Introducing the Super Audio Compact Disc While the Compact Disc was an important accomplishment in music reproduction, discerning listeners soon demanded even more — that's why Sony and Philips, the inventors of CD, have created the new Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD). Thanks to a revolutionary technology called Direct Stream Digital® (DSD®) encoding, SACD represents the highest quality sound source available today. Simplicity To audiophiles, purity has always meant simplicity. With SACD, there's no option for music recorded at anything less than the highest possible resolution or lossy compression of any kind. And, you'll never experience stereo derived from a computerized foldown. SACD is about music — pure and simple. Many leading audiophile labels are already conducting multichannel DSD recording sessions. Thanks to Direct Stream Transfer™ lossless coding, SACDs offer a multi-channel mix, a studio produced 2-channel SACD mix and a separate CD layer that can playback in all conventional CD players. Capacity As a stereo music carrier, the Super Audio Compact Disc can hold over six times the data of Compact Disc. SACDs have enough room for both a two-channel mix and a multi-channel version of the same music, not to mention text and graphics. Security Pirated copies of discs threaten music companies, producers and musicians alike. In addition, consumers need protection from fraudulent, unauthorized copies. That's why authorized SACDs are identified by both visible and invisible watermarks. The visible watermark is a faint image on the signal side of the disc, made possible by Pit Signal Processing (PSP) technology. Missing or corrupted watermarks warn consumers of unauthorized discs. Invisible watermarks authenticate the discs prior to playback. If the SACD player cannot read the watermark, the SACD will not play. 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 13 billion audio Compact Discs currently in existence. And the SACD format also includes a hybrid disc option that will play back beautifully in any home, car and portable CD player made since 1982. 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 700 million CD players, worldwide. Direct Stream Digital® encoding: a foundation for the future. For nearly 30 years, digital audio has been based upon Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) — and nobody knows PCM better than Sony. Used by Sony to develop everything from Compact Disc and DAT to professional DASH recorders and digital mixing consoles, PCM technology offered astounding clarity over previous processes — until now… A fundamental breakthrough in audio technology, Direct Stream Digital® encoding represents the evolution of digital audio — unsurpassed in reproductive authenticity. Providing an unrivaled level of sonic quality, DSD® encoding is destined to serve as the foundation for digital audio in the future. Simplifying the signal path When attempting to capture and reproduce pure audio, less is more. While traditional PCM processing degrades and compromises quality through the use of multiple filters, Direct Stream Digital® processing eliminates excessive filtration, simplifying the sound capture process and allowing a 1-bit signal to be recorded directly. Beyond comparison Direct Stream Digital® processing is dramatically different — even when compared to the most sophisticated PCM technology. A 1-bit system, DSD® encodes music at an astonishing 2,822,400 samples per second, resulting in more than just superb frequency response and dynamic range. Capable of exposing the inner detail of choral ensembles, the reverberation trailing from a guitar chord, and even the acoustic space surrounding an instrument, DSD® technology reproduces every nuance of sound with incredible ease and clarity. The digital equivalent of straight wire with gain. The DSD® analog-to-digital converter produces a one-bit pulse train that remarkably mimics an analog wave. 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. All information on this page taken from Sony Music Entertainment Incorperated. The Elusive Disc, Inc. is an authorized Sony reatiler.