Just ran across this live feed and watched most of it. Great conversation. I have a Marantz SA-10 SACD player. I went through the same process as most, went heavy into vinyl and grew tired of cleaning and storing all the records. I find the SACD's are equal to the analogue sound signature of vinyl. So far up to about 300 SACD's. I love the direct master analogue tape to DSD transfers.

I am with you on the SACD's Steve the Acoustic Sounds offerings have me hooked they are decently priced also have MOFI, and Japanese Single layer SACD's and Dutton Vocalion as well also a bargain

As far as players go, I'm very happy with my Arcam CDS50 SACD. At about $1300 it's one of the better value players, but still has a great sounding DAC.

Hey Steve!! I was sleeping so I entered your stream 15min to your episode. I just wanted to thank you for doing this. This has been my gripe for the last 10 years since "re-collecting" vinyl since 2013. So many claiming themselves to be "Audiophiles" think that it means analog only...especially when referring to vinyl. That is so far from the truth and I am so soooooo happy you made that distinction. You have my utmost respect just for saying that. I am getting my Oppo UDP-205 next week and as nervous as I am, I am extremely excited. I am so happy with yours and everyone else's recommendations for SACD's and I will definitely seek them out down the road. Thanks again for this. I really appreciate it.

Nice video, Steve! Glad to see SACDs get some attention. I love my SACDs. They're a great alternative - especially if it's a title that's not an all-time favorite. And you don't want to drop $125-150 for one album. My success rate for defective products is certainly MUCH better for SACDs.

I have around 50 SACD’s. I only buy classical recordings in the SACD format as there is a black black ground turning quiet passages and there is great dynamic range. Other jazz and rock SACD’s sometimes sound as good as my vinyl system. I’m using an Oppo 83, so that is half the price of just my phono cartridge.

whenever I am able to choose the SACD over vinyl in particular the One Steps and UHQR I typically choose the SACD. The are in fact underrated and I have been buying and collecting for over 20 years. I own a Marantz SACD player that also plays BluRay. I especially enjoy the MOFi selections, feel like they sound the best. My first SACDs were the initial Stones that were released in 2002. They sound spectacular! I really only listen in Stereo. Overall I find the format to sound spectacular, and as you point out they are much easier to store and handle.

SACDs is very underrated. Nice stream +++++

The Oppo 205, up until its final production run, was US$1300 brand new. Oppo gets a lot of mention or recommendations not only because of the quality and value of its players, but also of its customer service. Even though Oppo no longer manufacture players, one can still get factory service through Oppo today.

Loving 70’s quad releases now being released as SACD. Doobie Brothers Quadioi box set is incredible. Hope more like these are released!

Oh yeah and the Michael Jackson Thriller MFSL Sacd is phenomenal

Been purchasing SACDs since early 2000s. In terms of the Steely Dan SACDs, have the original US "Gaucho" SACD, then the Japan SHM-SACDs of the Steely Dan catalog, and now the Analogue Productions SACDs.

Denon DCD-A110 - excellent player. Look inside of the player - work of art.

I’m a huge fan of SACD.

I'm one of those DSOTM buyers! Also The Carpenters Singles 5.1. surround is outstanding. I also have a Marantz Blu Ray/SACD player. Been buying them since 2018 or so.

I buy SACD's instead of the expensive One Step or UHQR. For example: Crosby, Stills and Nash, Eagles-Hotel California and The Long Run. All sound great and I save myself the completely overpriced and unnecessary cardboard boxes. Especially here in Europe where these boxes are considerably more expensive than in the US, the SACD is a great alternative.

I only own one Hybrid SACD, which is “Singles 1969-1981” by the Carpenters, which features a 5.1 surround mix overseen by Richard Carpenter. It sounds absolutely incredible, and their big, orchestral music is perfect for the surround format. I really want either the surround mix of “Pet Sounds” on Blu-ray or SACD but it’s OOP and sooo expensive.

Sacd is the best

I recently purchased a McIntosh MCT 500 transport to access the sound quality of SACDs. The digits are sent to my C49 preamp/DAC. I am just now starting my SACD library. The few SACDs I have purchased sound great, including the Dark Side of the Moon you mentioned. I live on my boat so don’t have the option, practically, of vinyl so this is as close as I get.

