SACD - Are you surprised at the format's recent resurgence?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by soundboy, Jul 19, 2011.

  1. soundboy

    soundboy Senior Member Thread Starter

    Based on the data at sa-cd.net, here are the number of new releases through the first 6 months of each respective years....

    At the current rate of release, we're looking at a year with over 700 new releases. Granted, much of this "resurgence" is fueled by the SACD programs in Japan. Still, at this relatively late period for SACD, I didn't expected such a "comeback". ;)
     
  2. therockman

    therockman Senior Member In Memoriam

    No, not at all. I'm actually surprised that we are not getting more titles.
     
  3. ellingtonic

    ellingtonic Forum Resident

    I'm pleasantly surprised :)
     
  4. Saint Johnny

    Saint Johnny Forum Resident

    Location:
    Asbury Park
    Comeback? More like a resurrection, really. As I thought it was dead and gone.
     
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  5. hutlock

    hutlock Forever Breathing

    Location:
    Cleveland, OH, USA
    I am surprised, yes. I just wish more of them were coming out for less than $60 a pop!
     
  6. krlpuretone

    krlpuretone Forum Resident

    Location:
    Grantham, NH
    It's kind of a chicken/egg thing - the explosion of releases has helped stimulate interest

    but I don't think it will ever be more than a 5000-pressed-type format.
     
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  7. jackaroe

    jackaroe Active Member

    Location:
    Ontari-ari-ari-o
    I'm definitely happily surprised, yet hungry from more - much more.
     
    Mesozoic Mike and Sneaky Pete like this.
  8. Blair G.

    Blair G. Senior Member

    Location:
    Delta, BC, Canada
    :agree:

    And that low number explains the prices
     
  9. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host

    You understand this is just in Japan, right?

    Some of these are simply bump ups from PCM transfers made in the USA and duped for Japan. Pointless.

    Also, unless you have a wonderful player like a first generation Sony which is a true DSD player, your player simply converts the signal to PCM and spits it out which is truly defeating the original purpose.
     
  10. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    I'd like to see an average retail cost/SACD listed along with those numbers...
     
  11. noname74

    noname74 Allegedly Canadian

    Location:
    .
    So if the only people getting the benefit of SACD are the .00001% that may have a first gen Sony SACD player, why did you take the time to do the NKC's in SACD? Was it for the 5 guys in the country with that player? Or are you exaggerating when you say SACD is 'defeating the purpose' if listened to on a modern SACD player? Not meaning to sound confrontational...I really would like your thoughts on this...
     
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  12. noname74

    noname74 Allegedly Canadian

    Location:
    .
    It's pretty standard...North American SACDs are about $30-$35 and Japanese ones are closer to $55 each. Obviously there are exceptions but usually the pricing follows those price points..
     
  13. soundboy

    soundboy Senior Member Thread Starter

    I did point that out in my original post.
     
  14. Digital-G

    Digital-G Senior Member

    Location:
    Dayton, OH
    I'm not surprised. I'm more surprised that Sony seemed to abandon the format a few years ago, presumably because it didn't explode into the marketplace like CD did. Then again they didn't market it well (at all) and there was a competing format (DVD-A).

    SACD should have been the logical successor to CD, and should have been treated as such instead of being treated like a red-headed stepchild with kid gloves.

    And Sony doesn't make the only true DSD player, do they? I thought most SACD players did this and only a few converted to PCM, esp with the advent of HDMI connectivity.
     
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  15. soundboy

    soundboy Senior Member Thread Starter

    Japan Sony Music never abandoned SACD; it continued to release new SACD titles, mostly jazz or classical, until May of this year. I don't know why Japan Sony Music stopped releasing new SACD (at least according to its website). May Japan Sony is allocating SACD production to produce those SHM-SACDs?

    Aren't the Oppo Blu-ray players true DSD players? Even those "lowly" Sony Blu-ray players are true DSD players when connected by their HDMI outputs. I have the last Onkyo DVD-based uni player, the 506, and it's a true DSD player with either its analog or HDMI outputs.
     
  16. Claude

    Claude Senior Member

    Location:
    Luxembourg
    First, most SACD player don't convert to PCM, and second, even if it does, it's still hi-rez PCM and better than CD.
     
  17. Echo

    Echo Forum Resident

    I really hope it's a new start for that format. I supported this trend however by buying very recently a very fine SACD player (of Arcam); my first one. And at least 40 old and new SACDs in the last month! Pixies! Dead Can Dance! Bob Marley! Talk Talk! Human League! T Rex! Fairport Convention! Yes, even the R Stones which I'm not really into!

    Dear commercial market, do you hear my demand? I want good money to spend!
     
  18. Tin Whisker

    Tin Whisker Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Why no surround mix???
     
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  19. pronghorn

    pronghorn Forum Resident

    Location:
    Minnesota
    Me suprised. 24/192 from original masters, downloads and/or blu-ray would be much better.
     
    kevintomb likes this.
  20. art

    art Senior Member

    Location:
    520
    I've owned like four SACD players. None were Sony and none converted DSD to PCM for the analog out.

    DSD-ready standalone DACs are coming stateside too. Weiss before the end of the year, I'm told. A few others .. Already available in Japan.
     
  21. Claude

    Claude Senior Member

    Location:
    Luxembourg
    Indeed. Instead if having japanese labels release $50 stereo-only SACDs from 24/96 PCM copies of the analogue masters, they should release them as 24/96 downloads costing $15-20, through HDtracks or even iTunes.
     
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  22. sirmikael

    sirmikael Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cedar Rapids, Iowa
    [​IMG]
     
  23. PanaPlasma

    PanaPlasma Forum Resident

    Location:
    Belgium, Europe
    Except MoFi, Analogue Productions and a bunch of shm-sacd's.

    Really disappointed with the Warner dvd-a to sacd-reissues.
     
    joshm2286 likes this.
  24. GregM

    GregM The expanding man

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    I do find a subtle benefit in PCM converted to DSD and released on SACD. Of course production in DSD without PCM in the chain has better results, but I wouldn't be so quick to write off the Warner JSACDs until we actually hear them.

    Edit: and yes I'm pleasantly surprised at the volume of SACDs being released, especially the APO stuff.
     
  25. Todd Fredericks

    Todd Fredericks Senior Member

    Location:
    A New Yorker
    Thankfully our favorite audiophile labels are putting several good ones out.
     
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