Hi-res / SACD music dead in the water?

An article in today's Guardian echoes my recent post about nobody caring about surround-sound or high audio quality music.

Much in the same way that people are reticent to replace their DVD collection with Blu-Ray or HD-DVDs (because the difference in quality isn't always immediately apparent), SACDs also seems pointless; most people think that their music is already high-quality, and can't hear the difference between standard stereo and hi-res surround sound.

The sad fact is that a lot of people don't really listen to their music. They play it while doing something else, sing along from time to time, but listening to a surround sound SACD requires being more or less stationary in order to get the proper effect. I can understand why that isn't often practical.

Also, mp3 is now the format of choice. For most people the quality, almost always lower than CDs, is quite sufficient. SACDs, despite being supported by the Playstation 3, seem doomed to stay a niche market for classical and jazz music nerds. The same is true for surround sound music in general.

Which is a shame. Because if you listen to the re-release of David Bowie's Young Americans, for example, the difference is amazing! The album (on CD/DVD) comes to life as never before. Plus, the CD contains bonus tracks, and the DVD has a long TV interview with Mr. Bowie himself.

Read a review here. Buy it here for less than £9/€13, including postage and packing worldwide.