Will you notice a difference with the new formats? Absolutely, althought I'd seriously suggest you wait on the new formats for several reasons. First, the amount of software available, while growing, is extremely limited and the probability that the music you want to listen to is available on the new formats is remote at best. Second, while you wait for the software to catch up with the hardware the equipment prices will drop significantly and, just as importantly, the players themselves will improve substantially(I bet within a year Sony will have a $500 SACD player out that rivals or beats the SCD-1). There are already reports that companies will be releasing DVD-A players based on the next generation chip this spring. Point is, if you buy now it is very likely you'll end up with a very overpriced yet inferior-sounding unit that nobody will want to buy when you want to upgrade(I understand performance improvements and price reductions will be ongoing, but in these first and second generation machines the curve is just too steep for me). Next, do you really want two transports to handle SACD and DVD-A when universal players will be available in the near future? Last, at present there are no digital outs for the new formats so you'll never be able to upgrade the DAC performance of your player, and your MSB will likely be upgradeable to handle these formats--wouldn't you like to have that option? You could probably make good arguments regarding each of these points, but when you put them all together it's hard(at least for me) to justify taking the plunge at this point unless curiosity has gotten the best of you and/or you have money to burn.
In response to the point made above regarding formats, it is way too premature to proclaim SACD as the choice of audiophiles. People much smarter than us are still debating which format ultimately has the best sonic potential(see Stereophile article among others) and with the watermarking issue still unsolved DVD-A hasn't even really made an appearance yet, so head-to-head comparisons are scarce to non-existant. Further, the audiophile community is way, way too small to predict or affect who will eventually win the format wars(remember Beta vs. VHS?). Ultimately the general public will decide which format is best for them(for better or worse), and economies of scale will then dictate who survives and/or thrives. Personally I hope they both survive, which will ensure competition to produce the best possible audio and video software and cheaper prices that will, in turn, benefit us all.
Either way and for what it's worth, I'm waiting on the new formats until the important issues above have been addressed. Hope you find this somewhat helpful and best of luck.
Tim
