ECM SACD reissues: March 8, 2017

OK, I'm a sucker, just pulled the cdjapan trigger.

Interesting and surprising that this thread is only on its second page. Metheny and perhaps the most iconic jazz record post-Kind of Blue of Love Supreme-- Koln-- in SACD format? You'd think every audiophile and jazz geek on the SH board would be all over this.

 

ECM rarely, if ever, gives any mastering credits, but if you got to Christoph Stickel's webpage here:

Christoph Stickel Mastering

... and scroll down you can find images of albums he has worked on.

 

Pretty impressive resume working with acoustic music.

 

So does anyone know if it is even possible for somebody who can't read Japanese to buy any of these? Tower USA does not carry these, nor does CD Japan as best as I can tell.

 

I believe that if this were a release with a wider scope there'd be more interest. I'd plunk down if I didn't already have the LPs I bought when it first came out (surprisingly still sounding great) and a gold cd version I picked up early this century. These sound so good . . . and I don't play Koln with the frequency I used to.

 

The record has always sounded good, it's true. I guess I just expected more icon-veneration from the denizens of the Church of Keith.

 

They're just grunting and moaning with closed eyes. . . .

 

Tower Records Japan says;
We don't have services for shipping overseas.
But it is available by forwarding your product to your home country, using package forwarding service"tenso.com".
（Overseas delivering"tenso.com"is a service of its own tenso.com,Inc. It is not in the service of our company.)
海外への配送サービスについて | TOWER RECORDS : よくあるご質問（Q&A）

Tenso.com web site linked from Tower Records Japan site
Usage Guide [tenso.com]

Some instructions in English are available on this page.
To an overseas visitor（English） | TOWER RECORDS : よくあるご質問（Q&A）

• Procedure for membership registration
• Select the delivery method
• Select payment method～ Confirm order...
• Adding and purchasing items - “ ...
• To Our International Customers

 

Ready to fly from cdjapan's forwarding service: Keith Jarrett - Koln Concert [SACD] CD Album

cdjapan offers now SAL shipping also for forwarding services, which is super fine. For the 4 items I just ordered via their forwarding services, the surcharge for SAL shipping and fees over the items' purchase price was 20%.With their previous policy, it could reach 50%.

It should also noted that for such services, the japanese Tax is not deducted. I guess because the forwarders are local and they buy locally with the tax included which is flown down to us. The price listed at cdjapan with no tax included (3780), is the tower.jp price with tax included.

16821 yen

Shipping 1200 yen

Service Fee 1681 yen

Standard Fee 500 yen

Procurement Fee 0 yen

Final Order Total 20202 yen

 

Mine shipped from cdjapan today, just one day after I placed my order. As usual, I opted for cheap SAL shipping.

 

Does anyone know if these are all analogue releases? My German CD of Pat Metheny - Offramp has the markings "DDD" but my Japanese UHQCD version has the markings "AAD"?

 

Strange, the original pressing (which I have) had no SPARS code on it:

Pat Metheny Group - Offramp

but a later re-release did:

Pat Metheny Group - Offramp

(click the more images by the cover to see the artwork in each case)

 

ECM are somewhat cavalier when it comes to SPARS codes. On my box set Eberhard Weber - Colours all the CDs have the SPARS code DDD. I am certain that Yellow Fields & more than likely Silent Feet were analogue recordings as their release dates are 1975 & 1977.

 

It seems the focus of the SACD reissue program is analogue recordings, mostly from the seventies; the DSD-remastering engineer evidently specializes in transfers from analogue tape.

 

I carefully looked at disc, package, and liner notes of the SACD, PROZ-1087, KEITH JARRETT, "THE KÖLN CONCERT" released by Tower Records Japan. There is no SPARS code print on them.
Instead, they say in Japanese,
" ... Christoph Stickel made a flat transfer from original analog master to DSD under a supervision by ECM ... "

 

Can anyone recommend where I can purchase the Metheny and Corea discs from?? I am in Canada. Thanks!

 

cdjapan.

 

I'm skeptical they're true DSD, my best guess is they are using the hi-res PCM master.

 

You got in under the wire SteelyTom as this is now on Backorder with delivery expected in 2-3 weeks!

 

Maybe not. When I ordered it was listed as having a delay of 2-4 weeks pre-delivery. Fairly frequently, cdjapan outperforms these kinds of estimates....

 

Why then do the albums themselves specifically mention DSD transfer by a named, Munich-based remastering engineer? Fake news?.... I can let you know when I receive my copy of Koln and feed it to the Oppo.

 

Brian posted his comment as shown bellow to a thread on ComputerAudiophie Forum.

"Christoph Stickel has been working at Horch House as their Chief Engineer since September 2016. Horch House uses a Grimm AD1 Analog to Digital Converter with DSD 64 for their Analog to DSD transfers and mastering."

 

Setsuko's comment clears it up! For two reasons I was just skeptical that ECM who have never done anything in DSD (as far as I know) were going back to analog master tapes for a niche Japanese reissue series that was meant for their domestic market. And they are another label that has been archiving to hi-res PCM. Fake news presents itself as facts, I was giving my opinion and stated it was a guess.

 

I have listened DSD tracks again and again. New sound quality of the DSD tracks made me rediscover Keith's talented plays.

 

Does it sound better than the cheaper 96/24 PCM though?

I don't begrudge anyone spending their $$$ on expensive Japanese releases, but I am not sure my emotional response to the music can be improved.

(In the early 80's I used to listen to this album on a cassette Walkman (vinyl rip) as I walked home from university and was in bliss)