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errol van
04-23-2010, 02:25 PM
I've heard lots of blogs about how much better SACD's sound compared to regular CD's. In thinking of purchasing a OPPO BDP 83 and it plays SACD disks and I listen to all kinds of music so I would like to know if its worth the investment to buy a SACD compatable player and SACD Music disks. Is the sound that much better!

blackraven
04-23-2010, 03:09 PM
Most 2ch SACD's sound better than redbok cd's. I find many SACD's to be excellent and better sounding than their std cd counter parts. However, SACD is limited in music selection. If you like rock then it's not really worth it because there are not a whole lot of titles in SACD. If you listen to Classical then it's certainly worth it. There is a decent selection in Jazz and Vocal music. I would browse some on line music stores and take a look at the SACD selection. Also, if you are looking for better recorded and better sounding music, give a listen to XRCD's. The XRCD's that I own are comparible to SACD IMO. www.eastwindimport.com

http://www.cduniverse.com/browsecat.asp?style=music&cat=2703

The Oppo DP-83 is a very good SACDP, a good CDP and an excellent BRP

rob_a
04-23-2010, 04:42 PM
I do think that SACD, DVD-A and Blu-Ray audio is audibly better then Redbook disk.

But the price tag all around is going to be more expensive. The Oppo is a good disk player, well worth it’s price, but think about the receiver/amp you’re using, the speaker you’re using, are they decent to get the maximum quality out of the disks??? Also the price for most selections are about 25% more then Redbook disks. I think it's worth it, the classical pieces alone sold me.

http://www.sa-cd.net/home has a great list of releases

poppachubby
04-23-2010, 04:43 PM
Most 2ch SACD's sound better than redbok cd's. I find many SACD's to be excellent and better sounding than their std cd counter parts. However, SACD is limited in music selection. If you like rock then it's not really worth it because there are not a whole lot of titles in SACD. If you listen to Classical then it's certainly worth it. There is a decent selection in Jazz and Vocal music. I would browse some on line music stores and take a look at the SACD selection. Also, if you are looking for better recorded and better sounding music, give a listen to XRCD's. The XRCD's that I own are comparible to SACD IMO. www.eastwindimport.com

http://www.cduniverse.com/browsecat.asp?style=music&cat=2703

The Oppo DP-83 is a very good SACDP, a good CDP and an excellent BRP

Excellent advice.

I would only add that you must be able to live with the idea that discs are quite expensive.

Poultrygeist
04-24-2010, 02:18 PM
The Oppo is at best a compromise for SACD. It will not outperform the dedicated entry level Sony SACD players such as the CE595 ( $150 at BB ). Sony invented this format and put one of their better chips in the 595 to stimulate interest in SACD. Any of the Sony ES models are also excellent choices.

The redbook layer on SACD hybrids is generally superior to that of regular CD's.

atomicAdam
04-24-2010, 02:38 PM
Explain how red book 'sounds better' http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Book_(audio_Compact_Disc_standard)

Sir Terrence the Terrible
04-24-2010, 04:07 PM
Explain how red book 'sounds better' http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Book_(audio_Compact_Disc_standard)

It generally sounds better because it is derived from the DSD stream and downsampled to redbook as opposed to coming from a PCM master. Based on that it generally start off on a higher footing than redbook CD.

Sir Terrence the Terrible
04-24-2010, 04:25 PM
The Oppo is at best a compromise for SACD. It will not outperform the dedicated entry level Sony SACD players such as the CE595 ( $150 at BB ). Sony invented this format and put one of their better chips in the 595 to stimulate interest in SACD. Any of the Sony ES models are also excellent choices.
.

I don't quite agree with this, but I respect your opinion. The Oppo when outputting DSD to a receiver that can decode it will sound quite a bit more refined than the CE595 as it uses the Texas Instruments DSD1751DBQR, a chipset that is discontinued, outdated, and who performance is eclipsed by most chipsets included in receivers that can decode DSD. Even the analog stages of the Oppo are better than the Sony's, so it is highly doubtful that the Sony can outperform the Oppo.

frenchmon
04-24-2010, 05:07 PM
I've heard lots of blogs about how much better SACD's sound compared to regular CD's. In thinking of purchasing a OPPO BDP 83 and it plays SACD disks and I listen to all kinds of music so I would like to know if its worth the investment to buy a SACD compatable player and SACD Music disks. Is the sound that much better!

