Rush - Counterparts Audio Fidelity *SACD reviews*

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by ModernDayWarrior, Mar 7, 2013.

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  1. ModernDayWarrior

    ModernDayWarrior Senior Member Thread Starter

  2. ModernDayWarrior

    ModernDayWarrior Senior Member Thread Starter

    I got an email yesterday from Amazon that my order shipped. Hopefully I'll have it by saturday.

    Any word if AF will release Counterparts on vinyl? I'd love to have a vinyl version of it.
     
  3. fluffskul

    fluffskul Would rather be at a concert

    Location:
    albany, ny
    So you started a thread specifically for SQ reviews, only to mention your shipping date in the second post?

    :D
     
  4. full moon

    full moon Forum Resident

    Lol. No vinyl is my understanding.
     
  5. Claus

    Claus Senior Member

    Location:
    Germany
    The SACD sounds great, better than the original and remaster!!!
     
    George P likes this.
  6. jacek2

    jacek2 Forum Resident

    +1 !
     
    George P likes this.
  7. ad180

    ad180 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    That would be a triumph for AF, if they were able to license Counterparts for vinyl. Considering vinyl is more popular these days, I wouldn't be surprised if Rush would want to do that themselves.
     
  8. ModernDayWarrior

    ModernDayWarrior Senior Member Thread Starter

    Yeah i agree but i'm surprised Rush hasn't reissued their whole catalog on vinyl yet. What are they waiting for?
     
    JulesRules likes this.
  9. Jeff SSM

    Jeff SSM Forum Resident

    I seem to recall MFSL advertising that Moving Picture and Signals on vinyl would follow their vinyl release of Permanent Waves, but it never happened.
     
  10. dislocatedday

    dislocatedday Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington DC
    I received my copy Tuesday, and have listened to it twice so far. While I like all the AF releases I have, in some cases the improvements over prior versions are small IMO where there was already a good mastering available. However, in the case of Counterparts, I find a huge difference between the new release (SACD layer) and the original CD I have. The difference in dynamic range is the most striking facet. On the SACD the album breathes so much more than the old CD, and Geddy's bass and Alex's guitar in particular have much more texture/dynamics because of this. The best example on the album to me is "Cut To The Chase". That song comes to life so much more, with the cleaner toned guitar parts having much more contrast to the heavy distorted guitar sections, and with Geddy's bass line it is like I can literally hear and feel his fingers hitting the strings.

    I would bet good money that no Rush fan is going to be disappointed with this release.
     
  11. The Rush Fan

    The Rush Fan Well-Known Member

    Location:
    San Lorenzo, CA
    I got my disc directly from AF yesterday, and I haven't stopped listening to it! Well, only to sleep and work!

    I was thinking about what I could say in the way of a sound review, but dislocatedday's post above mine pretty much sums it up. Another must-have. My only (quite small) gripe is that Counterparts' release has been kind of eclipsed by CTTE, at least around here, but no worries. It's out and available to everyone! :)

    Bring on more Rush!
     
  12. full moon

    full moon Forum Resident

    Presto next is the word. That could really benefit, as it seems very thin and lacks some punch.
     
  13. tcj

    tcj Senior Member

    Location:
    Phoenix
    So is Roll The Bones, but I wouldn't say the AF version is any improvement on that album's thinness and lack of punch. I'll still order it the second it's available. :D
     
  14. Mike McMann

    Mike McMann Forum Resident

    Listened to this on the weekend and I was pleasantly surprised. I would not have thought about "Presto" but would welcome it or "Test for Echo".
     
  15. mmars982

    mmars982 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    I'm listening to the CD layer for the first time after a few days in my SACD player. I'm really impressed with the sound. Definitely more so than with RTB (one of my faves), which I still really like but wasn't "wowed" by the sound. I am here.
     
    Dan Steele likes this.
  16. Ambassador

    Ambassador Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    It's warmer for sure, and sounds less harsh to my ears. If you were expected a change akin to transforming the sound of Roll The Bones into Counterparts or Hold Your Fire, that really isn't possible. The original mix has its limitations after all, just like the Rush releases of today. Still prefer the slightly thin sound of RtB over any pre-Counterparts release (excluding Test for Echo once it gets AF-treatment of course. :D) I'm looking forward to a similar warm (and less digital) treatment for Presto.

