Playing SACD on a Non-SACD Player

Drubin is absolutely right. A redbook-only player won't play single-layer SACDs, only hybrid discs (which contain a CD layer). Fortunately for you, most SACDs currently being manufactured are of the hybrid variety, so you can use those on a redbook player. But if you want to reap the benefits of SACD, you need an SACD player. If you're not looking for SOTA performance, there are many very affordable units out there that offer quite good value for the dollar.

Lee, I think I have noticed the SACDs done with the super bit mapping sounding better in my other systems. Not as noticeable as HDCD encoded discs on a standard player, but I notice something... Perhaps it is the noise floor,or lack of. Read the package for info about the recording going direct to dsd hard drive, stuff remastered from tape sounds the same as redbook. Good question!! Z.

One still gets the benefits from DSD when playing an SACD disc back in a redbook machine.

How do you figure that?

Rwwear,

Not true at all.

The DSD encoded on an SACD disc is like a foreign language
to your redbook machine. It doesn't understand it AT ALL!!

The redbook machine can't read a single layer SACD disc at
all. The redbook player can only read the redbook layer on
a hybrid disc, which is written in a language it understands.

Dr. Gregory Greenman
Physicist