Sony pulling the plug on SACD? (1 Viewer)

[EricRWem]

Why did you write this nonesense? You should be glad. I'm glad!

This comment gave me my morning chuckle due to its absurdity. What was the point in even writing this? It completely invalidated the rest of your post, which was ok up until this last sentence.

I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or if you really are glad you bought it. A hundred cables doesn't matter to me! I love mine and you couldn't pry it out of my cold, dead hands!

The phrase "all those interconnects" has a negative connotation, so I'm forced to believe you're being sarcastic. That's a shame if you're really serious. And petty.

DISCLAIMER: I'll apologize upfront if, by some slim chance, I'm actually completely misreading you.

Oh noes! 4 whole extra RCA cables! Wow, there's SO many interconnects, it's a crazy jungle back there!

I hope the extra 60 seconds - (I'm being generous as it takes me about 15-20 seconds) - that it took you to connect those 4 whole extra RCA cables wasn't too big a strain on ya! What a bunch of tripe and bunk.

So, let me get this straight: Because ONE store, which had a barely mediocre selection to begin with, isn't going to bother to carry DVD-A anymore, you're ready to throw in the towel? Even in light of the fact that you admit you shop online ANYWAYS? What a joke. Useless whining and tripe.

You do know that Circuit City, as a whole, hasn't been doing that well for a while, right?

www.acousticsounds.com Why don't you start there and see what you think?

www.dvdempire.com Hit the DVD-A tab. Hell, even Amazon and Barnes and Nobles' websites have a better selection of high rez audio discs than CC did/does. You probably know this.

I think you were bored this morning and just fired off a quick troll post for laughs. Well, it definitely worked, because I'm laughing. At you.

A troll post is the most flattering conclusion I can come to reading this. That last sentence totally ruined what was a decent post.

This was some of the best comedy I've read on the Internet in a while.

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. The best I can do for you here.

Or, yeah, maybe you're right: Since Circuit City doesn't carry DVD-A anymore, you should just throw in the towel and sell the unit on Ebay and stop whining and forget about it.

Go back to just two channel audio only and forget about it. Yeah, that's the ticket! Good call, chief!

Give me a break. :rolleyes

Put in one of your DVD-A's right now and see how you really feel about having bought it. Thanks again for the laugh this morning.

 

[JoeHard]

Eric,
My comments about the player and interconnects were partly in jest. I upgraded to a new pre-pro and DVD player to enjoy multi channel music. And while I do enjoy the discs I have, do You really think hi res multi- channel will fly if You can't even buy the discs at a retailer. If the big chains don't carry the disc's do You believe the record companies will continue to support the software, after all We all know they don't care about profit.If You think I'm petty because I made a major investment in equipment to enjoy DVD-A, and am unhappy about the lousy selection and uninspired support from retailers and music companies,so be it.

 

[EricRWem]

That's very little to go by at face value. Seriously, what am I supposed to do with that?
Without knowing you personally, there's no way I can interpret that sparse comment past its obvious face value.

I apologize that I wasn't able to read into this statement all the value you meant behind it. I think it's blunt and brief enough that there's really no other way interpret it, but that's just me.

If you want to disclaim that earlier statement outright, I wouldn't blame you. This response here from you is worlds better! I'm with you all the way on this!

I did apologize in advance in my last post, as I had to consider that, maybe, I was going to make a mistake.

Taken at face value, that is a petty looking statement, in and of itself. I stand by that.

And if the extra interconnects would have been your only complaint, as that first comment from you makes it look like, then yes, that is petty.

Most people are going to read that and say, "Wow, he's all annoyed over the extra interconnects." That's how I read it and that's about all I had to go with.

Too many people use the "Oh noes! Extra cables!" excuse for not even trying high-rez audio, and that's just sad. (Not applicable to you.)

So, sorry about the misunderstanding.

 

[Brian L]

Hey KCB....when I was doing that BM tests between Avia and Chesky (you know what I am talking 'bout!), one of my post calibration test discs was TITA.

