Diff b/t SACD and DVD-A?

[MichaelD]

Per the title. What is the difference b/t SACD and DVD-A?

Both are 5.1 surround formats, that much I know. What's the rest/catch? Will both/either format play just fine on a regular CD player?

Thanks.

 

[jurzdevil]

dont know about dvd-a but you can play a sacd ina regular cd player. no quality increase...it just like playing a normal cd though.

 

[bcterps]

You can play SACD in a regular cd player and you could play DVD-A in a regular dvd player, but you wouldn't get any of the benefits of the higher resolution recording, which is the whole idea behind both of these formats.

I considered taking the plunge into getting a combination DVD-A/SACD player, but I'm waiting for them to standardize an all digital connection first. As it currently stands, you have to connect your DVD-A/SACD player through analog 5.1 interconnects into your receiver. This is of course due to copy protection issues that the recording industry is still figuring out. The problem with the 5.1 interconnect issue is for things like bass management, often times you're stuck using the BM of the player which is not that great, or the receiver doesnt have very good BM for the 5.1 input.

Unless you feel like shelling out the money for the top of the line Denon receiver/player combination or the Pioneer Elite receiver/player combination, I can't remember how much the set up cost, but I imagine somewhere in the over $5000 range, which is a bit much for me right now.

 

[slackerinabox]

First affordable DVDA/SACD combo player from a reputable brand Link... Apex made one but stopped selling them for some reason.. $160 for a pioneer progressive scan player with both formats seems like a bargain though (the cheapest combo used to be like a grand)...

 

[DaveJ]

Originally posted by: benchiu


I considered taking the plunge into getting a combination DVD-A/SACD player, but I'm waiting for them to standardize an all digital connection first. As it currently stands, you have to connect your DVD-A/SACD player through analog 5.1 interconnects into your receiver. This is of course due to copy protection issues that the recording industry is still figuring out.

Actually, that's not entirely true... according to some threads I've read over at HTForums, digital doesn't have sufficient bandwidth to carry a DVD-A or SACD signal. DVD video maxes out at about 10Mbit/s, and you'd think audio-only tracks would be a lot less than that...

Pioneer makes (made?) a player with a Firewire connection, but you needed the matching Pioneer receiver to go with it for it to work.

My crappy Apex is dying so I'm planning on picking up that Pioneer DV563a this weekend.

Dave

 

[dman]

That's crazy about the bandwidth issue... I doubt the recording equipment has high enough resolution that you'd need that much data, ugh.

 

[sillymofo]

OK... as a previous Good Guys employee, I have done extensive research so incase a customer, like you, ask.

NO, YOU CAN'T PLAY AN SACD, or DVD-A in a regular CD player, DVD-A is to be played in DVD-A capable DVD players ONLY. Same with SACD, but now, SACD has hybrid, which means aside from the SACD track, it has a 16-bit PCM track accompanying it, which makes them playable in regular CD players. You're right, with that, you won't get a performance increase because it is the same 16-bit track that you're listening to, not the SACD.

There has been many debates over the formats, and I myself like SACD better. Reasons? The >2.8 Ghz sampling rates. Which would make the digital curve as smooth as the analog counterpart. With good speakers, amps, and a kick ass SACD player, you can hear music the way it's meant to be heard. SACD is not a surround sound format, but has an emphasis on soundstage and clarity. Go to SONY.com and do some research before nefing.

EDIT: Check Pioneer, last I heard, they have a pretty good combo for ~$1000.00

 

[John]

Originally posted by: cr4zymofo
OK... as a previous Good Guys employee, I have done extensive research so incase a customer, like you, ask.

NO, YOU CAN'T PLAY AN SACD, or DVD-A in a regular CD player, DVD-A is to be played in DVD-A capable DVD players ONLY. Same with SACD, but now, SACD has hybrid, which means aside from the SACD track, it has a 16-bit PCM track accompanying it, which makes them playable in regular CD players. You're right, with that, you won't get a performance increase because it is the same 16-bit track that you're listening to, not the SACD.

There has been many debates over the formats, and I myself like SACD better. Reasons? The >2.8 Ghz sampling rates. Which would make the digital curve as smooth as the analog counterpart. With good speakers, amps, and a kick ass SACD player, you can hear music the way it's meant to be heard. SACD is not a surround sound format, but has an emphasis on soundstage and clarity. Go to SONY.com and do some research before nefing.

EDIT: Check Pioneer, last I heard, they have a pretty good combo for ~$1000.00

Your correct for the most part. Multichannel SACDs carry as many as six separate channels, each captured on disc at the full DSD bit rate with the full DSD sound quality. There are some really amazing M/C SACD's such as Steely Dan: Gaucho, Nora Jones: Come Away With Me, Pink Flyod: DSOTM....and more. You can pick up a Denon DVD-2200 for under 600.00 shipped and it does DVD Video/Audio/SACD/CD and shares the same deinterlacer chip as the 2900. Not to mention you get Burr-Brown DACS!!

I just picked up a Denon 2200 last week and finally got around to pruchasing a few SACDS. I've found a new love for music.