SACD VS DVD-AUDIO

I would have to agree with Darrylhifi's comments and views. I've had a Marantz DV 8300 universal player since last February, so I enjoy both. The lack of quality software, in either format, was frustrating at first but the selections are improving. Personally, I'm glad to have the ability to listen to either format. The Pink Floyd DSOTM sacd is incredible as is Yes Fragile dvd-a. Why not be able to enjoy both!

As a side note, I started out being amazed and caught up in multi-channel mixes. After awhile though, they began to sound gimmicky to me, and now I listen to either format in 2 channel. The sound of sacd especially reminds me of my old Garrard/BSR analog setup I had when I was a kid.

As a final thought, some folks consider this a "format war". With the improving lists of software titles and universal players out there, I believe we the consumers win on all accounts.

The "superiority" of SACD is a creation of Sony marketing efforts. Either format eliminates the problem of marginal resolution of redbook CD, and any real differences are the result of how the various discs are mastered.

My sonicly best discs happen to be DVD-A, but I am willing to believe that this is not due to any technical limitation of SACD.

For purely commercial reasons I am quite sure that the DVD-A format will survive. I hope that SACD does also, but I am less sure.

I just read some sales figures on these two hirez formats.
While the best selling SACD's are

Dark Side of the Moon SACD averaging 5546 sales/week in the USA.
The Police at nearly 3000.
The Stone's Let it Bleed at over 1500.

Latest market figures show that even the best selling DVD-As are selling under 200 a week in the US.

and vinyl is KILLING them both.

I could care less about DVD-A because I have no video monitor in my music room so I cant play them anyway. But at these numbers how many studios are going out of their way to produce new titles in this format?

Leasingguy...You don't need video to play a DVD-A.

Perhaps you should research worldwide sales figures. Several European audiophile labels are turning out superb DVD-A discs. I look for these first, and buy SACD as a fallback.

The best sounding format to these ears is sacd whith good sonics from DSOTM, better sonics from Steve Earle's Guitar Town and the best sonics I have ever heard from Joe Satriani's Strange Beautiful Music and Allison Krauss Live or her new release.

I find dvd-a superior to redbook on both REM titles I own, but find the Eagles Hotel California to sound rolled off in the highs and to have certain frequencys sucked right out of the recording.

There are only a handfull of songs from either of these formats that sound good in multi channel whith the exception of the entire DSOTM and Aliison Krauss Live where mostly the applause and ambience is done in the rears.

Overall, there both an improvement, but I believe that sacd has more potential and that multi channel has a ways to go.