    Well, it's logical based on the releases thus far. We know that AF was focusing on Atlantic Rush releases, and the first release was RtB followed by Counterparts (the order of which matches the release dates of the original albums). So it was a pretty easy guess that AF would either go back and do Presto (RtB was probably done first for marketing reasons as I believe it was the top selling Rush Atlantic album) or move on to Test for Echo (consistent with the original album release date order). Of course, this means that a TfE AF release is on the near-horizon. :)
     
  17. The Hud

    The Hud Breath of the Kingdom, Tears of the Wild

    Wow! This SACD is amazing. It is like listening to a brand new great Rush album. Thanks Kevin!
     
  18. walrus

    walrus Staring into nothing

    Location:
    Nashville
    Those are on a different label. I'd be much more interested in their 90's albums, since those are virtually impossible to find on LP. I have nice original pressings of most of the 80's stuff...MFSL versions would sound great, but I'm less likely to drop $30 on an LP I already own.
     
  19. dislocatedday

    dislocatedday Senior Member

    Location:
    Washington DC
    I just finished listening to this disc again for my third time through, and this time I got to really crank it with the wife and kids out of the house this evening. You said it perfectly, as I too feel like I am listening to a brand new Rush album. I'm not one for over-the-top hyperbole, but this disc is one shiny gold platter of awesomeness !! At one point I jumped up out of my chair playing air guitar to "Double Agent" I was so pumped up.
     
  20. ModernDayWarrior

    ModernDayWarrior Senior Member Thread Starter

    Ive always loved Double Agent. Real underrated Rush song IMO. I also love Alien Shore.
     
    JulesRules likes this.
  21. scribbs

    scribbs Resident Mockery

    Location:
    Surf City USA
    The CD (I can't play SACD) is a bit of a mixed bag. I certainly am enjoying this album a lot more now than I ever have previously. I can hear more detail in the mix and feel I am able to appreciate a lot more of what's going on. It is less compressed than before, but the mix still sounds almost monaural to me, and the high end still sounds pretty compressed and thin to me. The transients of the drums sound like firecrackers, pretty ticky-tacky. Overall, I guess it now sounds less like a half-baked grunge record and more like Rush's version of Tommy. For those keeping score at home, that would be a good thing.
     
  22. Drew

    Drew Senior Member

    Location:
    Grand Junction, CO

    Double Agent is my favorite tracks off the record. Just a quirky over-indugent Rush song. One of my favorites by the band.

    My copy of this SACD should be at my doorstep tomorrow. Thank goodness I have the day off.
     
  23. Lyle_JP

    Lyle_JP Forum Curmudgeon

    Location:
    Danville, CA, US
    I got this disc (along with CttE, naturally) and I've had a chance to really listen to this thing twice now.

    It really can't be stated how "different" sounding this SACD is. There's barely a hair's difference between the two Atlantic CDs. I never realized just how much of that over-baked crispiness on those CDs defined the "sound" of that album for me. I thought, "Well, I guess Rush is grunge now." So this has really been revealing.

    First of all, I used to always think that this was really Alex's album. The crunching of his guitar found prominence on the original CDs, so much to the point where Ged's and Neal's contribution were little more than background in the "wall of sound" mastering. But now that I'm able to hear all three parts, with none stepping on the others or any being crushed by heavy-handed DRC, I can see what a great ensemble piece this album truly is. Ged's bass playing here is nothing like Presto or Roll the Bones, and reminds me more of the stuff he was doing on Grace Under Pressure (that is, when he wasn't near the keyboard). The slightly extended Stick It Out was an unexpected bonus.

    I am super happy with this release, and I don't think we'll ever hear a better version, unless Rush someday goes the full remix-route with their catalog (and who's to say that would be better)? If there is any complaint I have, it would be that Ged's vocals seem to be buried in the EQ more than on the previous CDs. Yes, I'm aware that for many, this is a feature not a bug.
     
  24. Ambassador

    Ambassador Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    I'll try to do more comparisons with the German vinyl soon. Since they have closely related dynamics it's a more solid comparison than with the original CD.
     
  25. ModernDayWarrior

    ModernDayWarrior Senior Member Thread Starter

    Chronicles, Roll The Bones , Counterparts and Feedback are the only Rush vinyl that I'm missing. I wish i would have snagged them back when they were released. Theyre pretty expensive now.
     
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