Just got a SACD player - recommend some good SACD's please

The difference in audio quality would be marginal though if detectable at all, assuming the same number of channels. Just that DSD is the point of SACD.

I'm at least 15-20 years out of date with all this audio stuff, but I do remember blind tests back when SACD was new which showed that test subjects couldn't reliably tell the difference between "pure" DSD and 16/44.1 PCM conversion of same. Suggestion was SACD advantages were from the mastering / source material side rather than something inherently magical about high sample rate delta-sigma over pulse-code modulation.

I'n firmly in this camp, I couldn't tell the difference between a regular CD and stereo SACD, and AFAIK the difference is such that no human ear can actually hear it, because regular 16-bit CDs already cover pretty much the entire spectrum of sounds audible to humans. I only buy SACDs because many albums with a 5.1 mix or 4.0 mix are released in that format, couldn't care less about the "super audio" part.

Right, gotcha - S/PDIF does the old SCMS thing (sets a copy-bit - you can copy this once, you can't copy the copy), but HDCP is more sophisticated than that.

I totally get the sense of don't-complicate-my-signal-path; I always think "what a shame" if I see a really nice vinyl front-end going through a digital amp stage (even though, rationally, a modern 24/96 ADC/DAC isn't going to sully your precious LPs), so DSD should really stay that way until it's in the analog domain, I guess.

I only buy SACDs because many albums with a 5.1 mix or 4.0 mix are released in that format, couldn't care less about the "super audio" part

hard agree.

extremely ignorant question here: is there a convenient way to access/purchase/download 5.1 mixes digitally, without hard media? I ask because my very narrow motivation to include DVD-A capacity in the setup I am building is so that I can play the Talking Heads dual discs, which I do not own as of yet but am always keeping my eyes open for an affordable copy. I have placed the experience of listening to the early and mid-period TH albums in 5.1 on a pedestal that is the centerpiece of my interest in building a nice stereo system lol. If I had a way to do that without investing in DVD-A tech, I might just go with a cheaper blu ray that plays SACDs. (I am aware of and enjoy the TH downmixes; looking for the 5.1 real thing tho as well.)

Are you sure those Talking Heads albums only have a DVD-Audio layer? Because many music DVDs have the 5.1 mix both as a DVD-A layer and as regular DVD layer. Meaning, you can play the surround mix of the album as if it was regular video DVD, if your player can't read the DVD-A layer.

For example, I have a dual disc version of Björk's Homogenic which does exactly that, the 5.1 mix is there as both a DVD-A layer, and as a DVD-V layer which any player can read. Of course the DVD-A layer has a higher bitrate than the DVD-V layer, but my ears are not good enough to tell the difference. So I've never bothered to get a more expensive player with DVD-A support just for that.

And yeah, it is possible to download and play 5.1 mixes in without hard media, though AFAIK there aren't two many records available like that. But I have one album with a 5.1 mix that was released as an USB stick, and also I managed to come across someone sharing files of all Daft Punk albums as (probably unofficial) 5.1 mixes. So you can just put the files on a USB stick, stick it in your player/amp, and if it supports the file type, they will play in surround.

I no longer have a surround setup, but I remember the Talking Heads dualdiscs (or their European CD/DVD equivalents, which are preferable because some CD players can't handle a dualdisc and the bonus tracks are only on the CD side) that you needed to be careful about whether you were listening to the DTS or the Dolby Digital mixes, because DTS requires a very specific setup that will sound off if speakers aren't precisely placed, whereas with Dolby Digital your receiver will compensate for imbalances in the setup if it has Audyssey or something like that. This is ignoring the hi-res portion of the disc.

Sony's CD/SACD carousel SCD-CD595 was an affordable model back in the day that sounded great and had a nice display (when I need a new player I'm always looking for one that will properly show CD-text — the blu-ray players don't), but it took forever for the discs to load.

I think there are some quite easy to use free tools to be found for ripping DVD-A on a computer if you ever get curious to hear them and assuming this is legal in your locale.

And have a high res audio interface I suppose.

foobar2000 has a plugin that lets it recognize & play dvd-a from a cd/dvd player.