Time to ‘Unlearn’ Stereo?
SACD cuts through limitations of traditional two-channel sound to
reveal astonishing soundstages in ordinary stereo. Because phase is
controlled with uncanny accuracy, stereo finally lives up to its promise of
three-dimensional sound.
Not just in terms of resolution – but in numbers of hi-fi channels
supported too.
Consider that the word “stereo” derives from the Greek word for
“solid” – what stereo was always meant to deliver: A solid wall of sound,
from side to side and floor to ceiling. In fact, early stereo formats called
for three speakers,not two,but the public was reluctant to make the leap
from mono to trio.
With two channels the norm, audiophiles developed an ear for its sound
and rejected various ‘quadraphonic’ formats over the years. With good
reason – too much gimmickry and too little realism.
But it’s finally time to ‘unlearn’ listening skills developed for the limits
of two-channel music. With SACD, for the first time, each and every
surround-sound channel comes through in full resolution and tremendous
detail. As that happens, seasoned audiophiles may find themselves listening
less and hearing more – as artifacts of learning to listen through faults
fall away. And music finally becomes physically thrilling – even spiritually
renewing – once again.
An engineer’s dream; a bean-counter’s nightmare. Philips engineers
chosen for the SACD project found themselves in a technical paradise,
where they were instructed that cost was no object for the all-precious
signal path. Witness the SACD1000’s analogue multi-layer PCB DAC
boards, the linear power supply, the absence of op-amps throughout the
signal path, the discrete outputs for all three stereo DACs, the massively
stable and linear torodial power supply, the Class-A mode in all twelve
discrete amplification channels.
SACD1000
SACD1000
center
subwoofer
left
right
left surround
right surround
Philips Super Audio CD
No more. Super Audio Compact Disk preserves the exquisite difference
in character between the Stradivarius and the mere fiddle.
Finally, the rosin and wood of analogue expression meet the dynamics and
detail of digital precision.
While computers and other digital devices have raced ahead with technology
since 1983, not much has dramatically changed with traditional audio CD
standards of performance. No wonder music purists have busied them-
selves with refining the warmth of analogue realm with vinyl disks and
tube amplifiers – waiting for something better.
The wait is over. Super Audio Compact Disc technology from Philips
redefines high resolution.
Finally, digital ‘bits’ are no longer perceived. Instead, an astonishing
unfurling of the fabric of music, revealing it’s original subtle textures.
SACDs,with dramatically higher sampling rates and bit resolution, paint the
musical stage with fluid – yes, analogue – nuances, where textures meld
together. Which is how music is – and audio should be.
For those who cherish the soul of music, the difference between a Stradivarius and a nice
fiddle is incalculably huge. And excruciatingly small.
The tiniest vibrations in the harmonic tapestry make the difference in music. Detail excites
the human ear and mind – the tantalizing nuance, the thumbprint resonance, the delicate
grace note within the complex structure of music.
Yet these differences can vanish in the journey to your ear – escaping during capture on disk.
Meet the new standard.
Objectivists & subjectivists unite! The SACD1000 is a product not
simply of schematics and calculations – it was subject to fifteen months
of scrupulous listening tests from critical industry ears as well. Plus the
engineers chosen for the project were selected for their audio-enthusi-
ast proclivities too.
Timing is everything. The SACD1000’s master audio clock produces
less jitter than jitter-measuring devices can detect,and housed directly next
to the DACs it controls the rest of the system.
Audio comes first. We admit it: although the SACD1000 delivers an
exceptional video signal, its main purpose is music. Third-order Bessel
filters, constant group delay – such things mean little to the latest
Hollywood blockbuster, but mean everything to delicate harmonics in
the musical spectrum.
www.philips.com
