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What is SACD?

What is SACD?

SACD stands for Super Audio Compact Disc and was introduced in 2000 after being developed by Sony and Philips. It was designed to provide better sound quality than the traditional Compact Disc (CD), due to its more advanced method of encoding the audio data. SACD uses a process known as Direct Stream Digital (DSD) as opposed to the standard PCM method used in producing CDs. DSD employs a sampling rate 64 times higher than that of PCM, resulting in greater dynamic range and a wider frequency response.

SACDs should always contain a 2-channel stereo version of a recording, but many also contain surround sound versions (5.0 or 5.1 layout), a full set of surround sound speakers being required to take advantage of the higher number of channels. However, Wikipedia notes that there are also variants from these two norms, one example being the RCA reissue of the 1957 Chicago Symphony Orchestra recording of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition (Fritz Reiner), which marked the first time the original 3.0 (three track) recording was made available in a consumer format. It is interesting to note that approximately half of all SACDs released to date are classical recordings.

Most of the SACDs sold on this site are backward compatible Hybrid SACDs which also contain a standard CD layer. This allows the discs to be played on an ordinary CD player, thus enabling people to purchase an SACD recording without needing to invest a more expensive SACD player. However, playing an SACD on an ordinary CD player will not, in principle, produce a higher quality of sound than a standard CD. If any SACD does not contain this standard CD layer, we will make it very clear in the product details.

For more detailed information, we would recommend the following sites:

SA-CD.net
Wikipedia (English version)

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