I'm using the Marantz SA-KI Ruby sacd player for my 2 channel and Marantz UD7007 as my universal player for 5.2 channel, plus a NIB Marantz UD5007 universal as backup. Quality built universal players are few and far between nowadays. My future will be the Luxman D-10X sacd player for my 2 channel. That $15, Canadian sacd of Dire Straits is probably the best sounding version of the other sacd formats I have heard. Sacd can be hit and miss just like vinyl records, and I have a couple that sound terrible...bummer I missed the show...cheers Steve ✌

I have a dedicated SACD player, the Marantz SA-14 (Michael Fremer reviewed this player quite favourably back in '02) which I use for stereo playback of DSD SACDs, and an OPPO BDP-103 which does a great job on 5.1 surround discs (I tried to get the UDP-205 when they were still in production, but they sold out super fast). I used a Denon DVD-2930ci player in the past for surround discs, and it sounded superb but had an unfortunate tendency to 'lock up'. I'm sure I have a few hundred SACDs and I like the format a lot. Like most in the VC I do have a thing for triple-A vinyl and vinyl records in general (I've been collecting since ~'68), but anyone who scoffs at what DSD has to offer through the SACD format is either a fanatical purist or simply doesn't know what they're talking about.

Just a heads up.... Anyone new to SACD should slow down and do a little research to educate their self on SACD players. If the player doesn't have analog outputs or a compatible receiver/processor (via HDMI) you're gonna be listening to the redbook layer. A great SACD to get is (NIN - Downward Spiral). Its like getting punched in the face! Must have! Been fortunate to enjoy SACD's on both a Sony & Oppo vaccum tube modded players by Dan Wright (Modwright Instruments). Analog stage & external power supply.

really happy with my Yamaha DVD-S2700. does a wonderful job with cd's and SACD.

Steve i hate to even bring it up, but have you heard reel to reel tape music its analogue perfection without the issues of vinyl and turntables. its another dangerous area of audiophile collectors

Some SACD's are better than the Vinyl

Always had my collection on SACD to fall back on. Getting to the point where I’m falling back on it because of space, price and convenience.

CD, SACD,HDCD, Dvd-audio, they're all great and superior to distorted vinyls

Missed the livestream but currently using a Yamaha BD-A1040 (previously used an oppo but started to have issues with SACD). Key reason is this plays every format I have, SACD, HDCD, DVD-A, Blue Ray Audio etc. I certainly have more vinyl than SACD but there are some albums I prefer the SACD version. Alice Cooper's Muscle of Love from AF in 4 channel surround is my fav version of the album when compared against original press, quad press and the Friday Music reissue - obviously more of hardcore Alice Cooper fan album.

Hi Steve, just a quick technical note about SACD. Someone mentions this early on in your video but unfortunately any DAC capable of playing an SACD has to use a Sony-approved chip. The reason why Sony is pretty anal about approving the chip is for copy-protection reasons since what they don't want is for people to be able to rip SACDs onto their computers like everyone did with CDs for years and years. Long story short: when you listen to an SACD via a DAC on an Oppo player or your Marantz player you are actually NOT listening to DSD64. Instead, it has been converted to something else -- PCM (I believe it's usually 5-bit, but someone can correct me if that's wrong). There is good news, however. If you use your SACD player as a transport and send the DSD signal via HDMI to a converter box that converts it to i2s, you can then send that i2s signal (again via HDMI) to a DAC that 1) has an i2s port and 2) does DSD. Then just send the analog signal to your preamp/amp/speakers and you're good to go. I recently figured out how to do this and the improvement in sound is pretty noticeable -- it's quite thrilling to unlock the full potential of the format! Here is my entire chain so that if anyone reading this wants to do this, they can: 1) Sony 4K Blu-ray Player (Sony UBP-X700) -- obviously, select SACD layer in the player settings, and select 2 channel instead of multi-channel 2) D to D Converter -- plug HDMI cable into video/audio output port (NOT the audio only port) of player and connect the other end into the HDMI input port of an i2s converter box I purchased on eBay from China (name of product: "HDMI/MHL To I2S IIS HDMI IIS I2S Dual-Mode Digital Audio I2S/DSD/Coaxial/Optical") 3) D to A Converter -- plug HDMI cable into i2s output port on other side of converter box and plug the other end into the i2s input port on DAC (the one I bought is the SMSL DO200 MKII) 4) Configure DAC settings -- Select i2s on the DAC's menu (upon playback, the DAC should output DSD automatically when it receives the signal) 5) Plug in RCA cable from analog output on DAC into preamp input (those with fancier equipment than I have can use XLR cables, of course) That's it. The player should cost around $150-200, the DtoD converter should cost around $50-60, and the DAC should cost $300-400. The alternative is to purchase the $7,000 PS Audio SACD Transport with an i2s port and the $8,000 PS Audio DAC with an i2s port and connect them via HDMI. You can unlock the full DSD64 stored on an SACD that way too but I have a feeling most will be happy to do it for a fraction of the price instead. And by the way, if you purchase a new Denon/Marantz/Yamaha/Arcam, etc. SACD player, these are all more expensive than the setup I outline above and utilize a Sony-approved chip in their DACs that do the conversion to PCM. Michael Johnson (aka poetryonplastic) did a video on this topic a while back that helped clarify my confusion on this subject prior to my own attempt at bypassing the Sony chip problem via the equipment above. I would also recommend maybe asking Paul McGowan from PS Audio for an interview since he's a big proponent of DSD and SACD. His audiophile record label Octave Records does a lot of DSD256 recordings as well as vinyl pressings from these DSD recordings. Anyway, hope this helps people who are getting into the SACD game and want to get the most out of it!

