Because
there’s
so
Much
More
to
Hear.
Beyond CD:
I n t r o d u c i n g S u p e r A u d i o C o m p a c t D i s c. The Compact Disc was an important accomplishment in stereo music reproduction. But over the years, discerning listeners have demanded even more. That's why Sony and Philips, the inventors of CD, have created the new Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD). It's the highest quality stereo sound source available today. Unprecedented fidelity.
Super Audio Compact Disc utilizes advanced technology in the pursuit of a single goal: superlative sound quality. SACD is based on a fundamentally new approach, Direct Stream Digital™ encoding. This one-bit system goes far beyond more bits and higher sampling rates to produce nothing less than a quantum leap in music resolution. Greater simplicity.
To audiophiles, purity has always meant simplicity. So with SACD, there's no option for lossy compression of any kind. There's no option for music recorded at anything less than the highest possible resolution. And you'll never experience stereo derived from a computerized fold-down. SACD is about music, pure and simple. Remarkable compatibility.
Music enthusiasts have already made a substantial commitment to their CD collections. To protect this investment, every SACD player performs superbly with the more than 12 billion audio Compact Discs currently in existence. And the SACD format also includes a hybrid disc option that will play back beautifully in the more than 600 million home, car and portable CD players made since 1982. Super Audio Compact Disc. What else would you expect from the people who created the Compact Disc?
The
Creation
of a
New Medium.
With the SACD format, music companies can offer three different types of discs. The single-layer disc can store a full album of high resolution music. A dual-layer disc provides nearly twice the playing time. There's even a hybrid disc that contains both a high density music layer and a standard density CD layer for compatibility with over 600 million CD players, worldwide.
HD Layer Dual Layer Disc
HD Layers Hybrid Disc
CD Layer HD Layer
staggering ‘‘ Aimprovement over what we have now. ’’ -Robert Woods, Telarc International
Super Audio Compact Disc is dedicated to a single goal: the finest music reproduction possible.
Changing the
Beyond comparison.
Direct Stream Digital processing is dramatically different, even when compared to the most sophisticated PCM technology. This 1-bit system encodes music at an astonishing 2,822,400 samples per second. The result is more than just superb frequency response and dynamic range. You'll hear the inner detail of choral ensembles. The reverberation trailing from a guitar chord. And the acoustic space surrounding the instruments. With DSD technology, you hear every nuance of sound reproduced with incredible ease and clarity.
Meaning o f
Pure Audio. Direct Stream Digital encoding: a foundation for the future.
For nearly 30 years, digital audio has been based upon Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) technology — and nobody knows PCM better than Sony. We've used it to develop everything from Compact Disc and DAT to professional DASH recorders and digital mixing consoles. But to achieve a truly fundamental breakthrough in music reproduction, Sony has invented a truly amazing audio technology: Direct Stream Digital (DSD®) encoding. DSD encoding is destined to serve as the foundation for digital audio in the future. Simplifying the signal path.
Even the most advanced PCM record/playback systems require decimation and interpolation filters that can cause problems, including requantization noise, passband ripple and ringing. These degradations can smear musical overtones, muddy the soundstage and compromise overall transparency. A radically simpler approach, Direct Stream Digital processing eliminates these problems by eliminating the filters. It enables a 1-bit signal to be recorded directly!
RECORDING PROCESS 64ƒs 1 bit Input Signal
Delta Sigma ∆Σ
Modulator
PLAYBACK PROCESS ƒs 16 bit
ƒs 16 bit
Decimation Digital Filter
Interpolation Digital Filter
CD
[Noise Shaping] RECORDING PROCESS
Delta Sigma ∆Σ
Modulator
Output Signal Analog Low Pass Filter
The DSD analog-to-digital converter produces a one-bit pulse train that appears remarkably analog. In this manner, DSD encoding combines the advantages of digital recording with the well-regarded characteristics of analog sound. For recording artists, producers and engineers, DSD technology is a priceless new tool. For audiophiles, it's a major step closer to pure music.
Analog input signal
DSD output signal 101011011101111011111011 1 10 1 11 0 11 0 10 1 01 0 10 1 01 0 01 0 00 1 00 0 01 0 00 0 10 0 01 0 01 0 10 1 0 1010110111011110111110111101110110101010
The Direct Stream Digital pulse train "looks" remarkably like the analog waveform it represents. More pulses point up as the wave goes positive and down as the wave goes negative.
