George Marshall asked:

>These reports are mouth-watering (or ear-watering).  I have never tried
>SACD equipment or recording mainly because I listen mostly on headphones.
>(This is not just for practical reasons but also because I actually
>prefer it.) I have always assumed that SACD would give me no advantage
>at all on headphones.  Am I wrong?  Would SACD equipment and these new
>releases transform my headphone listening?

Probably. :-)

I've always considered headphone listening to be a very critical way to
listen to music.  You tend to hear greater detail, and the sound is much
more immediate, not having to deal with room acoustics, etc.  Given that
most classical music relies on subtle details in tone coloration, balance,
perspective, etc., there would seem to be great benefit to getting as
close to the quality of the original master recording as possible.  A
technology such as SACD essentially gives the average consumer an extremely
high-quality digital copy of the original master.  I haven't heard SACD
through headphones, but I have heard the quite a few SACDs on several
systems including high-quality electronics and speakers, and the difference
between the CD and SACD versions is not at all subtle.  But it should
be a very simple matter to take your headphones down to your local hi-fi
dealer and ask to be plugged in with a SACD playing.  If possible, try
and pick music you know; ideally a recording you know.  I'm sure they
would accommodate gladly.

>Or would I get an improvement by trying the new Dolby Headphone technology
>instead?  I assume that this is designed mainly for giving special effects
>in films, ...

This must be a common misconception.  SACD (Super Audio Compact Disc)
has absolutely nothing to do with movie soundtracks or Dolby processing.
SACD is first and foremost an audiophile stereo format - in fact the
first players and dozens of the first releases were SACD stereo only,
not even containing the CD layer.  All SACDs play in stereo.  Some contain
multi-channel (3, 4, 5 or 6 channel) versions as well, and some have
the CD layer so they are backwards compatible with most D players, but
high-quality stereo is always there.  The DVD-Audio format also offers
high-quality stereo, as well as multi-channel, but for the most part
DVD-Audio has not been a significant factor in the classical world.

Dave
http://www.classical.net/