Beatles' SHM-CD releases (CD Japan)

With all due respect Rigsby, you are wrong. The fact that the SHM CD mastering process involves a New transfer process to make a new glass master makes it different right there. Placebo effect maybe, but i'm not about to call a bunch of Hoffman members 'nuts', or 'liars'...they are being truthful with what they hear. I don't believe the 'placebo' effect is a virus that multiple people can catch. Plus i've heard the'effect myself and i am not nuts. Maybe a bit weird but not nuts.
The beave

 

I just bought them all, except for Revolver which I already have! Thanks for the scoop.

 

I could have understood those who would take 24/44 USB albums, lower their levels by 0.2dB, dither them down to 16/44 (using some non-intrusive noise-shaped dither a la mda VST or SoX modified-e-weighted) to create their own CD masters & burn those on CD-Rs. These home-made CD-Rs would surely make slightly better versions of 2009 stereo mastering than any pressed discs: be those 2009 standard or 2014 SHM CDs. Still a tad compressed, but at least free of extra peak-limiting, which pressed CDs apparently feature...

 

If you think they sound better that's great, perception is reality after all, but throwing terms like "mastering process" around is a bit misleading when they have been proven to be exactly the same files. It is quite possible that due to the materials used there are less errors introduced in the manufacturing process but that's as good as it gets.

Making a new glass master does not defacto make a difference these are not analogue vinyl albums they are a series of 1s and 0s, the same series as on the 2009 remasters. Its like taking a digital photo saving the same file on two different memory sticks and claiming they look different. Unless there is a larger error rate on one of the drives (and hence the PC or whatever is having to do more of the work) they are the same.

 

Even though I have the Mono Cd box and the Apple USB, I broke down and pre-ordered Pepper through Let it Be.

Heaven help me.

 

You will be rewarded in Beatle Heaven for your endeavors.

 

I have the set, minus the first two (prefer monos), Help!, and RS (don't like the '87 mixes). They're pricey, but I think they're cool and make a good companion box to the mono set. I also bought the empty white box.

 

Oh well, ordered two more : magical mystery tour and yellow submarine

 

I finally had the time to listen to the first of my SHM discs. Started with Abbey Road as it is one of my favourites. It may not be the best recorded of all the albums, but a quick comparison (yes a quick comparison only) made me feel like the SHM sounds better in that it seems to have more air around the voices and instruments. I don't know why this is (I have read the discussion of these being the same files) and even if this is really, but that is what I hear. Could it be the volume is different, or is there really a difference in quality here? I am listening to Abbey Road through Beyerdynamic T90 headphones in a Woo WA6 amp. CDP is a Naim CDx2 powered by Teddy Pardo amps. Whenever I listen to other titles will provide you with a short update.

 

YIPPEEE A REPRESS!

 

Not until December.

 

I so far burned 8 of 13 Beatles stereo albums from home-dithered 24/44 2009 USB files (2 albums per a CD-R) plus 1965 stereo mixes of Help! & Rubber Soul from 2009 mono box on 1 CD-R (all at equal perceived loudness, i.e. album RG=-4.3dB) mostly for car listening. They sound fine & free from totally unnecessary extra peak limiting (featured on pressed 2009/2014 discs)...

 

What "extra peak limiting" are you talking about? I thought the only difference (other than 16 vs 24 bit) between the 2009 CDs and the 24/44 USB flac files was a gain increase of 0.2dB:
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threa...ations-and-myths.339186/page-48#post-10611253

 

Which version of Help do you prefer, mono, stereo 1965 or stereo 1987?

 

Well, apparently EMI applied ever-so-slight peak limiting during downrezzing of 24/44 material to 16/44 (better seen on louder tracks).

 

I would be perfectly happy if some chineese company made good quality minisleeves without the cds. I'd put my regualar stereo 09 cds in them and think that that was cool enough.

 

1965 stereo mix off 2009 mono box (followed by canadian 1987 Disque Americ's CD mastering of 1965 stereo mix)...

 

well there are plenty of Russian ones out there

 

No.....Heaven help us both.
My Good God, even if they don't sound better they look so damned Bitchen it's not even funny!
THIS IS THE WAY THE BEATLES SHOULD BE TREATED BAYBEE!!!!!
the beave

 

Well I wanna see some EAC scans of the SHM version of a song and the 2009 domo version. That would tell if the SHM's are 'better' sounding. Over at AVS forums, there was a thread on this 'phenomenom' we're dealing with here, and it ain't pretty. BUT the emerging theory is that up until recently, and even now, most, and I mean most CD players DAC chain has been riddled with excessive JITTER, which equates to our ears as 'mush' in the 'detail' of the sound coming off the disc. When ANY CD is burned/ripped to a hard drive and played back in the PC domain, there is NO jitter and the sound cleans up to a Positive difference that can be heard by a lot of people. The SHM/Blu Spec/Blu Spec CD2 discs emulate this by allowing our CD players to play the 1's and 0's with 'LESS OR NO JITTER LEADING TO A CLEANER SOUNDING SOUND'.
If this IS TRUE, then ALL of the cd's we've bought over the decades and the CD players we've played them on have, from the get go, delivered sonically defective sound, except for maybe the esoteric/high end cd players that had advanced, way advanced, DAC's and filters that let more of the fidelity of those 1's and 0's come through.
This is ONLY the theory I've been able to come up with that makes any logical sense whatsoever. Now, if this is all true then I've got a BIG bomb to lay on all of ya that will send the Forum spinning into the Axis, as Jimi would say.
But we'll leave that for the future when this plays itself out.
But believe me, if i'm even close to right, then we're going on a ride like you wouldn't believe.
the beave
hey, that rhymed dudes.
Thank GOD for the Beatles!!
Yeah Baybee......

 

still not sure if shm discs make cd player read the disc better ,,why this doesn't effect the disc being read in the cd drive when you rip it, also why do these Beatle discs have labels ,if that light blue label is better for sound?

 

Is there a Box for the Cd's this time.

 

There was a box from Disc Union, pictured below. It is not well-regarded, even if you can find one.

You might try one of these: Box for Japan Mini-LP CD

 

Thanks for the info
I think the White Box is OK but noting can be found in the US

 

Rerelease date April 15.
http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICY-76966