Once that bad boy popped into the player, all testing stopped and it stayed there pretty much straight through.....volume cranked...doing my best Beavis and Butthead imitation. Just can't get enough of that one.

Side note...I took advantage of the Sony Music SACD Sale, and Oh Yeah - Aerosmiths Greatest hits just arrived...looking forward to giving that a spin, although the track listing is badly slanted toward their later catalog, and its stereo only (I missed that when I hit the "Buy" button).

So far 2CH Hi-Rez has not done much for me.

BGL

 

[EricRWem]

I'd like take an informal poll of sorts for everyone:

Based on YOUR musical preferences, and if you were forced to make one choice, which high-rez format would you pick? SACD or DVD-A? Why?

Personally, I think SACD has far more selection across the board, so I'm not surprised that JoeHard might run up against the wall of not being very satisfied with his selection if he's JUST on DVD-A and doesn't have SACD available to him.

DVD-A, by itself, just doesn't really blow me away personally. I find that the two complement each other quite nicely if you can get and use both.

That being said, I'd choose SACD if I was forced to only be able to have one.



So, SACD or DVD-A and why?

 

[Cary]

But we're not forced to make a choice...I buy music for music first, technology second. I wouldn't think an extra second about not buying anything new that I'm interested in just because it's on CD. Same thing with SACD & DVDA - I'm buying Neil Young, Elton John, Nick Drake, Living Stereo - not their data format.

That said, looking through the latest Grammaphone last night, DVDA had a grand single title listed, while SACD had a couple of columns. It seems like the classical (and jazz) world has decided for us.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

I was wondering if Brian would show up here... (Otherwise I would have emailed you the link!)

 

[Danny Tse]

I originally had a Panasonic RA60 DVD-Audio/Video player....I waited....and waited....waited some more for DVD-A titles to show up. Nope. Silverline DVD-A's

Then I switched to SACD....while the format, in my opinion, will never reach mainstream, I enjoy it much better.

Note....took advantage of the Sony Music SACD Sale, and Oh Yeah - Aerosmiths Greatest Hits just arrived today for me as well.

 

[Danny Tse]

Just when you think SACD is dying...comes this Sony Electronics/Universal Music promotion

http://www.highfidelityreview.com/ne...umber=16388941

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Kind of like Sony is Jekyll and Hyde, or schizophrenic bipolar, or ying and yang with its marketing efforts for SACD...

 

[EricRWem]

LOL, that's for sure Kevin!


I must not have written my last post clearly enough. This completely missed the point of my last question. I guess I'll take the blame on that one for not writing clearly, even though I feel like I did.

Let me try it again: I wasn't asking about which format you like better, technology wise and to make a choice based on that.

I was asking, BASED ON MUSICAL PREFERENCE ONLY, IF you were forced to pick only ONE high-rez audio format to run with, theoretically, which one would you prefer? In other words, which high-rez format seems to cater to your personal tastes more? I don't know how to write this more clearly.


Yes, it's great that we're not forced to make a choice.

It seems that SACD currently favors classical and jazz more than anything else. That's personally great for me, but I can see where maybe some others, who are more interested in pop, rock, metal, etc. and other kinds of "mainstream" music may not be that wild about it.

On the other hand, we take Joe, who wrote in earlier. He's only got access to DVD-A currently, and he's not very pleased with the musical selection available to him. I'm going to theorize that, if he had SACD also, he probably would be worlds happier and feel better about his overall investment. I wouldn't spend $500+ or whatever JUST for DVD-A, either. It would have to be for both.

For every DVD-A I buy, I probably have 3-4 SACD's to counter that. That's not a "preferred technology" comment, as I think they both sound stellar, it's just how the lot gets drawn on certain releases.

I always look, and will even wait if I have to, to see if a high-rez disc version of something I want is coming out.