[Noise Shaping]
64ƒs 1 bit Output Signal
Delta Sigma
Analog Low Pass Filter
∆Σ
Modulator [Noise Shaping]
64ƒs 1 bit
The digital equivalent of straight wire with gain.
PLAYBACK PROCESS
64ƒs 1 bit Input Signal
8ƒs 24 bit
Moreover, many leading audiophile labels are already conducting multichannel DSD recording sessions. Thanks to Direct Stream Transfer™ lossless coding, future SACDs will be able to offer both a 2-channel and a multichannel mix of the same music. And the 2-channel mix will be fully compatible with current players.
Super Audio CD
In high-end audio, simplest is best. And compared to conventional PCM, the new DSD system is far simpler.
conveys the ‘‘SACD recorded performance to the listener as accurately as possible. -Steve Epstein, Sony Classical
having made ‘‘ After several recordings with this technology, there is no going back to PCM – at any word length or sampling rate. -Tom Jung, Digital Music Products (DMP)
’’
’
Eliciting the full
Performance Presenting the SCD-1.
Super Audio Compact Disc is a milestone in music reproduction. So to demonstrate the new format to the fullest, Sony has built a landmark component: the SCD-1 Super Audio CD™/CD player.
The laser pickup signal is especially sensitive to electromagnetic interference. That's why the Fixed Pickup mechanism minimizes servo current, reducing interference.
The SCD-1 features Accurate Complementary Pulse (ACP) density modulation that defeats the switching distortion associated with conventional high-speed semiconductors. Our Dual Discrete ™ optical pickup has two lasers — one dedicated to CD, the other optimized for SACD — for superb readout accuracy on both types of disc. Plus the rigid Fixed Pickup mechanism minimizes unwanted oscillation and servo current distortion. Achieving higher standards for standard CD.
The VC24 digital filter, S-TACT stage, and Current Pulse D/A converters are all ICs designed and built by Sony.
The SCD-1 uses Sony's superbly rigid Base Pillar construction.
Critical listeners will also appreciate that the SCD-1 is arguably Sony's best CD player ever. The Synchronous Time Accuracy Controller (S-TACT) is our most effective method yet for suppressing time-base jitter. Our Current Pulse D/A converter vanquishes the imprecision of conventional, voltage-based systems. And the VC24 digital filter performs twice as many operation steps, for an altogether higher degree of precision. Built to last.
Air-borne, shelf-borne and internal vibrations can subtly degrade your music. The Sony SCD-1 controls this problem across the board. The chassis features an all-new Base Pillar (BP) construction which combines two 5-mm base plates to form a massive platform nearly half an inch thick. On it reside seven high-carbon cast iron pillars, 4.5-mm side walls and a 5-mm top plate. And the entire chassis rests on eccentric, pinpoint, gel-filled insulator feet. As a result, the SCD-1 maintains effortless transparency and detail – from the softest pianissimo to the loudest fortissimo.
There's also a more accessible Sony SACD player. The SCD-777ES incorporates most of the same technology as the SCD-1, including the Fixed Pickup mechanism and ACP circuitry.
o f
Music. Legendary music.
‘ performance ‘...SACD’s high-definition is truly a step forward in consumer music presentation...
’’
-John Eargle, Director of Recording, Delos International
kind of resolution ‘‘ IThe am accustomed to experiencing while in the studio, listening to the direct microphone feed.
’’
-Joe Harley, AudioQuest Music
SACD has triggered an outpouring of music by the world's preeminent artists, both past and present. Jazz greats like Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Milt Jackson, Wynton Marsalis and Oscar Peterson. Classical stars like Emanuel Ax, Glenn Gould, Yo-Yo Ma and Isaac Stern. And the world's finest orchestras under the batons of Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Ormandy, Wolfgang Sawallisch and Bruno Walter. These performances were singular events. Now captured on SACD, these titles gloriously demonstrate music the way it should be.
To find out how much more there is to hear, visit a Sony SACD retailer.
Call 1-800-222-SONY or visit www.sony.com
Sony Electronics Inc. 1 Sony Drive, Park Ridge NJ 07656 http://www.sony.com Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Sony, DSD, Direct Stream Digital, Dual Discrete, Super Audio CD, the DSD logo and the Super Audio CD logo are trademarks of Sony. Direct Stream Transfer is a trademar k of Philips.
© 1999