Probably the best choices for future-proof players would be the Arcam CDS50 SACD on the low end and the Technics SL-G700M2 on the high end. Both have excellent sonics plus they both have extensive streaming capability so that they become your hub for all things digital. You're out of luck if you want multichannel, unless you pick up a used Oppo or a cinema processor or receiver.

It's awesome but only if you have correct dac to decode, no ess sabre or rtr dacs (unless seperate stand alone board). I use technics mk1 sacd player on pure audio function, outstanding. Safe bet is akm dac.

Nowadays, multichannel playback for SACD almost happen exclusively on a Blu-ray based universal player; component CD/SACD such as the mentioned Denon A110 are stereo playback only.

Those of us who can’t afford One Step Vinyl SACD is a good alternative

SACD player since a month ago. Steely Dan's Katy Lied, Royal Scam and Aja ($35 each) I pre-ordered. Date has not been set for release yet. Also ordered Chicago VI to be shipped at the same time. I bought 3 Santana 7" SACD quad selections from CDJapan but unfortunately my 5.1 soundbar setup is less-than compatible with these 4.0 selections. I think SACDs would get more love if there were more multi-channel selections, and more music ON them. A large capacity SACD with only 38 minutes of music seems a little wasteful. Billy Joel Greatest Hits Vol 1 & 2 is going for $250 USD. Ouch!

I own a few SACDs and own an Oppo 205 but since I can never get as great a sound as vinyl I rarely buy them. Certainly will plump for AS or MFSL vinyl over the SACD version. Maybe lower cost might drive me to buying more in the future.

The problem is probably DSD 64, which is on an SACD, may actually correspond to PCM 20 Bit. But which is said to have a higher noise level. they might talk about quantization noise. Then if the master is in PCM that you convert to DSD, it might not be as good if you had made a pure PCM copy from the same master. Then the question is how good it is to downscale DSD to 256 to DSD 64 MOFI does something like that. Making an SACD to DSD 256 or higher than DSD 64 might not be such a big idea if it says on the product placement of the player that it can play higher DSD levels from USB memory not from optical disc. . Then there are receivers that only support up to DSD 128. apart from maybe Yamaha? and pioneer

I don't care for the " club " vibe here. I have had sacd's forever, it seems. Play them on a $400 transport, best sound ever. Best, D.

It would appear...YES, APPEAR...the untold story is the system required to roll these SACD,s. Sacds have blah blah information capacity but...the entirety of the system required to run these is elaborate. I have larger rooms for these systems but damn, I don't want to fill them with more stuff.

I have an Oppo sacd player which I use to rip the DSF files and play through PC/USB/DAC to my stereo.

UHD blu-ray like premium players . There are Magnetar and Reavon. then there is Pioneer. although it seems to stop being sold on the Swedish market

Do you have any of the Japanese SHM-CD's or SHM-SACD's? I don't know if the technology is snake oil or not. Actually the Columbia Japanese SACD version of Kind of Blue sounds amazing!

The Vocalion SACD of Mott the Hoople's three records sound amazing. You get three albums on one SACD

Every time I think, "maybe I'll buy an SACD player...?" I decide to just download the files (if they are available, most of the time are)

A players out of my price range. I spent $500 on my whole TT system, I can’t pay another $500 for a fancy CD player.

Back when MoFi was still doing its 24K gold CDs, those cost either US25 or $30 each. Fast forward 20 years and MoFi's is still charging the same money for its SACDs....which contains a CD compatible version and a hi-res DSD version on same disc. Therefore, MoFi's SACDs are not that expensive.

i buy SACDs then rip the dsd files off the disc to usb stick using a hacked PS3.I can then feed these files (.dsf, .dff)to any of my modern dacs and enjoy incredible sound.

