SB is killing the SACD format! ;)

[Pale Blue Ego]

I do like surround music, and SACDs generally sound fantastic to me. I've got about 30 SACDs and 2 SACD players, but I don't use them much.

One thing I've done was create DTS FLACs from a few SACDs for playback on the SB3. You need a sound card with 6 analog inputs, and software which can create a DTS file from 6 separate WAVs (usually advanced DVD authoring software).

One thing I'd suggest, for people abandoning the SACD format - keep your SACDs! Many of them are already out of print, and could bring big dollars someday, just like many of the MFSL and DCC CDs sell for hundreds now. I actually sold a sealed copy of MFSL Joshua Tree for $250 last year (and bought another SB3 with the proceeds)!

[adhawkins]

Hi,

In article <Pale.Blue.Ego.2gagn01161872102 (AT) no-mx (DOT) forums.slimdevices.com>,
Pale Blue Ego<Pale.Blue.Ego.2gagn01161872102 (AT) no-mx (DOT) forums.slimdevices.com> wrote:
> One thing I've done was create DTS FLACs from a few SACDs for playback
> on the SB3. You need a sound card with 6 analog inputs, and software
> which can create a DTS file from 6 separate WAVs (usually advanced DVD
> authoring software).

I've been looking for a way of doing this myself. I bought a release
recently that had a Surround remix on it, not realising that it was in SACD
format as opposed to DVD audio or something that I *would* be able to listen
to.

Shame you're in Florida

Andy

[Phil Leigh]

One thing I'd suggest, for people abandoning the SACD format - keep your SACDs! Many of them are already out of print, and could bring big dollars someday, just like many of the MFSL and DCC CDs sell for hundreds now. I actually sold a sealed copy of MFSL Joshua Tree for $250 last year (and bought another SB3 with the proceeds)!

IS that because it is a rare collectable to a U2 fan or did they actually desire the bits from that particular version of the disc? I'm curious. This is a bit like in the 80's trying to pick up Japanese vinyl (which did sound much quiter than the rubbish we got in the UK)

[oreillymj]

I wouldn't be so quick to write-off SACD.
There are a few million players about to be bought between now and Xmas, and probably another 10 million sold next year.

Yes, the PS3 can play back SACD and has optical output.

Sony may be planning a last roll of the dice on this format.
A lot of people will have this thing hooked up to surround systems and a demo disc or 2 might convince them to give the format a try.

From the offical specs
Disc Media
CD PlayStation CD-ROM, PlayStation 2 CD-ROM, CD-DA, CD-DA (ROM), CD-R, CD-RW, SACD, SACD Hybrid (CD layer), SACD HD, DualDisc, DualDisc (audio side), DualDisc (DVD side)
DVD: PlayStation 2 DVD-ROM, PlayStation 3 DVD-ROM, DVD-Video, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW
Blu-ray Disc: PlayStation 3 BD-ROM, BD-Video, BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-RE

[empty99]

SACD is the warmest sounding cd format I have heard. But...since really getting in to SB and ripping my whole normal cd collection to FLAC my small SACD collection has been gathering dust. So I was pretty bummed to put my brilliant Sony DVP-NS999ES sacd player and SACD's up for sale this afternoon.

My days of showing my friends how incredible the sacd sounds are over...its all your fault Slim! Or...maybe it's Sony's damn fault for inventing an amazing format that is locked down to hardware.

-hal

ps I am happy that I can reinvest the $$ in more MFSL and DCC cd's though!

Same here been there done that. Surprised to see how much better video quality the Sony DVP-S9000ES produces vs a lower end Sony DVD changer (5 years newer w/ 12bit video processing, go figure...) on my Mitsu Diamond 65" HDTV RP-CRT (Red push compensated!), at least now I got my $$$ worth on the dang $1500 SACD unit. I got about 40 SACD discs just stowed away for now...
SB3>MF 3.24DAC>Alps pot>2 Nak PA7s>B&W N802>Nice!

