SACD multichannel on the cheap?! No no no no, my friend: let me tell you how this is all going to pan out, in 10 easy steps:
1) In....let's say 2014...you discover that you have an Elton John and an Eric Clapton multichannel hybrid SACD in one of those strange jewel boxes, which you purchased in 2004. But you never had a SACD player or fancy hifi stereo, so they just lay neatly on the shelf gathering dust, with the other Elton Johns and Eric Claptons.
2) In 2014 you get divorced and move away from your wife, who always thought hifi equipment was ugly shit, that didn't belong in any visible area of the house. You originally discovered the hybrid SACDs because you have to pack everything and move out and you spend too long looking at stuff, instead of just chucking it in boxes. You buy a shack of your own and start drifting by music equipment shops, remembering your carefree days as a teenager, dreaming about a decent hifi set-up. And women. And fast cars.
3) You buy one of those big-ass flat screens, to fill your empty living room, to watch sports and the occasional movie on. You think the sound for movies needs a bit more punch, than for the news. And what about those CD's in the boxes? No wife to give you grief now.
4) You drift down to the Hifi shop and finally settle on a Sonos set-up, because, you know, not too expensive. Sports and movies sound better.
5) You suddenly discover, by chance, that the old blu-ray player you purchased - an Oppo 93, which your wife said was ugly shit - plays SACDs. In goes Elton. But what's this? Multichannel 5.1 surround?! Goodness gracious. But the sound is....well, it's not as good as your friend Erik has, on his hifi with "proper" speakers.
6) Back to the Hifi store. Why certainly, Sir, we can tailor-make a very nice and affordable 7.1 set-up with Dali speakers. But you watch movies, you say? How about a 7.1 set-up? You'll need a better amplifier. And something that can deliver in spades. May I suggest the Denon AVR-X7200WA? It will be able to play Atmos in the future, whatever that is. But why, when you're first getting some halfway decent equipment, don't you pay a bit more for the better Dali speakers? And some B&W active subs. You won't regret it. A steal for $30 000, interest rates are really low, right now, and we'll install it for you. The Denon receiver will even calibrate itself. Sorted!
7) But I only have a few Eltons and Claptons. Let's see...oooooooh...there's this funny website called Quadrophonic Quad. Ooooh...look...they have a hi-rez poll. Goodness me...so many titles. But wait: there are threads devoted to "My best surround SACDs" And what? DVD-audio? Is that a thing? Didn't DVDs have terrible Dolby Digital lossy sound? And what's this? Blu-ray audio from the original master tapes? "Like being in the studio". Steve Hoffman forums. Oh my GOD, the Oppo will play anything! Maybe I should get a new Oppo to play 4K UHD? We are, after all, in 2016. There is a new home theatre dawn. How about a projector for those fabulous hi-rez movies too?
8) All the music stuff I want, went out of print twenty years ago. So that's that. Hey - what's this? Discogs? Why - that's so practical and friendly!
9) Fast forward a few years. The median value of multichannel releases purchased in the last 10 years is $22 759, according to Discogs.
10) When The Who announces a $300 monolith of Who's Next, with a blu-ray audio Atmos mix done by Steven Wilson, you just shrug your shoulders and think, at this stage, I'm too far gone, it doesn't make any difference.
I can't afford a new car or a new wife. But do please stop by for a multichannel SACD and a cup of tea, if you're in the neighbourhood.