[zoestanley]

i am building a new h/t room and want high end equipment. i have never owned an sacd or dvd-a player and was considering buying one. during my research i read several articles that seem to indicate that these formats are dying. i don't want to miss out on top quality sound, but i don't want to spend 2k on a player that has limited use. any help would be appreciated.

 

[Mocs123]

As far as mainstream formats go, SACD and DVD-A are dead. They do however still exist as niche formats and are supported by a small number of software producers. I have no doubt that these formats will continue to exist for many years into the future, but with a limited number of "new release" software titles available. Whether SACD and DVD-A offer enough titles that you would enjoy to make it worth wile is a question that only you can answer.


With the next generation video formats out, I wouldn't spend 2k on a universal player unless you wanted it for audio only.

 

[VicAjax]

if you listen to a lot of jazz and classical, i think it could be worth it to get into Hi-Rez. both formats do seem to be struggling, but there are enough albums out there to make it worth it.


if you're primarily into rock/pop, it's probably not worth it, unless you want to pick up one of the budget players just to dip your toe in.

 

[fiveprime]

I don't know about SACD but, to me, DVD-A is just about dead. I've had a DVD-A player since around 1999. I haven't purchased any DVD-A discs in probably two years. Most of the ones I have sound good - some I'm not crazy about. For the most part, I like the 5.1 sound. I listen to mostly rock and maybe some jazz. What I don't like is the lack of selection of music. There just aren't many DVD-A titles out there - much less ones that appeal to me. If there were more titles available, I would gladly buy them.


I plan on my next player being some kind of a cheap-ish universal player.

 

[zoestanley]

i was planning on using the player to play (non hd, blu ray) dvds, cds, sacds, and dvd-as. i will have a separate player for high def dvds. does this sound reasonable? and if so what would be the average price for a quality player?

 

[fiveprime]

I've heard good things about the Oppo players. My Denon player is getting old and I was thinking about replacing it with one of the Oppo's. They're in the $200 range. They might be more "bang for the buck" than "quality" though. I've never seen or used one so I might be totally off base here. But for $200 it wouldn't hurt much to try one.

 

[udwdreams]

Well to be dead, they would have to have been alive at some point. They just never surfaced due to compatibility issues, DVD-A enforced too many restrictions and content providers decided to not bother.

Figure out what you're interested in, and whether it's reasonable to invest money in something for which there might be very limited quality content. Personally I would stick with a player for CD/DVDs, if the one you end up choosing supports SACD then great, but I would base my choice on the CD sonic performance alone. BTW do you have a preamp/amp or are you planning to drive the speakers directly with the player? it might impact your choice quite a bit.

 

[Schwingding]

There are tons of wonderful SACD titles out there, and the classical music genre seems to be coming out with more titles regularly. IMO, there are enough existing titles in many genres available to justify a venture into SACD territory. Lots of jazz, classical, and some good rock, too. I wouldn't trade my SACDs for anything. For an idea of just what you can get in this format, browse elusivedisc.com.


I don't buy any (more) DVD-A titles because they're very limited - I can't play them in my car. Most/man SACD titles are hybrid/dual layer and have a CD layer, too. They also have multichannel and stereo SACD layers, so I can listen to some mixes on my MC system in hirez and the same disc on hirez 2 channel on my 2 channel system.


I think you should go for it.

 

[pred02]

The Oppo is a good idea, especially if you want to upgrade your aging DVD player. Oppo offers good upconversion, PAL/NTSC playback, DiVX, mp3, and other great features in addition to DVD-A. It may not be a bad idea to go that route.


Other than that, if you listen to music a lot, it's still worthwhile investing in a decent CD-Player, regular CD is not going away any time soon, and there are ton of decent players out there to maximize the most out of your current collection.

 

[Vidmaven]

The Oppo 970 was ranked right up there with some of the best SACD players available. I picked one up 2 months ago and for the money I don't think you can go wrong.

 

[VicAjax]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Vidmaven /forum/post/0


The Oppo 970 was ranked right up there with some of the best SACD players available. I picked one up 2 months ago and for the money I don't think you can go wrong.

it's what i have, too. i'm quite pleased with it. for what it's worth, Oppo itself recommends the 970HD if your primary interest is audio quality. the video is pretty darn fantastic too.

 

[DAB]

If you are building a HT, you will have a 5.1-7.1 system. If it is a dedicated room so much the better for listen to good sound either 2ch or MCH-SACD. If you're planning to use a BR or HD player for DVD movies and a separate player for music you might truly enjoy the MCH experience. Try to find some one who has a MCH- A or SACD system. Once you try it- you might not go back to 2ch. I love SACD play back and most other people who come over like it too. SACD isn't dead it's alive!!! I do not own an ipod and will not get one my system, 5.1 speakers> Denon3803+CarvinHD900(preamp) & Oppo 970. Works great for me.

