So close to giving up on SACD and DVD-A (1 Viewer)

[anthony_b]

I was an early adapter with a Panasonic dvd-a player a couple of years ago and then with a Sony 222es SACD player.
For my musical taste there is nothing that is exciting enough for me to go out and purchase. My last purchase was a Sam Cooke hybrid (thank GOD for hybrids !!).. I was so happy when I got my players and now they're just taking space in my rack. (check the hardware for sale section soon).

 

[Mark C.]

I just purchased the 222es. Now, I'm not sure why. Yes, the SACDs sound great. Yes, I only buy hybrids. Thank God, though, that I bought a SACD player that also plays redbook. DVD-A: forget it. I tried it a few weeks and got sick of fiddling with on-screen menus.

 

[Felix Martinez]

What's your musical taste?

While there could always be more titles, there are quite a few DVD-A and SACD titles to choose from.

I also would have never discovered the fantastic multi-channel experiences of La Stravaganza (SACD) and Laurence Juber's Guitar Noir (DVD-A) had it not been for the hi-res formats expanding my tastes.

Cheers,

 

[Jack Briggs]

My years of experience here tell me that this thread is going to become a spirited discussion.

 

[anthony_b]

Felix, I hear what your saying...SACD and DVD-A has made me purchase music I never would have tried before (ZIROQ and LAGQ), but at the same time It has cost me a lot of money "experimenting" with new music because there was nothing I "really" wanted to buy. Now all this new music is collecting dust. I have a Sony 222es SACD player and I really like it but, it's being mostly used for Redbook. My musical taste are mostly Latin Jazz, tropical,Soft Rock,classic rock and R&B.

 

[MikeH1]

Your letting something as benign as this to ruin your listening pleasure?

Do what I do. Put in DVD A disc. Adjust channels. Turn off TV, sit back and relax

 

[dpippel]

It may be benign to some and a deal killer for others. One reason that I prefer SACD over DVD-A is because I can pop in a disc, press PLAY, sit back and relax. Having to turn on the display to listen to MUSIC is a relatively big issue for me. Enough so that I usually don't even look at DVD-A titles when I'm shopping for high-res.

 

[Felix Martinez]

I have a projector and never fire it up just to hear the audio content of a DVD-A. As soon as the disc spins up, I hit "stop" on the remote (to bypass any menus), then "play." No big deal.

As for the future of hi-res multi-channel audio, many artists and producers I've been speaking with have already transfered or are in the midst of transfering vast catalogs into hi-res - for the most part, 24-bit/96kHz for multi-track masters, and 24/192 for stereo masters. DSD is of course being used for the Sony catalog (stereo masters), and many jazz and classical audiophile labels.

The sole CD-only player I own is the factory installed one in my car. Every other disc transport in my home and office - computers included - are DVD drives and/or universal DVD-A/SACD players. You do the math.

Cheers,

 

[LanceJ]

Yes, the amount of titles on dvd-audio sucks. And too many are just too damn old! And since I'm not into jazz or classical, sacd is basically invisible to me.

The dvd-audio people I assume are waiting for the hybrid flipper disc to appear before releasing more titles in great quantities. This is why I have been patient......so far. But IIRC that was supposed to start happening this month--anybody hear anything about this?

I am still planning on buying that huge Infinity Alpha 37C center channel and Infinity Primus PS12 sub to finish off my full-range music surround system, but luckily these are also suited for movie use too.

LJ

 

[gene c]

I as yet do not have a hi-res player but one is in my near future. Up to now I have purchased about 15 DVD-A disks and really enjoy the DD and DTS tracks. I really enjoy the true surround sound and think the extras the menues have to offer is is a bonus. Things like interviews, music videos and lyrics only add to the pleasure of better sound. As for SACD, I'm sure I will buy them as well when I finally get the hi-res player, but not untill then. Right now I see no reason to buy a new disc that I can't listen too in 5.1 in the house. As for compatabillity with a CD player, I don't need it. I can make a two channel copy on my H/K CDR for use in the car. So for now, my vote goes to DVD-A (as well as DTS discs). And so far, spending a minute to set-up a disc hasn't been a bother. GENE

 

[Peter_A]

Funny, you're close to giving up and I thought just recently how I'd given up on the formats, just no releases in either format that interest me. I haven't purchsed a disc in almost 2 years.

