Club CDFreaks - Knowledge is Power - View Single Post - dvd-audio vs.sacd

clarity1766 · 23-01-2007

I agree KOBA - more expensive to a certain point is normally better...but you do have to listen... even the audiophile magazines point out that a $5 radio shack cable can sound better than a $1000 cable because some companies especially in super high-end jsut charge a lot b/c they just get sales from a certain type of buyer only because of their name...and most audiophile mags pretty much reject monster cable product...

yes.. even the lower end CD players from a company like Sony, Pioneer, Denon, etc. have been greatly improved as far as DACs and other electronics are concerned...but they definitely have been cutting the corners as far as build quality/structural solidity....cheaper players used to be heftier... whereas now the only hefty players are much higher up in the line... like comparing the $500 SACD/DVD/CD player from sonys ES line which seems to be physically substantial to the $129 model...the $129 model is light and flimsy..especially when you compare it to older models from years ago.... one thing high-end A/V equipment is NOT lightweight... this has to do with them saving on materials and shipping costs....

anyhow...one thing I forgot to mention that is great about the SACD format is the possiblity of the hybrid disc which has both layers at no additional cost...i find the single SACD only titles irritating....it's nice to be able to get both the CD version that can be played anywhere and the superior recording that can be played back and enjoyed on an SACD system.... the problems with SACD is not the format itself, but like CD the playback...where it has taken years to perfect... it seems to be easier to encode in digital vs. bringing it back into analog... it seems from some articles that I have read is that CD as a format may not be "bad" as far as recording or storage of music...it just seems that it is harder to decode back analog well...whereas SACD...very early on in the life of its players is close to surpassing CD playback...where it doesn't in all cases...but...since there is more data there and it's A/D conversion is simpler it seems likely to fully surpass CD in a much shorter time-span (which is complicated by less push to improve the players since the format itself isn't flying off the shelves...) what we should ALL hope for is the hybrid CD/SACD becoming the standard on all new releases and remasters of older titles...so that as one grows their collection it works in all exisitn gCD players but then has the potential for superior playback in the future... that is a win-win situation for everyone...

23-01-2007	#20 (permalink)
clarity1766 New on Forum Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 3	Hybrid SACD/CD titles I agree KOBA - more expensive to a certain point is normally better...but you do have to listen... even the audiophile magazines point out that a $5 radio shack cable can sound better than a $1000 cable because some companies especially in super high-end jsut charge a lot b/c they just get sales from a certain type of buyer only because of their name...and most audiophile mags pretty much reject monster cable product... yes.. even the lower end CD players from a company like Sony, Pioneer, Denon, etc. have been greatly improved as far as DACs and other electronics are concerned...but they definitely have been cutting the corners as far as build quality/structural solidity....cheaper players used to be heftier... whereas now the only hefty players are much higher up in the line... like comparing the $500 SACD/DVD/CD player from sonys ES line which seems to be physically substantial to the $129 model...the $129 model is light and flimsy..especially when you compare it to older models from years ago.... one thing high-end A/V equipment is NOT lightweight... this has to do with them saving on materials and shipping costs.... anyhow...one thing I forgot to mention that is great about the SACD format is the possiblity of the hybrid disc which has both layers at no additional cost...i find the single SACD only titles irritating....it's nice to be able to get both the CD version that can be played anywhere and the superior recording that can be played back and enjoyed on an SACD system.... the problems with SACD is not the format itself, but like CD the playback...where it has taken years to perfect... it seems to be easier to encode in digital vs. bringing it back into analog... it seems from some articles that I have read is that CD as a format may not be "bad" as far as recording or storage of music...it just seems that it is harder to decode back analog well...whereas SACD...very early on in the life of its players is close to surpassing CD playback...where it doesn't in all cases...but...since there is more data there and it's A/D conversion is simpler it seems likely to fully surpass CD in a much shorter time-span (which is complicated by less push to improve the players since the format itself isn't flying off the shelves...) what we should ALL hope for is the hybrid CD/SACD becoming the standard on all new releases and remasters of older titles...so that as one grows their collection it works in all exisitn gCD players but then has the potential for superior playback in the future... that is a win-win situation for everyone...