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I would love to get some of the great new recordings on DAD, like Pat Barber or Holly Cole.
In last week's Soapbox, reader Norman Tracy suggested that audiophiles not wait for DVD-Audio, but instead support the 24/96 DAD format, whose discs can be played on current DVD-Video players. Do you agree? Have you bought any DADs?
I havn't purchased many due to the poor selection of artists and the lame content of the available discs. There are, of course, exceptions. Chesky has some marvelous selections, and they sound open and clear. Nothing seeems to be getting in the way. The music seems to float easily into the room. I'll buy more when there are more to buy.
Perhaps I am a late starter, but, having just purchased a DVD for Christmas (just over 11% of households now own them?), I'll look for one or two to try after the holidays. If the DADs work well, it's not clear to me why we should wait for DVD-Audio, or make the purchase of an overpriced Sony with limited software.
I was primed to buy some DADs to test a DAC that I am building. At this point, though, the whole DAC project is on hold pending resolution of the DVD-Audio question and/or changes in perspective from the major record labels vis-a-vis copy protection. (Yeah, good luck on that.) Compounding the issue for many will be the small number of compatible DVD players (e.g., those that support S/PDIF out at 24/96). Without the S/PDIF out, one is stuck with whatever the manufacturer has put in the player (which is say, neither low-jitter or high-performance). In other words, I've lost the faith, and will be knocking on the doors of the Church of SACD.
It would be nice (a la Chesky and Delos) if more current material were made available in this format. The old Vox recordings from whence most of the material was sourced are okay, but do not do justice to the technology, except that you can really hear the hiss and the "spectacular" sound of vintage 1960s/1970s recordings . . .
The discs are significantly better than vanilla CDs, but little software is available. Additionally, with new (SACD/DVD-A 24/192) formats coming out, 24/96 may no longer be SOTA. I believe the 24/96 discs do sound good, but not "as good" as what I heard in Chicago in May from SACD. Also, no new stuff from Cheskyhave they given up on 24/96?
I like this approach far more than the propsed DVD-A format. Based on my own listening tests of the two formats, I believe SACD to offer superior resolution. I do think that it harms no one to have DADs out there, as I already own the equipment required for playback. My DVD player is also used as the main audio source in my home theater, so this would be value added to my current investment. My 2-channel reference system is very separate from the movie center and shall remain that way. DVD-A is almost as bad an idea as the ill-fated Divx; I saw the death of that format before it was on the shelves. Do these manufacturers actually listen to the public? (What am I thinking? Of course they don'tthey always need write-offs.) Holiday wishes to all.
Stunning! Chesky's Livingston Taylor DAD through a Pioneer 525 and MSB Link is visceral and real, the way I had always hoped DAD would be. The Sara K. isn't as sonically fun, but the video and the music make it well worth a buy. Now we need more DAD software. I'm buying!
I think this is the ONLY way a new format will take hold. The average Joe isn't going to buy a special disc to play on a special player. If he can play an improved-format disc on the DVD machine he already owns (or is thinking about buying), it will have a lot more sucess. The only other stopping point is the price: very few people will pay the $30 for a 24/96 disc. The price must be lowered for a better format to take hold.
Some of these discs sound amazing (Muddy Waters' "Real Folk Blues" and Cannonball Adderley's "Somethin' Else" are my personal favorites), but it is clear that the current generation of DVD players is NOT optimized for music. Even through my MSB Link DAC, the sound is bright. I'm dying for a DVD player with high-quality video and true 96kHz output, but I have a feeling I may as well wait for DVD-Audio.
Though I have a DVD player, it is not optimized for audio playback, so I found playing DADs to be rather unsatisfying. Not planning on changing that anytime soon. The DADs are just too niche-oriented for my tastes. I want about three recordings total. Not enough to support a format.