Channel Classics records only in SACD multichannel

Channel Classics has been recording only SACD multichannel format for three years now with a release of 30 cd’s. Though there is a long road ahead before this format becomes standard, there is such an improvement that the commitment to continue with SACD is definite. Channel has been working closely with Philips since it’s inception in helping to develop the software needed for the editing a producing of the cd’s.

Especially in 5 channels, the sound and performance are so enhanced that there is no way back to a normal stereo recording. Channel does not utilize the 6 th channel which is generally used for the subwoofer (ultra low frequencies). This is a superficially produced channel used for DVD films and does not fit into our philosophy of naturally produced sound.

Format
With the conventional PCM format as used in CD, music signals are sampled with a frequency of 44.1 kHz and quantized with 16-bit resolution. While improvements in quality can be gained from both increasing the sampling frequency and increasing the number of bits used to represent each signal sample the well-known problems associated with decimation and interpolation filters needed for PCM recording and playback still remain. These ultimately limit the quality that can be achieved and so a technique was sought that would completely eliminate them.

The Three Types of the SACD Disc
The SACD standard, published by Philips and Sony in March 1999, defines three possible disc types (shown above). The first two types are discs containing only DSD data; the single layer disc can contain 4.7 GB of data, while the dual layer disc contains slightly less than 9 GB.

The third version - the SACD Hybrid - cleverly combines a single 4.7 GB layer with a conventional CD that can be played back on over 700 million cd player world wide. This concept is the essential link between the new SACD format and the well-established CD.

From the outside, the SACD Hybrid Disc looks like any other 12 cm diameter and 1.2 mm thick optical disc. A closer look reveals that the disc is a bonded combination of two 0.6 mm data carriers: one containing the SACD data, the other the CD data. The reflective coating on the SACD carrier has the optical characteristic to be reflective for the light used in the SACD pick-up (650 nm), but to be transparent for the light used in a CD pick-up (780 nm). To a CD pick-up, the SACD layer is virtually invisible, as a result, the CD layer contained within the SACD Hybrid Disc is fully compatible with the "Red Book" CD standard, and can, therefore, be played on all "Red Book" compliant players.

What is SACD / DSD (Direct Stream Digital)
The solution came in the form of the Direct Stream Digital (DSD) signal processing technique. Originally developed for the digital archiving of priceless analogue masters tapes, DSD is a revolutionary process based on 1-bit sigma-delta modulation, and operates with a sampling frequency of 2.8224 MHz (i.e., 64 times the 44.1 kHz used in CD). By adopting DSD as the basis for SACD, Philips and Sony are now able to offer audio of unparalleled quality to consumers.

Multichannel
Mulitchannel SACD players gives you the choice to enjoy digital multichannel audio at its very best. SACD multichannel digital technology 'translates' the music into accurate and focused voice localization. It places you at the heart of a three-dimensional sound stage, as if you were in the audience.

Backwards Compatible
SACD discs can hold more than six times the amount of information than the traditional discs. This provides space for full-quantity 2-channel stereo as well as for full-quality multi-channel recording. SACD hybrid discs are also available.(Channel Classics only produced the hybrid discs.) An extra layer on these discs allows them to be played on conventional CD players (in CD quality) for instance on the one in your car. The hybrid SACD is thus fully backward compatible with existing CD and DVD players.

More information
If you would like to know more about the technology and development of SACD visit our links section for informative and specialized websites on this subject.

Jared