SACD Audio / Mac CD Drives
I've been looking at buying a CD or two that are "re-mastered" using this SACD technology. The thing is, my Mac is my music base-station and I don't know if it's capable of reading this SACD format. Before I go and spend $$$ on the SACD-format discs, I'd like to know if I can not just play the CD but play the CD with the benefit of the SACD sound AND import the CD into iTunes.
I'm on a PowerMac G4 that I bought in early spring of '02 - it did not come with a SuperDrive (sadly, it was a little expensive at the time).
Anyway, if you know or know some information source that might be able to help, I'd really appreciate it.
[684 byte] By [
karmadillo] at [2007-11-9 14:33:34]
# 1 Re: SACD Audio / Mac CD Drives
The first thing to understand is there are two types of SACD discs: hybrid and non-hybrid.
Non-hybrid discs will play on SACD players only. They only have a hi-rez SACD layer, which normal CD players (and computer CD-ROM drives) cannot read.
Hybrid discs have two layers: the hi-rez SACD layer, and a regular CD layer as well. (Sometimes there are two hi-rez SACD layers: stereo and surround-sound.) These discs will play in ordinary CD players, but you will not get the benefit of the hi-rez SACD sound in those ordinary CD players. That requires a SACD player to access the SACD layer(s).
Popular examples of hybrid SACDs in the rock field would be the recent Bob Dylan and Rolling Stones remasters, and the recent Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon issue.
Your Mac CD drive will be able to import music from hybrid discs such as these, but it will be from the CD layer, not the hi-rez SACD layer.
I hope this is clear. The bottom line: If you don't own a SACD-capable player, you have to make sure before you buy any SACD disc that it is a hybrid with a regular CD layer.
j_par at 2007-11-15 16:50:53 >
# 2 Re: SACD Audio / Mac CD Drives
Originally posted by j_par
The first thing to understand is there are two types of SACD discs: hybrid and non-hybrid.
Non-hybrid discs will play on SACD players only. They only have a hi-rez SACD layer, which normal CD players (and computer CD-ROM drives) cannot read.
Hybrid discs have two layers: the hi-rez SACD layer, and a regular CD layer as well. (Sometimes there are two hi-rez SACD layers: stereo and surround-sound.) These discs will play in ordinary CD players, but you will not get the benefit of the hi-rez SACD sound in those ordinary CD players. That requires a SACD player to access the SACD layer(s).
Popular examples of hybrid SACDs in the rock field would be the recent Bob Dylan and Rolling Stones remasters, and the recent Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon issue.
Your Mac CD drive will be able to import music from hybrid discs such as these, but it will be from the CD layer, not the hi-rez SACD layer.
I hope this is clear. The bottom line: If you don't own a SACD-capable player, you have to make sure before you buy any SACD disc that it is a hybrid with a regular CD layer.
Hybrid SACDs can't even be read by the mac, it just ejects them. How, then, are you supposed to import it with iTunes?
# 3 Re: SACD Audio / Mac CD Drives
Originally posted by stuckwithme247
Hybrid SACDs can't even be read by the mac, it just ejects them. How, then, are you supposed to import it with iTunes?
The CD layer of every single hybrid SACD I have tried in my iMac has been read successfully, and I have imported the audio into iTunes just as I would with a regular CD. What kind of Mac/CD drive do you have? What's the SACD you're trying to use?
What you describe sounds exactly like what would happen if you tried to put a non-hybrid SACD (one without a CD layer) into a Mac's CD drive. A hybrid SACD should behave and be recognized exactly as if it were an ordinary CD.
j_par at 2007-11-15 16:52:56 >
# 4 Re: SACD Audio / Mac CD Drives
Dark Side of the Moon and Bringing It All Back Home on my 12 inch PowerBook.
# 5 Re: SACD Audio / Mac CD Drives
I have succesfully imported dark side of the moon on my iMac G4 700 Combo Drive, using Jaguar and iTunes4
# 6 Re: SACD Audio / Mac CD Drives
Originally posted by stuckwithme247
Dark Side of the Moon and Bringing It All Back Home on my 12 inch PowerBook.
Hmm, well I don't know what your problem could be. Those are both hybrids and I've imported both into iTunes and my iPod successfully.
j_par at 2007-11-15 16:55:59 >
# 7 Re: SACD Audio / Mac CD Drives
I just purchased a number of CD/SACD music and it will not play on my Powerbook. I get the message that I've inserted a blank DVD. They play on other regular CD players so I know it's a hybrid. "Bringing It All Back Home" is one I've had the problem with. Has anyone who's had this problem been able to solve it? Is it related to Superdrives?
paj at 2007-11-15 16:57:03 >
# 8 Re: SACD Audio / Mac CD Drives
I am having the same problem with my Powerbook. The CDs will play on other CD players but not on my Mac. The Mac tells me I have a inserted a blank DVD.
paj at 2007-11-15 16:58:05 >
# 9 Re: SACD Audio / Mac CD Drives
I read somewhere that it is an issue of firmware. Some cd-roms look for the dvd layer first and some look for the cd layer. If your cd-rom looks for the dvd layer first, it will attempt to read it, and since it can't play SACD, it will just error.
# 10 Re: SACD Audio / Mac CD Drives
Thank you, I'll contact my Apple rep.
paj at 2007-11-15 17:00:04 >