It depends on which SACDP you get and what CDP you get.

I have the Marantz VC 6001 that just kicks the heck out of my Rotel CDP. Much more resolution than the Rotel....and my Sony and Kenwood CDP's. But I also have a Musicl Fedility CDP that comes very close in sound and resolution to the Marantz 6001 SACDP, but the Marantz still has it beat but not by much. I would think the Marantz SA8001 would be even better in resolution than the 6001...oh by the way...the VC6001 is a universal player and not a dedicated SACDP...but it still sound darn good.

But the Musical Fidelity CDP walks all over the Marantz 6001 in red book....its not even close.

frenchmon

blackraven
04-24-2010, 05:21 PM
The BD-83 is an excellent SACDP. I have not read one bad review about it's SACD playback. In fact, everything that I have read said that its an excellent SACDP and universal player.

Poultrygeist
04-24-2010, 08:05 PM
The Oppo BDP 83 as a complex universal player must do lots of things well and it's frequency response is 20hz to 20khz.

The 595 is designed to do only one thing well and Sony claims a frequency response of 2hz to 50khz.

I like my BD80 for Blu-ray and my 595 for SACD but I'm glad they're not in the same chassis.

emaidel
04-25-2010, 04:07 AM
I bought a Marantz SA-8001 a little over two years ago, and have been nothing but delighted with it ever since. SACD's DO sound better than CD's, but as has been said, title selection is limited mostly to classical music, with a smattering here and there of jazz titles and a very rare release of a remastered rock classic (The Doobie Brothers "Tolouse Street" for example).. Not a problem for me, but sure to be for others. Fortunately, the 8001 is also a first-rate "redbook" CD player too.

The 8001 received a Stereophile "Class-A Recommendation," which no SACD player has received since. That's not to say that none are better, but just that the 8001 was an outstanding player and value. From what I've read elsewhere, it's replacement, the SA-8003 is at least as good, or better at $1,000.

hifitommy
04-25-2010, 09:47 AM
from rbcd on my sony ns500v and marantz 6001 is better than any other cdp i have had in the house. its probably the upscaling prior to filtration (decoding) that accounts for that.

some sacd pricing is no more than list price for rbcd and in many instances less than xrcd which i cannot justify paying those inflated prices for.

fortunately i started buying sacd when they were reasonably priced. the few dvda items i have were also acquired at fair pricing. i will continue to buy sacd product at prices that are reasonable when i find them.

rbcd became much more valuable to me once i got my sacd players because of the improved sound. there is quite a bit of discussion at AA re the sony 5400 sounding VG on rbcd.

Sir Terrence the Terrible
04-25-2010, 10:32 AM
The Oppo BDP 83 as a complex universal player must do lots of things well and it's frequency response is 20hz to 20khz.

The 595 is designed to do only one thing well and Sony claims a frequency response of 2hz to 50khz.

I like my BD80 for Blu-ray and my 595 for SACD but I'm glad they're not in the same chassis.

I am afraid you are incorrect about the Oppo's response. It has been measured to go all the way up to 100khz with 24/192khz signals, up to 50khz with SACD converted to PCM, and all the way to 90khz when DSD is streamed to a receiver. It only goes to 20khz with CD based material, and it has to in order to conform with redbook standards.

pixelthis
04-25-2010, 11:21 AM
I've heard lots of blogs about how much better SACD's sound compared to regular CD's. In thinking of purchasing a OPPO BDP 83 and it plays SACD disks and I listen to all kinds of music so I would like to know if its worth the investment to buy a SACD compatable player and SACD Music disks. Is the sound that much better!

IF YOU DO NOT have a considerable SACD collection already, then I would not bother,
as it is a doomed format.
ANY kind of "high rez" music format is a gone goose.
BLU has a "ver.III " designed specifically for high rez audio, notice nobodies
jumping at that bit.
Its like Ken C. POULMAN said in his latest article, hard copy formats are doomed,
in five years we will all be using cloud computers to both download an unlimited amount of high q music, and to store our favorite tracks.
Sure there will always be a place for collectors and their "discs", but in a net universe
they will become increasingly irrelavant, and you will probably not use your SACD player much, if at all.:1:

frenchmon
04-25-2010, 11:46 AM
from rbcd on my sony ns500v and marantz 6001 is better than any other cdp i have had in the house. its probably the upscaling prior to filtration (decoding) that accounts for that.

some sacd pricing is no more than list price for rbcd and in many instances less than xrcd which i cannot justify paying those inflated prices for.

fortunately i started buying sacd when they were reasonably priced. the few dvda items i have were also acquired at fair pricing. i will continue to buy sacd product at prices that are reasonable when i find them.

rbcd became much more valuable to me once i got my sacd players because of the improved sound. there is quite a bit of discussion at AA re the sony 5400 sounding VG on rbcd.