SACDs The best OPPO player to own for a multi channel up through 7.1 is the BDP 105. It has a full set of 7 analog outputs - plays sacd, bluray, dvd-a, cd. You should get an external better dac for 2 channel but the transport is world class DO NOT BUY the Genesis SACD box. It is crappy Nick Davis remixes - not the original mastering. Chad’s ATL 75 SACDs will be the ones to own

Steve, I was not a fan of that ZOMBIES SA-CD, but I wanted to note for ht beginning of the video that it is not 5.1 Dolby surround, though that might be true on the competing DVD-Audio format that did not survive the war with SA-CD. The 5.1 mix is in the same DSD (Direct Stream Digital) ultra high resolution format the two-channel versions were in. Not everyone liked the Guthrie 5.1 SA-Cd mix, but the Alan Parsons Quad version is also roundly criticized, so one of these years, I want to hear the Dolby Atmos version, though that'e too many tracks for SA-CD. I like the 5.1 SA-CDs of classic Elton John, Moody Blues and THE STRANGER and 52ND STREET by Billy Joel, as those mixes were supervised by the producers of those albums, Phil Ramone. Someone else remixed one of them for 5.1 later. The Sony 4K players that do SA-CDs are great, but to challenge all the players mourned and be a successor to anything from OPPO, the MAGNETAR UDP900 does 4K, all Blu-rays, all DVDs (including DVD-A) and SA-Cd. Its $3,000+ in price, though. Those Quad Dutton Vocation SA-CDs are great too.

Would love to give SACD a try but a player seems to be very expensive. Are the dual layer ones that you can play in a regular CD player sound better then a normal CD ?

i have 2 oppos the 95 and the 93 they play everything i also have about 50 HDCD's they have encoding that adds a little more dimension to the sound its not a used format any longer the OPPO's and other brands have decoder chips on board for them its important to note that OPPO no longer makes players but there are some new brands on the market that have picked up where OPPO left off

I miss my old Oppo SACD/CD/DVD-A player that I used forever. It died and Oppo stopped making them! Now I have a Denon that I bought used but it is a bit iffy re: if it will work or not on SACDs.

Vintage Sony' DUAL Layer CD/SACD player have problems reading hybrid discs but not pure SACD discs. Weird.

I have an Oppo but never explored the SACD. I have read you need proper connections. How do I get the player to send the SACD layer to my amp?

It is the price of the players that has killed the format. I had 3 affordable Sony DVP NS755's (1993) that stopped playing the SACD layers. My Yamaha S1890 from 1997 is still going strong. Maybe you can talk to them about stopping the practice of converting film sound to MP3 quality. I have no DVDs that are more then 448 kbps pcm. 1411 should be the lowest, CD quality.

MSFL, DCC, sbm, Columbia 360 surround, SACD. Which is best. Is hybrid SACD worth it? Does a regular CD sound better on an SACD player?

Steve, I see people recommending OPPO SACD players that are discontinued so pretty much no future for this player other on the used market. I have PS Audio SACD player w/ their DAC which sounds great, but nothing can beat the vinyl set up. For SACD to start coming close to the sound of vinyl, such as DCS system, you’ll have to spend over 40k. I regret spending so much money on DSDs and SACDs. I know it’s convenient to play SACD, but it isn’t for serious listening. I would buy arcam since they’ve still in business unlike OPPO.

Anadialog said that DVD Audio was the best digital format that has existed. He mean by the sound quality of the albums? He is critical of SACD. not as clear sound. He has compared the sound from different types of formats on the same type of album. blu-ray pure audio he say some albums didn't sound much better than a regular CD. DSD 64 is perhaps too little. If treble reproduction should be really good

Diana Krall **Girl in the other room ** knock out

So basically you need an outboard DAC with i2s capability to enjoy SACD through a SACD capable blue ray player? I can't use an HDMI cable from my player to my receiver HDMI in.?

Bat Out Of Hell, particularly the title track, has a severe lack of bass and percussion in the final mix. Sounds weak. Must have been a production choice. Many other recordings of 1976/1977 have much better production with a low end so it was not a 'product of it's time' as you put it.

Aren't there blu ray 5.1 discs now?

What's your take on shm/mqa on standard cd players?

how to play,,, stereo and 5.1 sacd,,, give model no... player and amp

SACDs are cheaper. I use a Sony BDP-S5100 to rip.

Why are the players that cost thousands of dollars better than a $98 Sony BD player that sends a direct stream through HDMI to my receiver that decodes dsd?

“What’re your thoughts on SACD?” I have none. Don’t care. Also don’t need any more formats. But hey, enjoy.