 

[Jack Gilvey]



Quote:
Originally Posted by VicAjax /forum/post/0


it's what i have, too. i'm quite pleased with it. for what it's worth, Oppo itself recommends the 970HD if your primary interest is audio quality. the video is pretty darn fantastic too.

Same model here. It replaced a Denon 2900 universal (for its HDMI output not yet being used) actually, and has acquitted itself nicely. I use a Toshiba HD-A2 for video (although the Oppo is slightly sharper for upconverting SD, I get lazy about switching the cables)

If there are a few recording out there in either format you'd like to have, $150 is not a big risk, and the constant Oppo firmware support is unparalleled. Honestly, the "Dark Side" SACD and "Love" DVD-A would be enough to justify that expense for me.

 

[ar surround]



Quote:
Originally Posted by zoestanley /forum/post/0


...i read several articles that seem to indicate that these formats are dying. i don't want to miss out on top quality sound, but i don't want to spend 2k on a player that has limited use. any help would be appreciated.

I am at a loss to understand why multichannel SACD and DVD-A didn't take off, or at least with one killing off the other as with Beta and VHS years ago.


99% of the time, the multichannel mix blows away the 2-channel mix. In the case of classic rock, there is no way that those old 2-channel masters are going to compete with the 5.1 mixes as many of these are re-mixed from the original multitrack tapes.


Many titles are now out-of-print, especially in DVD-A. One dealer said that this was to his dismay as DVD-A had really seemed to be taking off. But you can still find many of these titles popping up for sale on eBay.


I think that you will find the extra expense of a high quality universal player well worth the cost. Listen to Revolution on The Beatles "Love" DVD-A in 5.1. Then listen to the 2-channel mix on the accompanying CD, or better yet go back to the original recording. I think that you will be sold and won't want to go back.

 

[Thelonious Monk]

 here is an interesting little topic about sacd

 

[zoestanley]



Quote:
Originally Posted by udwdreams /forum/post/0


Well to be dead, they would have to have been alive at some point. They just never surfaced due to compatibility issues, DVD-A enforced too many restrictions and content providers decided to not bother.

Figure out what you're interested in, and whether it's reasonable to invest money in something for which there might be very limited quality content. Personally I would stick with a player for CD/DVDs, if the one you end up choosing supports SACD then great, but I would base my choice on the CD sonic performance alone. BTW do you have a preamp/amp or are you planning to drive the speakers directly with the player? it might impact your choice quite a bit.

i intend to drive the player with an anthem d2 a/v processor and a 7 channel sunfire amp.

 

[vvha313]

If you're interested in both high def movies and SACD you might want to consider getting a ps3. I realize it seems strange to recommend a game console to someone working on a HT room but the ps3 does quite a good job with both Blu-Ray and SACD. Its computing power, hard drive and internet access also give it various other features that you might find useful. Even if you don't play games I think it can still be a worthwhile $600 investment.

 

[jostenmeat]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Thelonious Monk /forum/post/0

here is an interesting little topic about sacd

That is interesting T. Monk. As a classical music lover, I already hated how Sony took a bunch of CBS recordings that fit on one cd, and split the program into 2 cd's, totally unnecessary except just to charge more. But, that's even worse...


To the OP. You are running some nice equipment for sure. I would think you know that you are going to disregard the Oppo and PS3 recommendations for that kind of hi-fi system. Oppo is great for the money as an upscaling dvd player. I would not go there for hi-fi audio, although you can get them modified by reference mods for about a grand.


Perhaps check out the NAD Masters M5 player. Both cd and SACD playback are top-notch, msrp is around $1500 (I think) and I'm sure you should be able to get it for less than that.


Myself, I also have been mulling multi-ch formats for a while now, and have simply decided to wait for the maturation of hi-def formats, whether that does turn out to be something like Blu-Ray. When I look online for such multi-ch discs, I am always disappointed in the selection. Oh, Im sure the recording quality could be superb, but its never the performers and works that I am hoping for. Ususally unknowns or performers I do not care for.


So I just bought a tubed Jolida player that has made an ENORMOUS difference to the sq. Rid of all sibilance, smoothed timbres, and dramatically improved separation of the midrange. best of luck.

 

[zoestanley]

what is the difference between the nad m5 and the nad t585? the 585 seems to play many more formats and costs less. i would love not to have to buy a separate dvd player for regular dvds if i don't have to.

 

[ratskrad]

Kinda sucks really that these two formats are pretty much rusting hulks on a beach somewhere. So glad I now own two sacd players and three dvd-a players. lol Ya they are still doing sacd but I really do not like classical for the most part. Neil Young has been releasing his music in a format for dvd players but these also play real well on dvd-a players. But to me the good part is the MOTB Project being done by a bunch of Dead tapers. They are finding the best of the fob (front of board) recordings and transferring from the masters to a 96/24 wave and with these recordings we are able to burn our own dvd-a's. Two dvd's will do a typical two set show.