Why haven't audiophiles enthusiastically endorsed the SACD?

[Ajani]

Well, I asked a question, and got answers - and attitude. Strange thing about those of us who post threads on audio-based websites: everyone has his own opinion, and anyone who disagrees is just plain wrong. All too often one issue creeps in and is ignored, and that's the price of the equipment in question.

In elapsed's instance, he's got a $3,000 CD player that outperforms his $400 SACD player. Duh! Of course it does, and it surely better. That's not a reason to claim that SACD's aren't even as good as CD's, but merely a comparison of two hugely disparate (pricewise, at least) items.

BR uses a van Alstine DAC that sells for a "mere" $1,700. Adding that to a decent trasnport brings the price of the CD player to well over $2,000 - a huge increase over the price of either the Marantz SA-8001 or 8003. I'm sure the combination sounds wonderful, but it still doesn't play SACD's.

Ajani (from what I can ascertain) listens to digital downloads through headphones. Period. How can elements such as image and soundstaging as well as thunderous bass response that one feels rather than hears even enter such a picture? I have never enjoyed listening through headphones, as the music comes from both the back of, and the center of my head, which is a decidedly un-lifelike experience.

In my unceasing praise for the 8001/8003 Marantz units, I don't ever state that they're the best players in the entire universe, but rather, two of the best values for equipment ever since this industry began.

I know vinyl advocates will never accept anything other than vinyl as their preferred source. Still, there are many here who disagree with such a stance, but still categorically reject the SACD as a "better" medium, and do so by comparing apples and prunes: the only really fair comparison is to compare equipment of commensurate prices, not CD players costing five times as much as their SACD players.

Not too well concealed is a somewhat contemptuous disregard for the opinions and statements from those "in the know:" the recording engineers who make the recordings we listen to.

Well, it's been fun and I guess at this point it's best that I, and my adversaries, simply agree to disagree.

Don't take forum posts to heart... Keep in mind that you can't always really tell the emotion/attitude being given (or not given) in writing...

As for headphones:

1) I don't listen to digital downloads (well not many anyway)... 99% of my music is ripped from my original CDs in Apple Lossless format...

2) I don't like feeling thunderous bass rattling the windows and the furniture (apart from explosions in a movie) since I find that it just distracts from the music in a most unappealing way... It's why I'd never buy a Bookshelf/Sub combo...

3) Soundstage is the only real issue with headphones for me... and even that is a trade off... I can hear detail with a $500 pair of headphones that a $5K pair of Towers can't match....

4) Soundstage is more of an issue depending on the type of music you listen to... only a small percentage of my music is recorded live or recorded with a single mic to give a realistic soundstage... So for the majority of my music collection, the soundstage of headphones is not an issue...

5) What you could take from these debates (please don't feel that we are attacking you... I've read and enjoyed way too many of your threads to want to attack you over having a different perspective).... is that while the Marantz is an EXCELLENT SACD/CD player and SACD is likely a superior format to both CD and Vinyl, not everyone has the same musical goals as you.... Simulating the live experience seems to be your ultimate goal, but it's not everyone's... and even if their goal is the live experience, SACD is most relevant to Classical Musical lovers so it may still not be the right choice for them...