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Thread: DVD-A vs SACD

  1. #1
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    Default DVD-A vs SACD

    I was looking to get Diana Krall's "Love Scenes" to experience her voice, and backup jazz bass. I see its available on both DVD-A and SACD. Which is better?

  2. #2
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    Amazon listed only 1 DVD-A version left so I went with that one. I also ordered the LAGQ - Guitar Heroes SACD. I want to here what all the fuss is about.
    Last edited by Nicholas Mosher; 03-20-2005 at 04:26 PM.

  3. #3
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    I so far have enjoyed DVD-As more than SACDs. It might be because of the selection of discs I own; however, SACDs are being released at a far higher rate than DVD-As now so all this is subject to change.
    "same as it ever was"

  4. #4
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    LAGQ - Guitar Heroes... Wow.
    Can you say "perfect surround mix"? With a guitar in each speaker (FL, FR, SL, SR) and the occassional odd instrument in the center, its as though you are sitting right in the middle of the band. There is a very small mix in the adjacent speaker, and the smallest hint in the furthest speaker. The SACD format really does this type of recording with acoustic guitars justice. You can hear their hands moving up and down the frets, the sharp onset of a strong pluck, and the change in vibration characteristics as they let pressure off the string/fret. The guitar's body is really fleshed out. The timing of the quartet and how they interweave with one another is spectacular. "Aire para un dia" is incredible as is "Lament and Wake". William Kanengiser in the FR channel is ungodly nimble. An absolute must own for anyone with SACD capabilities.

    Diana Krall - Love Scenes.
    Very impressed with Diana herself along with the backup instruments, not so impressed with the mixing. I went into this expecting an intimate setting. Some songs had a real softness and warmth to the backup (which I'm not a big fan of but can understand in this circumstance). What really suprised me was the ambiance. It almost sounds like you are in a large hall rather than a cozy room. For "Love Songs" I found this out of place. Other than that I found the DVD-A to be quite relaxing, and her voice is simply incredible. Thick and controlled are the two best words I can think of to describe it. "Gentle Rain", "How deep is the Ocean", and "My Love Is" are my favorites so far.

  5. #5
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    Now contrast Diana Krall's voice to that of her husband's, Elvis Costello.
    -curtis

  6. #6
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    I was shown the following link at another forum...
    http://interprod5.imgusa.com/son-637/sacd_story.asp

    I think I will opt for DSD SACDs over DVD-A in the future.

  7. #7
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    Well...remember...that is a marketing site for SACD. Do your homework on DVD-A too.

    One thing I think DVD-A has over SACD is sampling rate.
    -curtis

  8. #8
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    I'm new to multichannel audio so I haven't formed much of an opinion at this point. Here's a link that talks about some interesting things in the SACD vs. DVD-A debate.

    http://sound.westhost.com/cd-sacd-dvda.htm

    Some interesting points:

    1) SACD is higher resolution below 5-10khz than CD, but potentially marginally worse between that and 20khz.

    2) SACD music is recorded, edited and mastered in PCM. Wouldn't DVD-A be a purer transition from the studio to the consumer hifi system? PCM Master>DVD-A>PCM>DAC>Speaker vs. PCM Master>SACD>DSD>PCM (optional, depends on player quality/bass management)>DAC>Speaker.

    3) Ultrasonic noise is much higher in SACD than DVD-A. The noise floor on DVD-A is -144db through 100khz.

    I don't know enough to say which is better. All I know is I want to try both.
    -Jim

  9. #9
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    Here's another but more technical article about SACD vs. DVD-A.

    http://www.digit-life.com/articles2/sacd-dvd-a/

    "Comparative audition of a wide range of DVD-A and SACD records on the equipment of the sufficiently high level* does not allow to give preference to one of the formats, the difference depends considerably on the mastering quality, and actually does not really depend on the format as such. Taking into account the above analysis and the theoretical DVD-A dynamic range reserve, we can assume that the DVD-A format has not yet fully realized its potential in the modern equipment, while SACD is close to its maximum capacity. But nevertheless, at present this capacity allows the sound quality quite sufficient (with a correct approach) to satisfy the audiophiles' requirements."

    They conclude that both formats offer good enough SQ to satisfy audiophiles, but DVD-A has room to grow.

    "After the SADiE system was launched, based on the E-chip idea, the entire DSD stream mastering is possible without the PCM conversion, and thus the problem of quality loss in discs disappears."

    It also seems that the PCM Master>SACD issue will be diminishing as DSD mastering becomes more prevalant in studios.

    Just give me a universal player and let the format war sort itself out.
    -Jim

  10. #10
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    Yeah I guess I should look into it more...

    To be honest both formats sound incredible. Sometimes a single title comes out in both formats though. I assume they have the same mixes right?

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