Dave Harman asks:

>Dave Lampson wrote:
>
>>In fact, according to the latest sales numbers released by RIAA, SACD
>>and DVD-A are losing market share.
>
>Do you think this is because of the added investment of speakers and/or
>equipment upgrade?

No, I honestly don't think we can blame the cost.  In the most recent
issue of The Perfect Vision, the publisher gives some statistics.
According to him, more than 25% of U.S.  households now have a home
theater, and more than 40% have a standalone DVD player.  So, that means
that more than 25 million surround sound setups already exist that can
play the Dolby Digital and/or DTS 5.1 surround mixes found on DVD-A
discs.  With the price of starter SACD or DVD-A players at less than
$200, that's hardly a significant barrier I think.

I believe there are two basic reasons neither format has succeeded so
far.  The first is that it's now "cool" to have an iPod an download
low-rez music from the net.  That's the big thing, and it's essentially
antithetical to hi-rez audio.  For people enamored of music downloading,
playlists, and tiny portable music players, hi-rez physical media are a
solution to a problem they don't think exists.  In effect, SACD and DVD-A
are already old fashioned.

The second reason it's having a hard time is that the technology has
never been well explained to the average buyer.  Still, five years after
introduction, many CD store employees have no idea what SACD and DVD-A
audio are.  Some don't even know they exist.  Most people who are buying
CDs don't know or care what SACD is.

Cost is always a factor in the introduction of a new technology, but
other new technologies such as satellite TV (DBS), personal video
recorders, DVDs, HDTV and such have overcome the cost issue.  And iPods
certainly aren't cheap.  I think a major reason we are actually seeing
a drop in SACD sales is that the early adopters have been there, done
that, but it's now failing to enter the mainstream.  So, perhaps like
audiophile LPs, it will be relegated to a niche market, even if classical
music labels are beginning to try it out.

Dave
http://www.classical.net/