Hey Tommy...glad to hear you speak kindly of the 6001. I to like mine, but im wondering how much better the 8001 can sound.

And I too enjoy buying SACD's. I buy mostly Jazz and classical and not a problem for me. I hear people saying that SACD is almost gone, but I see they keep bringing out new titles, like Marvin Gaye and some others....if they are going away, it sure does not look like it.

frenchmon.

poppachubby
04-25-2010, 12:38 PM
in five years we will all be using cloud computers to both download an unlimited amount of high q music, and to store our favorite tracks.


No, you will be.

Ajani
04-25-2010, 01:01 PM
No, you will be.

LOL... I have to agree with poppac here... Not everyone will make the switch.....

And High Res Downloads are unlikely to really take off untill several years from now when Apple decides to launch it as 'the next big thing' (when iPods all have about a TB of storage)...

At the OP, the decision to buy an SACD player comes solely down to whether you can find enough music you like, to justify the expenditure... So as others have suggested: check the online SACD catalogs and then make up your mind...

poppachubby
04-25-2010, 02:49 PM
check the online SACD catalogs and then make up your mind...


I'm sure once you see that Kenny G and Air Supply's catalogues have been converted, you'll be pulling the trigger. You can only imagine what kind of douche's are at the helm of SACD decision making.

hifitommy
04-25-2010, 03:20 PM
http://www.elusivedisc.com/searchprods.asp

http://www.musicdirect.com/category/2

http://store.acousticsounds.com/c/4/SACD

among others. i am sure many of these are duplicates sold at each of the sellers but there ARE some choices. and new ones are released now and again.

Feanor
04-25-2010, 03:57 PM
http://www.elusivedisc.com/searchprods.asp

http://www.musicdirect.com/category/2

http://store.acousticsounds.com/c/4/SACD

among others. i am sure many of these are duplicates sold at each of the sellers but there ARE some choices. and new ones are released now and again.

For classical, (I know, I know), an excellent and accessible source is ArkivMusic. From their home page, on the left side click Browse by ... Super Audio CDs. From there you can browse by Composer, Performer, etc., etc. They say they have almost 2400 selections.
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/AlbumGroup?album_group=4

blackraven
04-25-2010, 09:07 PM
Here's another place to buy SACD's although they are limited in selection. I also buy my XRCD's from them. They are expensive though. I usually buy my SACD's from CD universe.

http://www.eastwindimport.com/

Sir Terrence the Terrible
04-26-2010, 05:02 AM
IF YOU DO NOT have a considerable SACD collection already, then I would not bother,
as it is a doomed format.

It is not quite doomed yet, there are still new releases coming out, and more in the pipeline. It has slowed down though.



ANY kind of "high rez" music format is a gone goose.

Funny, I can still find SACD out there!


BLU has a "ver.III " designed specifically for high rez audio, notice nobodies
jumping at that bit.

Oh really Pixel? You mean Surround Records 35 releases on the Blu ray format does not exist? Or 2L's? Version III of the Blu ray format is already being used by Surround Records and 2L


Its like Ken C. POULMAN said in his latest article, hard copy formats are doomed,
in five years we will all be using cloud computers to both download an unlimited amount of high q music, and to store our favorite tracks.

Ken Pohlmann also stated that the video disc format wars would open the doors to video downloads, and that didn't happen did it?

While websites that feature high resolution downloads are now beginning to pop up, high resolution music is still owned by the disc. One thing is for certain, the high resolution downloads are expensive when compared to the disc, and that will have to turn around if downloads are going to attract me as a prominent way of getting my music.


