I read an article, I guess about a year ago, on the future of SACD. It predicted the format's inevitable demise. Evidently, it just did not catch on as a particularly marketable CD format. If I recall correctly, the article blamed the iPod-ization of music consumption.

Look at it this way, how many people do you know who sit down and critically listen to high quality recordings on a good playback system -- multi-channel or otherwise? The whole concept presumes a lot: a properly set up and calibrated system, tailored to a listening sweet spot where the two-channel (CD) or surround envelope (SACD) experience is going to come together.

Compare that to the masses of people who like portable music and are perfectly content with lossy formats like MP3 played over a cheap pair of earbuds. Folks, we're definitely in the minority.

Sad to say, but read the press and they'll tell you CD's days are numbered, much less SACD. CD sales were down 20% in the 1st Q of 2007; but digital music sales are way, way up.

I think as storage space gets cheaper and more of the public gets acclimated to music downloads and portable music, audiophile formats will appeal to a smaller and smaller niche of the overall market.