 

[Trina]

I'm almost in the same boat. I bought a DVD-A player souly because I'm a huge Frank Zappa freak and had to hear Halloween in all it's glory. I then bought a few other DVD-A's and have been disappointed in some way with everything else I've bought. DVD-A just doesn't have a catalog for any of the music I want to hear, especially in this format. I'd love to hear some Miles Davis in DVD-A, but Tutu isn't exactly what I'm wanting. And I'm not switching over to SACD at this point either cause I'm not sure it's worth the money or hassle. I haven't bought a new DVD-A for 6 months or more because nothing out there speaks to me.
And yeah, I tried experimenting with music I wasn't familar with and found out why I'd never heard of it before. :frowning:
I don't have money to waste, so I'm back to buying regular CD's of the music I like.

 

[FeisalK]

nothing about anyone specific, but some of the same people who complain about on-screen menus for DVDA (which you can kill with a remote) are the same ones who go through a ritual everytime they take an LP out to listen to

if it's music I want to listen to in any format, i think it's worth the effort

 

[PhilBoy]

I agree with gene c...

The dts tracks are great for us 'hi-rez-challenged' folks.

...'cept my REM disc.

 

[Mark C.]

Well, I stopped owning LPs somewhere in the 1980s. My main gripe is really with M/C music in general. I prefer two-channel music; M/C seems more a gimmick that requires you to sit in one spot to appreciate the surround field. Some of us don't have time for this. I have my two-channel "sweet spot,'' where I can really appreciate a good recording, but more than likely I'm busy doing some type of household maintenance chore while I'm listening to my SACD stereo. M/C just doesn't allow for this convenience. You're a prisoner of the surround field. Throw in the silly DVD-A menus and the frustration level rises further.

 

[FeisalK]

Mark,

I don't see why if you are not doing critical listening you can move around with the stereo going on, but not with the M/C going on?


is it that good that you feel captured within the surround field and dare not go about your work as you would have with only stereo material?

dont mind me im a surround-o-philiac and I think we'll need an anonymous support group sometime

 

[gene c]

Obviously m/c isn't for everyone. Music should be a joy, not a cause of frustration. I'm also dissappointed in the slow build up of titles, but hey, I couldn't afford to duplicate my entire (but modest) catalog of music all at once anyway so one or two a month is fine for me. If you can't find something to enjoy after a year or two then I don't know what to tell you. Your taste in music must be way out there. Mine is too by the way. Two of my favorite CD's are "Please Don't Touch" and "Cured" by Steve Hackett of early Genesis fame. I don't expect them to be in hi-res untill 2066 if at all. But so far there is enough out there to keep my interest in the new formats. As for listening to m/c while doing other things, you are right, two channel is better. That's why most of the time I listen to m/c as I do a dvd. I wait untill I have the time to sit for a while and enjoy the experience. Spending a moment or two to set-up isn't a big issue with me. Menus mean choices and I would rather have choices to make than be forced to listen to what someone else thinks I should. And to me, anyone who dosn't love the way Donald Fagen's "Night Fly" sounds in m/c compared to stereo should not bother spending their hard earned money on a hi-res player because it dosn't get any better than that. Hope I didn't tick anyone off. Not my intention. I just feel kind of sorry for those of you who don't enjoy the new format's as much as the rest of us. Gene

 

[Felix Martinez]

The same thing was said when going from mono to stereo. As long as the artist is involved in the re-mixing process and the original stereo mix is included, How can you go wrong?

Cheers,

 

[Phil A]

M/C definitely has a smaller sweet spot. With stereo one can move closer or further from the speakers from the sweet spot and still get an image. With multiple speakers playing moving further back has the rears playing too much and moving too close has the center to deal with. With stereo one can listen in the background while they do other stuff and pop their head closer to the sweet spot (without all the multiple speakers playing) and take a quick listen. I find most M/C mixes very much like the early days of quad with ping-pong like effects to let one know the other speakers are on. OK if you enjoy that. Not my cup of tea.

"Throw in the silly DVD-A menus and the frustration level rises further." Amen to that too, not to mention the more than often extra cost to get that frustration. I'll take a couple of extra dollars less cost and music I can put in and play. If I want to hear M/C to see if I like it, pressing a button to change between stereo and M/C is much easier. DVD-A stds. that allow the toggling between stereo and M/C with the hitting of the 'audio' button (assuming they are std. as to whether the default is M/C or stereo) should become adopted as the norm.

 

[gene c]

I agree with Phil on m/c not being agressive enough. Most people (including engineers and producers) seem to think surrounds are for occasional use only. I don't. As for listening to m/c disc's in stereo, I really don't do much of that. If I'm going to spend more for a 5.1 disc, I'm going to listen to all 5 channels, not just two. To me, listening to a m/c in stereo is like driving a convertible on a nice day with the top up! (don't do that either). Anyway, when I listen to stereo cd's, I usually set my Onkyo to 5 ch stereo or "orchestra". Those just sound better to me than stereo. Gene