They are louder, than AP SACDs or McMaster Blue Notes CDs, indeed. But they are still the best masterings for Blue Note available, at least in the digital domain. They have full frequency extension and great bass punch without being muddy, resulting in a more upfront presentation. The problem with AP SACDs was that they had a tendancy to sound too polite at times, making them sound only slightly different from McMaster Blue Notes. The BN Works (TOCJ) from Japan also had slight compression applied and sounded better than McMasters (imo).
Funny, to my ears many McMaster Blue Notes from the 1980s to the mid-1990s sound a tad better than the "Blue Note Works" CDs; the latter often suffer a bit from rolled-off highs.
True, they seem to have the highs rolled of a bit, but that's also true for the AP SACDs. But that doesn't bother me as much as the sometines very thin sound on the McMasters where the bass is (again: sometimes) barely noticeable; the TOCJs have a 'warm' quality that does not only derive from rolled off highs but also from gently EQ'd bass, without sounding muddy.
No criticism intended towards the XRCDs (or McMasters, APO SACDs etc.), but the ongoing SHM-CD reissue series from Japan belongs in the 'best-of' discussion, with a sound that's analogue-like, and featuring great instrumental tonality/definition and soundstage. Just listened to this one yesterday, and the sound (esp. the drums) is outstandingly good.
Is there a full list of all the SHM CDs that have been reissued? Are all of these new SHM CDs new Bernie Grundman remasterings?
A big part of the appeal of this series to me is the significant number of off-the-beaten-track titles that haven't been reissued over and over elsewhere. Here's one that's never been reissued in single-disc, digital format before:
The Blue Note SHM CD reissues received mixed reviews so far: http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/blue-note-shm-cds.327454/
Generally positive reviews of this series on Organissimo Jazz Forum. This group arose from the ashes of the old Blue Note BB forum after that closed down. Posters there have followed various BN releases since the late 1990s.
The more you hear the SHM-CDs, the more you like them. Some of the Organissimo members have significantly warmed to them over time.
It is definitely on Cool Struttin which sounds particularly bad where the clipping isn't just isolated to a few spots. I would have to check on the others, I've stopped playing these discs and just use my MM 45 rpm needle drops. It's only the digital clipping on the select couple (or few) that bother me, otherwise I agree the mastering is good. I don't find them bright either. But compared to their respective 45 rpm Music Matters LP there is blunting in the dynamic shadings, where the XRCDs homogenize things a bit too much. Again YMMV, I am using both electrostatic headphones and speakers and this sort of thing is very obvious. I've tried to build the most revealing setup I can for both locations, yet still sound like real instruments. For how much these discs cost, there should be no short comings.
All good if you are new to this music. For Larry Young I have to have the Mosaic set for the complete sessions.
The Mosaic set is OOP. At this point, all the Young albums are available digitally save one (Heaven on Earth, arguably the weakest one). The Japanese mastering on the SHM-CDs outstrips the sonics on the Mosaic set.
I have bought two of the new SHM CDs, Wayne Shorter's Speak No Evil and The All Seeing Eye, you can see my short review here: Blue Note SHM-CDs
Any word on the remaining Blue Note XRCD Audio Wave titles yet to be released. I have my eye on two of them but my confidence that they will ever be released is deteriorating.
I picked up the SHM-CD of Contrasts, I have to disagree that it sounds better than the Mosaic. It is very compressed, it pretty much sounds like an RVG CD. Sorry no magic SHM material or whatever is going to save this one. This is from the middle of "Majestic Soul"
I have just listened to the Ike Quebec Heavy Soul SHM CD and it is pretty good. The track Nature Boy is awesome.
Irrespective of any SHM material "magic", the primary "magic" is in the mastering work. Any number of SHM-Platinum and -SACD are definitive. As for Larry Young, are there any Audio Wave planned? I have BN Works (Japan) Into Somethin' and Unity. When the mastering work on either of those are beaten, then I'm all over it!
I believe the shm cd I have has used some 2005 mastering, whoever it was. There is not a word about mastering anywhere in the booklet, in fact the only places where shm designations are visible are the obi and the inner ring of the actual disc. The complete paperwork had been lifted from the 2005 remaster.
HDTracks are doing a really good job with Blue Note on digital. Way less compression than these SHM-CDs. The HDTracks Unity is very good. But there is no OBI!
Aren't the Japanese Blue Note SHM-CDs (since 2013) mastered from new Bernie Grundman 24 bit transfers?
When are the Audio Wave XRCDs of Grant Green's Talkin' About and Herbie Hancock's Takin' Off due out? Weren't these announced back in 2010? Any idea why this series is so slow to come to market vs the sister series on vinyl (Music Matters)? Is there low demand for the XRCDs? They sound phenomenal.
I think 5 yrs is more than a slow to come to market issue. Not mine to say this has come to end, but..
