Sales of SACD hardware fell significantly behind those of DVD-Audio during the first three quarters of 2001.
An NPD Intelect survey found that unit sales of SACD-only players rose 414% during the first three quarters of 2001, to 2,030, and sales of SACD/DVD-Video players during the same period totalled 4,538.
In contrast, DVD-Audio player sales totalled 21,022 for the same period.
Dollar sales of DVD-Audio hardware reached $10,405,940 in the first three quarters of 2001, while combined sales of SACD-only and SACD/DVD-Video players reached $8,331,049. Although this is not a large difference, one must take into consideration the average retail price for an SACD machine, as against that for a DVD-Audio player.
The average price of a DVD-Audio player during the first three quarters of 2001 was $495 compared to $978 for SACD-only players and $1,398 for combined SACD/ DVD-Video machines.