Read (hybrid) SACD on MBP

[lewis82]

I'm willing to buy an hybrid CD/SACD album (because it only exists in this version). Does anyone have experience with these? Does it work in the Superdrive?

Also, do you know of a SACD reading app?

 

[The General]

If you can put a hybrid SACD in a CD player and read it, then it should be readable in any CD reading computer.

You wouldn't have access to the SACD layer. Is that what you're trying to accomplish?

 

[lewis82]

Since my iPod isn't 5.1, I will most likely use the CD layer. I just wanted to be sure that it would work (there might be some incompatibility, I don't want to waste money).

However, I wouldn't mind using the SACD audio if there is some software that supports it. It looks faisible, as the media is physically identical to a DVD.

 

[Killyp]

You can't make use of the SACD layer - not only can the drive not read it, but the data is also in pulse-width-modulation format (the basis of why SACD is better). By going onto your iPod or iMac (which is pulse-code-modulation based), you'll be adding quite a lot of distortion on top of the distortion already caused by the PWM of the SACD.

It's like recording a record onto a CD - you lose a lot of the qualities of vinyl, and instead just end up with the distortion of both formats added together...

 

[blackburn]

Isn't the hybrid disks supposed to work like a regular cd on non sacd players?
If the quality sucks from doing that why would they bother to put the cd layer on it?

Edit: Check wikipedia SACD - Disk Reading
There are no apps to rip the SACD layer that I know off. SACD didn't really take off. Too many people happy with their crappy records at 128kbps..