[SoftwireEngineer]

I do not have a big collection (probably about 20-30). I have ripped the Cd layer of many of these SACDs (got a problem with my fav Ella and Louis though). I dont spin any discs any more. Seems not worth the trouble. I do think the SB3 is not totally jitter free, but the kind of jitter it has is not 'objectionable'. It has a different sound than CD players and I can understand if people compare it to the LP. In order to compare LP and SB we need somebody with an audiophile LP and equivalent Cd to compare this on a high-end system.

[Pale Blue Ego]

IS that because it is a rare collectable to a U2 fan or did they actually desire the bits from that particular version of the disc? I'm curious. This is a bit like in the 80's trying to pick up Japanese vinyl (which did sound much quiter than the rubbish we got in the UK)

Both - the sound is better than the standard CD, and that is one of the scarcer MFSL issues. I bought 2 of them the day MFSL announced they were going out of business (and should have bought the whole stack).

[Pale Blue Ego]

Hi,

In article <Pale.Blue.Ego.2gagn01161872102 (AT) no-mx (DOT) forums.slimdevices.com>,
Pale Blue Ego<Pale.Blue.Ego.2gagn01161872102 (AT) no-mx (DOT) forums.slimdevices.com> wrote:
> One thing I've done was create DTS FLACs from a few SACDs for playback
> on the SB3. You need a sound card with 6 analog inputs, and software
> which can create a DTS file from 6 separate WAVs (usually advanced DVD
> authoring software).

I've been looking for a way of doing this myself. I bought a release
recently that had a Surround remix on it, not realising that it was in SACD
format as opposed to DVD audio or something that I *would* be able to listen
to.

Shame you're in Florida

Andy

Actually, some of the best DTS files I've got are sourced from old quad LPs. "Autobahn" in surround is killer, also have some classic Zappa (yellow snow) which sounds excellent in surround.

[Sliztzan]

I do like surround music, and SACDs generally sound fantastic to me. I've got about 30 SACDs and 2 SACD players, but I don't use them much.

One thing I've done was create DTS FLACs from a few SACDs for playback on the SB3. You need a sound card with 6 analog inputs, and software which can create a DTS file from 6 separate WAVs (usually advanced DVD authoring software).

One thing I'd suggest, for people abandoning the SACD format - keep your SACDs! Many of them are already out of print, and could bring big dollars someday, just like many of the MFSL and DCC CDs sell for hundreds now. I actually sold a sealed copy of MFSL Joshua Tree for $250 last year (and bought another SB3 with the proceeds)!

Sounds like a good thing for you. I wouldn't get rid of my player since it has 6 Burr-Brown DAC's for 24 and 96 bit decoding. It plays both SACD and DVD-A. You won't get that in a sound card. Anytime you convert a format, you lose something. However, I imagine it would be a decent sound since you are keeping the output discrete 6 channel output.

[Sliztzan]

Wow, this is an old thread.

>DSOTM
I have the SACD and it's fantastic to listen to in multi channel, but how many other artists/genres lend themselves to a 5.1 mix? When the music is just instruments and vocals, the only option the sound engineer has is to make you feel like you're in the band. Notwithstanding the difficulty in doing this well without making it gimicky, is this really the way the artist intended their music to be heard?

>proper SACD player
Well I doubt my $200 universal player would qualify but the Sony ES models mentioned by others in the thread must surely count.

5.1 music will only ever have niche appeal because it requires the listener be in the sweet spot the whole time. It's not suitable for background listening, can't be played on portable players through headphones, and any sound quality difference over CD is probably inaudible to most people; particularly given the poor quality of the equipment in the average home. The final nail in the coffin is the closed nature of the format.

I had high hopes for SACD when I got my first player, but like most on this thread, the few albums I own have barely been out of the case since I got my SB2.

I had high hopes also. Some new ones still come out and even in DVD-A. I'm not sure where it is going to go, but I really enjoy the ones I do have immensely. I'm not sorry at all that I bought a combo DVD-A/SACD player a few years ago. I got my money back after listening to the first one I bought which was Grateful Dead's American Beauty. That was worth it alone. Took a while to get everything setup right and adjust the system with a sound level meter. Mickey Hart did a complete remix from a drummers sound perspective. It is truly amazing.