SACD for me? (1 Viewer)

[Nathan_W]

I'm thinking of buying a new DVD player, maybe the Sony NC600 or the NC650. But I don't know if I can take advantage of the SACD playback of the NC650, I only have a mini-hifi stereo(100wx2). In a different thread someone told me I need 5.1 to use SACD. I thought SACDs (could)have both multi-channel and stereo tracks. Could somebody help me understand this?

I'd like to know if I'd be wasting my money on the NC650. I'm mainly looking for a DVD player, but if I could, I'd like to try out SACD.

Thanks!

 

[KeithH]

Nathan, if someone told you that you must have a 5.1 set-up to play SACDs, he or she was dead wrong. The SACD format calls for all multi-channel discs to have discrete stereo tracks. Of course, you must have a 5.1 set-up to take advantage of the multi-channel tracks. If you were to buy the 'NC650V for your system and load a multi-channel SACD, you could use the remote to select the stereo track for playback.
Now, the real question that should be asked is if your system is of high enough resolution for you to realize the benefits that SACD offers over CD. I am not familiar with your system, but I do question what kind of resolution a mini-system can realize. Please do not interpret my comments here as condescending. I am just raising what I consider to be a legitimate concern. Despite this, I would suggest you get the 'NC650V if it is within your budget to try out SACD. Buy the player from a dealer with a solid 30-day money-back guarantee. If you were to find that SACD sounded no better than CD, you could always exchange the 'NC650V for the 'NC600B or another player. In any event, I think you should definitely give SACD a try. If you were to buy the 'NC600B straight out, don't you think you would always be wondering what SACD might sound like on your system? Satisfy that curiosity and try the 'NC650V.

 

[Michael Yung]

You do not need 5.1 because SACD comes in either multi-channel or stereo. When you're buying SACD disks just make sure you get the right ones. However, your mini-hifi stereo has to have input capability to accept the SACD signal from the player or otherwise it is useless. You can't use digital coax or optical, those won't work either.

 

[KeithH]

Michael said:

However, your mini-hifi stereo has to have input capability to accept the SACD signal from the player or otherwise it is useless. You can't use digital coax or optical, those won't work either.

That's a good point. If it is a typical stereo mini-system, then it won't have digital inputs because it has no DSP section. The question is whether it has auxiliary stereo analog inputs. Not all mini-systems do. I assume Nathan's systems has stereo analog inputs since he is looking for a DVD player.

If the mini-system has a DSP section, then one has to be concerned about whether the system offers analog bypass. Analog bypass is a must when using the analog inputs on systems with DSP sections, especially when playing high-resolution formats. A mini-system could very well lack analog bypass. Still, it's not clear what type of mini-system Nathan has.

 

[Nathan_W]

Thanks so far for the advice, I really appreciate it.
My mini system is an old Sony LBT-D570, if that helps at all. It has a set of analog inputs. No digital inputs. The speakers that came with it are 3-ways, book says a woofer, tweeter, and a super tweeter . Also has small little surrounds.
How's that sound?