Sony lowers prices of SACDs (discs). (?) (1 Viewer)

[KeithH]

I just got the latest weekly e-mail newsletter from Music Direct, which claims that Sony has (finally) lowered the prices of its SACDs. Music Direct is now selling single-disc titles for $16.99 and double-disc titles for $22.49. The newsletter states that Heart Alive in Seattle and the forthcoming Bob Dylan hybrids are not part of the price drop.

Does anyone know if the price drop is being adopted by all retailers and e-tailers? Can we expect to see a drop at Best Buy, for example? It seems to me that mail-order dealers like Music Direct, Acoustic Sounds, and Elusive Disc tend were a bit pricey on SACDs to begin with, so I am thinking that Best Buy will be cheaper if they adopt the price decrease.

 

[Phil A]

Keith that seems like good news that is long overdue. I would expect that for places like Best Buy, it will be dependent on the store. Once local store where I am still has Warner DVD-As for $22.99 (which are naturally collecting dust) while another one has the same titles for $17.99.

 

[Rachael B]

I hope this is the beginning of the end of single-layer So-ny SACD's. Sony has a bunch of SACD's on "indefinite delay" according to Music Direct. I hope they're gearing up for le disc du hybride production???...auh, only that is. I bet alot of the "lesser" titles on single-layer won't come back hybridized??? Stuff like Phil Lesh, Johnny Winter, Jorma Kaukonen, Tony Bennet & K.D. Lang ...the stuff that sells slower, has smaller names... take your best quess which ones they are or could/would be???

 

[KeithH]

Phil said:

Once local store where I am still has Warner DVD-As for $22.99 (which are naturally collecting dust) while another one has the same titles for $17.99.

Ugh. Some of the Best Buy stores in my area were slow to mark down the DVD-Audio discs, but they all did so months ago. Someone at that one store near you needs to get his or her act together. What ever happened to regional managers checking in on what the stores are doing? :rolleyes


Rachael,

I too have been hoping that Sony has been slow to release new SACD titles while it gets its ducks in a row with hybrid production. We'll see what happens after the Dylan discs are released.

 

[Marty M]

I'm wondering if Sony is finally feeling the pressure from competition. I picked up the Norah Jones SACD for the same price as a redbook CD. That was also the case for Dark Side of the Moon.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

I think this is great news.

I bet this is somehow related to all the new hybrid capacity now online.

Could also be part of a renewed Super Audio push in advance of the Dylan releases...

 

[Brian-W]

I'll start the DVD-A conspiracy theorys - reason for the price drop is SACD isn't selling

 

[Lee Scoggins]

I'll start the DVD-A conspiracy theorys - reason for the price drop is SACD isn't selling

Stirring the pot!

Actually its doing very well according to some online retailers I know at Acoustic Sounds and Red Trumpet. Friends at Chesky tell me that SACD is doing much better than DVDA.

Overall, this may be in part due to the hybrid exclusives doing so well as redbook fans purchase them ahead of SA hardware purchases or for better remastering. Either way, I think there is a good base of big artists to build from. The audiophile community certainly loves the Super Audio format judging by the avalanche of good press and strong review listings (quantity and quality).

It could be that Sony wants to move inventory or a whole bunch of other reasons.

 

[Michael St. Clair]

Overall, this may be in part due to the hybrid exclusives doing so well as redbook fans purchase them ahead of SA hardware purchases or for better remastering. Either way, I think there is a good base of big artists to build from. The audiophile community certainly loves the Super Audio format judging by the avalanche of good press and strong review listings (quantity and quality).

It could also be due to effective marketing and subjective perception, among a zillion other things.

 

[Marc Colella]

How will this effect prices in Canada?

There's been very little movement of SACD prices in the last few years.

If they get their price down to a few dollars away from CD prices, I may pick up a few for a change.

I haven't purchased a SACD in well over a year.

 

[KeithH]

I wonder if Sony is feeling pressure from Universal. Crest problems aside, Universal has turned out a number of great SACDs, many of which are hybrids, for less than Sony's single-layer discs.

 

[KeithH]

Here is a link with more on the Sony price drop:

http://www.highfidelityreview.com/n...number=18704078

 

[Justin Lane]

Its about time Sony reduced their pricing. There are quite a few discs I will be looking to pick up if the reduced pricing ever hits locally at Best Buy or Tower.

I wonder if Sony is feeling pressure from Universal. Crest problems aside, Universal has turned out a number of great SACDs, many of which are hybrids, for less than Sony's single-layer discs.

I wouldn't be surprised. Most of the single layer Universal SACDs can be picked up for 12.99 online from Circuit City. With Sonys previous pricing, they were always 6 to 8 bucks more a disc.

J

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Sony lowers prices of SACDs

Maybe it's an effort the move the discs faster, so as to get the cracking Crest hybrids out of inventory, so those of us waiting for confirmation that there *is* no more cracking won't sit on the fence as long.

 

[KeithH]

Kevin, nice theory, but Sony Music has not produced hybrid discs at the Crest plant. The only hybrid SACDs on the Sony label that I am aware of are Heart Alive in Seattle and the Dylan sampler packaged with the Masked and Anonymous soundtrack. They were pressed at Sony's Terre Haute, IN plant. They aren't going to crack.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Hee, hee.