Hybrid SACD deterioration?

[David Ayers]

I have had a few hybrid SACDs go bad on me, a recent one massively. The CD layer is fine. Is this a known problem? 

[Scott Dolan]

That's odd. When you say "CD layer", you mean the reflective surface? That's usually the only thing that fails. 

[Spontooneous]

We know it's the discs gone bad and not simply a player that's stopped reading SACD layers on hybrids?

[David Ayers]

@Scott Dolan A hybrid SACD has two layers...

@Spontooneous I only have one SACD player. It is the same discs that have a problem in the same places, but that does not prove it is not the player. All but three or four play fine. 

[mikeweil]

I have two SACD players, and the older one does not read the high resolution layers of one label - everything else plays fine. What labels are your troublemakers from?

[David Ayers]

2 hours ago, mikeweil said:

I have two SACD players, and the older one does not read the high resolution layers of one label - everything else plays fine. What labels are your troublemakers from?

One RCA (as was), one LSO live, the most recent and worst Chandos, maybe one other. No pattern. One stopped several years ago, other two more recently. All initially fine. No pattern. I just wondered if there is an issue with hybrid SACDs generally. 

[erwbol]

On 6/2/2017 at 0:33 AM, Scott Dolan said:

That's odd. When you say "CD layer", you mean the reflective surface? That's usually the only thing that fails. 

 

On 6/2/2017 at 0:50 AM, David Ayers said:

@Scott Dolan A hybrid SACD has two layers...

Actually, I think a hybrid SACD can have more than one SACD layer beside the CD layer. Like for the Japanese Sony Kind of Blue SACD (from 2006?) a 5.1 and 2.0 SACD layer plus Red Book layer for CD playback.

Different audio track, different layer.

[jazzbo]

Yes, from 2007

https://www.discogs.com/Miles-Davis-Kind-Of-Blue/release/1480183

But I think these discs are actually manufactured with just one PCM and one DSD layer, the latter of which cn have more than two channels, up to six. . . 

 

Edited June 4, 2017 by jazzbo

[erwbol]

Ah, I see.

[mikeweil]

I forgot what label the SACDs were from on which my older player couldn't read the SACD layers - will have to try again ...

[David Ayers]

I should mention that the drop outs on these SACDs are always around the same place, but are not like the drop-outs on a failed or faulty CD which are very definite, alwsy exactly in the same place. In fact the SACD drop-outs are quite variable, but not random, so always within the same few minutes of the disc.

[mikeweil]

FWIW - when I bought my second player three years ago the dealer told me frankly that there is no player on the market that is guaranteed to play every SACD without malfunctions. The process of reading multiple layers requires much accuracy in tracking etc. 

I never had dropouts on SACDs, only on CDs - as I said my older SONY player recogizes only the CD layer on some discs. 

[David Ayers]

Well Chandos have offered to test the disc that recently went wrong, so if I ever get round to sending it I'll let you know what they find.