SACD finally taking-off? non-classical listeners

Albert your comments are correct and well stated. Of course anyone who has an extensive library in one format will continue to invest in hearing it at it's best. You have also built extensive cd and SACD libraries if I'm not mistaken, meaning that you have opened your thinking to all formats. This is good, it's those who simply discount SACD as the latest "beta" or "marketing" scam that I get tired of. If I had a library of 6000+ albums I too would be heavily invested in vinyl playback, but I'm not going to go out and buy every $1.00 album just so IO have such a collection.
I hope we can see all formats are viable, and that it's reasons other than price and availability of software that we chose our format. Sound quality is one, but at the levels we are speaking of the quality is there in all three, cd, vinyl and SACD.

Unsound. I hope you are right. How nice it would be to sit with a remote control and choose the song you want, enjoying the same quality of sound provided by state of the art analog.

I suspect it is possible. I have had the pleasure of listening to master digital tape at the home of Andrew Litton. He is a member of my music listening group, and won a music Grammy for his work. He is truly a creative genius.

( Walton: Belshazzar's Feast / Andrew Litton, conductor; Neville Creed, David Hill, chorus masters ).
     
The master takes from the live performances of the Dallas symphony is the only digital source I have heard that is equal to analog. Perhaps it's because it's a first generation tape, not mixed or re sampled, and because it is yet untouched by the record producers.

When the finished product is finally released, (compact disc) and played side by side with that master, it is an absolute joke. Truly a point of frustration for Andrew as well as myself.

http://www.dallassymphony.com/index.php

If the companies that produce and release the software shared Andrews passion, perhaps we could overcome these obstacles. I doubt that the cost (relative to all the expenses involved) would amount to a miniscule of the budget.

I think you would be stunned by the results of playing near perfect software in our present music systems. Bigger than many tweaks costing thousands of dollars. I feel cheated every time I think about it.

Albertporter, I don't know whether I'm delighted or dismayed. I value your judgement, as I appreciate your commitment. Your experience with quality digital reads as being more satisfying than I have experienced. But, the fact that it can't seem to work it's way into our lives is utterly frustrating. That you, having made serious comparisons heard and recognized that quailty digital can and does exist (despite it's dearth) is at the very least promising. Thank you for sharing and good listening.

Albert: A very revealing anecdote about the Walton tape. Many audiophiles want to blame the technology for the quality of the software we can buy. But too often it's the mastering work that gets in the way. I'd bet the human element would have done just as much damage in the analogue age, however.

Albert,

I agree with you on the mastering issue. I have some JVC "xrcd" 20 bit K2 cds that sound great. Why can't this software format be the standard for the mastering engineers to follow and make us 2-channel lovers happy?

My cd collection is about 2,500 and there are many cds that were on labels that are no longer in business. The possibilty of those Artist cds coming out from another label in the DVD-A or SACD format is nil.

What were they thinking??