Sure there will always be a place for collectors and their "discs", but in a net universe
they will become increasingly irrelavant, and you will probably not use your SACD player much, if at all.:1:

We are not quite in the net universe just yet, and I will wait till we get there. In the mean time I will enjoy my discs.

blackraven
04-26-2010, 09:29 AM
Here's 2L's web site. http://www.2l.no/ It looks like I'm going to have to buy the Oppo BD-83. I bet the disc's are going to be expensive. The question that I have is will we be able to listen to Blu Ray audio through analog inputs or will I have to buy a preamp with HDMI input? All I want is Blu Ray audio in 2ch not 5.1.

Sir Terrence the Terrible
04-26-2010, 10:47 AM
Here's 2L's web site. http://www.2l.no/ It looks like I'm going to have to buy the Oppo BD-83. I bet the disc's are going to be expensive. The question that I have is will we be able to listen to Blu Ray audio through analog inputs or will I have to buy a preamp with HDMI input? All I want is Blu Ray audio in 2ch not 5.1.

You might as well stick with SACD if you are not into 5.1. 2L stuff is optimized for surround as is Surround records titles.

You can listen to the music on Blu ray from the analog outputs or HDMI.

rob_a
04-26-2010, 01:14 PM
Here's 2L's web site. http://www.2l.no/ It looks like I'm going to have to buy the Oppo BD-83. I bet the disc's are going to be expensive. The question that I have is will we be able to listen to Blu Ray audio through analog inputs or will I have to buy a preamp with HDMI input? All I want is Blu Ray audio in 2ch not 5.1.

The Oppo is perfect for what you want. As far as I know you are able to play Blu-Ray through both the Analog and HDMI. And as long as your pre/receiver has the correct Analog mult Channel inputs, you’re good to go with each format.

I buy SACD's all the time. They are still being pressed and released. It's become more of a select market since most main stream pop buyers are content on MP3 and Redbook. Most of the high resolution stuff is being sold to those who care about the quality of the music they listen to and have the money to pay the higher prices. But in my opinion, must main stream music, like rock, pop, alternative, just doesn’t sound good in HD Formats anyways.

frenchmon
04-26-2010, 03:27 PM
The Oppo is perfect for what you want. As far as I know you are able to play Blu-Ray through both the Analog and HDMI. And as long as your pre/receiver has the correct Analog mult Channel inputs, you’re good to go with each format.

I buy SACD's all the time. They are still being pressed and released. It's become more of a select market since most main stream pop buyers are content on MP3 and Redbook. Most of the high revolution stuff is being sold to those who care about quality, the music they listen to and have the money to pay the higher prices. But in my opinion, must main stream music, like rock, pop, alternative, just doesn’t sound good in HD Formats anyways.

This is true...and I've been hearing that SACD's are going away, but i'm not buying it. I'm sure they have figured out that audiophiles are the ones who spend good money for good music....Just like higher end audio gear...its those who love quality. New titles are being released all the time. With only audiophiles buying SACD they are still making a good profit....if not I think it would have been dropped years ago. And it may show that Jazz, blues and classical are sell better than anything else because they seem to have more titles.

rob_a
04-26-2010, 04:11 PM
This is true...and I've been hearing that SACD's are going away, but i'm not buying it. I'm sure they have figured out that audiophiles are the ones who spend good money for good music....Just like higher end audio gear...its those who love quality. New titles are being released all the time. With only audiophiles buying SACD they are still making a good profit....if not I think it would have been dropped years ago. And it may show that Jazz, blues and classical are sell better than anything else because they seem to have more titles.

I think SACD has a bigger following now then it had 4 or 5 years ago, it’s just not the main stream top 100 chart music but it's catching on. It's found a nitch and people are still buying and albums are still being made. Check out this link of all the new award winning releases.

http://www.sa-cd.net/shownews/45

BROG183672@GMAIL.COM
05-05-2010, 01:21 PM
Is optical audio better audio

rob_a
05-05-2010, 02:33 PM
I think you are referring to Digital audio through toslink?

In the end all audio needs to be converted to analog, even through optical. So the question is; is sound better when converted closer to the source when it is at it freshest and then sent through analog cables or sent through digital cables and converted by a higher end DAC further down the signal path? This question will get mixed answers.

In my personal opinion, optic is good and simple to run being only one cable. But HDMI is an improvement over optic, it being able to deliver higher resolution sound and is just as easy to install. Analog is also capable of passing through higher resolution audio then toslink but you are having to use multiple cables.

I have found both digital and analog have their advantages and weaknesses, so it all comes down to personal preference. :17: