Audiophiles are a quirky bunch. Being one, I know the path of audio nirvana and how it takes you over, and only by experiencing the musical nuance and appreciation that comes with such snobbery does one know or “get” what it is that us audiophiles are talking about. It’s why we’re willing to shell out major cash for audio systems that pump out the best possible sound quality, and research every setup tweak and enhancement possible to eek out the most performance from our high priced audio systems.

The competition for high-definition audio continues with DVD-Audio competing head-to-head with Sony’s SACD format. Both formats rely on DVDs massive storage capacity and a lossless compression called MLP to cram as much data as possible on a single disc. While some SACD discs will play in standard CD players, DVD-Audio discs can only play in DVD players.

Sony has recently reduced the prices of all their SACD capable DVD and CD players, enabling anyone to get into Sony’s high-definition audio format for a relatively cheap price. SACDs can now be had for $16 with many backward compatible with older CD players. SACD components can be found at an astonishing $200 retail.