I always choose high rez first, if given the choice, for what I would think is the most obvious reason: I'm going to buy the music I want in the best sounding format possible. If a high-rez choice is there, I'm taking it everytime. I can't see any other way making sense. Why would I choose a two channel version if there's a 5.1 version out there?

Disclaimer: Just like regular CD's, some high-rez discs are engineered and sound mastered better than others, so there's a few times where a kick ass mastered regular CD is prefereable to a shoddy high-rez disc, but I think I can count on one hand how many times I've run into that.

I just got a nice $10 coupon from DVD Empire this morning. I might have to make a run on some of those DTS 5.1 discs they just got in.

 

[Brian L]

Gave it a spin yesterday afternoon. Not bad. Not bad at all. I would have preferred it be in MC, but I am guessing that some of these tracks may be as good as I will ever hear them. Interesting the way the SQ improves from cuts on the 1st LP, up through the catalog.

FWIW, it does seem a tad bright to my ears, but not in a harsh sort or way...just a bit tipped up.

As with TITA, you can hear things in the mix that I had not noticed before, although certainly not to the degree that a good 5.1 mix can deliver.

I am guessing that not too much futzing was done with EQ during the mastering either.

Side note: As I did with the HDAD of I ROBOT, I played around with some of the surround modes. As with I ROBOT, this disc sounds quite good with my NAD 762's EARS mode. The entire soundstage expands in a way not at all unlike the real 5.1 mix of TITA. Obviously no discrete stuff in the back, but a very nice sense of envelopment. And EARS seems to do some really nice things with the EQ....a solid low end boost, and the highs loose a bit of their harshness. Maybe a touch of "house curve" but for any music I have tried, it never fails to satisfy.

I would guess the same could be done with PLII, but I prefer the EQ tweak I get with EARS.

So, for $16, I am OK with the purchase, and wait patiently (well maybe not THAT patiently) for Rocks.

BGL

 

[EricRWem]

BTW, what's this about:

http://dualdisc.com/

 

[JoeHard]

Eric,
As You may have guessed by my previous posts I would not buy DVD-A again. I agree the SACD material is more suited to my tastes.Unfortunately I don't believe either format is going to last. I just don't see a commitment to hi-res multi-channel from retailers and suppliers. I hope I'm wrong. I just don't see how the format will survive if they don't release some new music.

 

[Brian L]

Eric...lots of talk about DD in the music forum......I won't rehash it here, but some strong opions (shocking, I know!).

BGL

 

[Rachael B]

Joe, look past the "retailers and suppliers" for the culprit!

 

[EricRWem]

Joe's post makes me sad. :frowning: I don't blame you for feeling that way, Joe, looking at it from your point of view.

I HOPE your diagnsis is incorrect and these formats don't die. I'll consider that one of THE biggest, needless tragedies of all consumer electronics.

Rachael is right, though. Also... by keeping an eye on High Fidelity Review and some other news sites: The releases seem to actually be maintaing a nice steady pulse and may even be picking up. I need to look into this more myself.

Brian, thanks for the heads up!

 

[Paul.S]

Bump.

Danny, I was skimming old threads and I saw your post #17 re Telarc's SA-CD rerelease of their classic 1978 "1812" recording. Woo hoo! Was previously unaware of this. I like this perf more than the one Telarc released previously on SA-CD and DVD-A.

-p

 

[Danny Tse]

For those who don't want to go back to post #17....

Classic 1978 version of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture on Telarc SACD

More recent direct-to-DSD version of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture on Telarc SACD

BTW, more classic Telarc titles are coming to SACD, including Bizet: Carmen, Grieg: Peer Gynt and Mahler: Symphony No. 2, both w/ St. Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin.

Currently working to verify the SACD to Cream's "Live Cream/Live Cream Volume II" and Vanessa Mae's "Choreography" (on Sony SACD).

Rumor has it that SonyBMG is planning a Fall push for SACD.

My local Best Buy even restocked its SACD section!!

 

[Paul.S]

Says who where, Danny? This would be very interesting.

-p