only a habit of Sony's. Therefore, NEVER buy dualdiscs from Sony BMG. However, my Nine Inch Nails dualdiscs are remarkable, and their DVD side is a full blown DVD-Audio. I'd love to have more disks like that, and I prefer that to normal DVD-Audios any day of the week.

Dual Disc is fine, right up until you try that disc in a player that isn't Dual Disc compatible and the disc is destroyed... Dual Discs are physically not compatible with all players; I found this out the hard way while trying to find out which players of mine the discs worked on.

DVD-A (MLP) is a competetor of Sony's SACD format, so it is pretty obvious that any Dual Discs they release are not going to have MLP content.

Did you read your own manual? The 1920 has a fixed crossover of 80Hz.

 

[Ssebu]

My manual indicates that the crossover frequency is 100 Hz, see page 27 of the English part.

And sorry about the Denon link thing, I didn't notice it allowed SACD output, as of 2005. Guess I'm a bit behind on news.

 

[j_garcia]

My manual indicates that the crossover frequency is 100 Hz, see page 27 of the English part.

Interesting, the website lists 80Hz under specs, which is the same as the 2910 and 3910, so it would make more sense. So I'd say an email to Denon is in order to find out which is correct.

And sorry about the Denon link thing, I didn't notice it allowed SACD output, as of 2005. Guess I'm a bit behind on news.

Well, I just found that out in this thread myself also. Firewire has been able to pass SACD digitally for some time now though.

 

[WeAreSurrounded]

And how about HDMI ? I heard that the newer version of the standard will accept the SACD signal as well. Anybody knows more details ?

 

[Johnd]

HDMI 1.2 supports SACD, but I'm more concerned with sound quality than convenience. You'll be hard-pressed to get a better signal transfer than with six high quality cables.

 

[Geno]

It's been interesting reading all your responses on the imminent death of SACD & DVD-A. I just started getting into these things about 9 months ago, and have a pretty good collection of both formats. I've mostly bought duplicates of my favorite redbook CDs (Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler, Pink Floyd), so I guess I've been very happy with the selection. The classical and jazz offerings are huge...now, if they'd just start doing gangsta rap on SACD and convince the crowd with the thumpin' cars that they ain't cool wit'out it..

 

[Johnd]

It's been interesting reading all your responses on the imminent death of SACD & DVD-A. I just started getting into these things about 9 months ago, and have a pretty good collection of both formats. I've mostly bought duplicates of my favorite redbook CDs (Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler, Pink Floyd), so I guess I've been very happy with the selection. The classical and jazz offerings are huge...now, if they'd just start doing gangsta rap on SACD and convince the crowd with the thumpin' cars that they ain't cool wit'out it..

Geno: I must be some sort of Dinosaur as I just bought my sacd player (Denon 2900 that was discontinued 14 months ago). Floyd, Knopfler, Dire Straits; all excellent choices. And the jazz and classical choices are endless. I guess when I refer to the imminent death of sacd, it's only that the next "latest/greatest" will begin to detract from their sales, and consequently, production of sacd's. I hope sacd's are here for another decade...I am sure the classical masses won't have it any other way. Besides, my player's only a month old. Happy listening.

 

[Pyrrho]

Thanks for all the feedback. Is there anything in particular I should look for in a player? The consensus here seems to be that a cheapo-universal player is sufficient.

What you should look for depends upon your needs, desires, and your budget. I have a Yamaha DVD-C750, and I am very happy with it. You can read a review at:

http://www.audioholics.com/productreviews/avhardware/YamahaDVD-C750DVDChanger1.php

You can read another thread about it at:

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20985