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Can a CD-ROM drive read an SACD (Super Audio CD) .. it's a Sony format. Same league as DVD-Audio, but not the same (Beta-VHS anyone!??!).

All stems from the new Dark Side of the Moon release in 5.1 SACD.

I want it, I'll buy it, but I won't buy a consumer player.

Any clues out there?

Normally, SACDs contain a hybrid "normal" 44.1 Khz CD layer on top of the SACD layer, therefore allowing them to retain backward compatibility with "normal" cd players. In your case, if you buy the SACDs, your normal player will NOT be able to read the SACD layer, only the normal CD layer, so it will negate the advantage of purchasing a SACD
You can't play SACDs other than on a dedicated SACD player, unlike DVD Audio discs, which will work on your PC based DVD-ROM drive with an Audigy 2 soundcard.

It seems like if the SACD data is on the CD, a CDROM should be able to rip it. Is there copy protection that prevents this from happening?

Tonearm wrote:It seems like if the SACD data is on the CD, a CDROM should be able to rip it. Is there copy protection that prevents this from happening?

As noted by bhairavp, there are two separate layers to hybrid SACD discs - the SACD layer and the CD-DA layer. A normal CD drive is physically incapable of reading the SACD layer because it is an entirely different format, just like a CD drive is physically incapable of reading a DVD disc. It has nothing to do with copy protection.

Here are some short tutorials, I'm sure there are plenty more to be found on google:

http://www.timefordvd.com/tutorial/pf/S ... view.shtml
http://www.telarc.com/SACD/articles/def ... _info.html

cfitz

Ah, ok. That makes sense.

Plus they try to makes sure the digital bit stream never gets out in the open to be copied or whatever. That may change as the cheaper Chinese stuff gets sorted out but we'll see.
All that is probably in those links ya posted but it is another reason.

Dartman wrote:Plus they try to makes sure the digital bit stream never gets out in the open to be copied or whatever. That may change as the cheaper Chinese stuff gets sorted out but we'll see.
All that is probably in those links ya posted but it is another reason.

Nope, not going to happen. Copying in the digital domain (using the coax or optical outs) isn't going to work, because the digital out on the SACD player is encrypted, so all you're going to get is static. You CAN record in the analogue domain (using the 5.1 channel outs on the SACD player), which won't give you the same results as a (theoretical) digital recording.