Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road hirez mastering SACD=DVD-A ?

A question for the Elton experts here. Are the two hirez versions of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, the DVD-A and SACD, from the same mastering sessions? I have the DVD-A. I also have all the other Elton SACDs (except Peachtree Road, no interest in that beyond the CD), so the completist in me is thinking perhaps I should try to snag a copy of the GBYR SACD if I see a good deal show up on eBay sometime. I recall reading somewhere (probably here) that the stereo layer of the EJ SACDs is basically a hires copy of the original two-track analog masters, albeit it with bright EQ and some amount of brickwalling. Is the DVD-A stereo track, which seems to be primarily a 24/96 playback from the DVD-V layer, the same thing or different.

If the only real difference is the format, I'll probably stick with what I've got (actually I prefer an early DJM UK pressing on vinyl, it's just my stupid completist gene).

 

I have the SACD and have never heard the DVD-A (not a fan of that format) but my educated guess is there's no way they would pay for this double album to be mastered for each format. They would've had to do redbook, DSD and DVD-A versions... $$$. What probably happened was they took the same mastered version and did the conversions for the various formats.

 

SACD has:
Digital transfer by Andy Strange
Mastered by Chris Bellman
Original stereo mixes by Tony Cousins

twocentsworth

 

Unless you just HAVE to hear this disc in 5.1, for the new mix, I'd pass if I were you.
The mastering is a joke, particularly against any of the pre-1995 cds.
I have to turn the treble ALL THE WAY DOWN to listen to this thing, and it still sounds "wrong" even then.

 

Totally agree. There are many better options to hear this album on CD (but I understand the completist thing too).

 

Of course... the MoFi for stereo, SACD for 5.1.
Has anyone compared the SACD to the DVD-A?

 

Re: 5.1, given that it's a new mix, you can be assured it was done in PCM then mastered to DSD.

(I point that out for the purists, I personally couldn't give a crap).

 

All of my comments relate to the MC layer and not the 2-ch layer.

In my view, the SACD blows away the DVD-A. I have both, and was disappointed with the DVD-A the first time I heard it. Some folks in this forum have commented that the SACD sounds a bit harsh on the high end, and I agree that it's not the best sounding SACD out there, but it's still very enjoyable & much preferred to the DVD-A, imho.

I have the opposite view of Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms - here the DVD-A sounds superior - one of my favorites.

 

A dark sounding speaker (JBL HLS610) and the SACD sounds fine in every mode, brightness still noted.

 

It could just be the way my disc player (Primare) works, but I very much prefer the DVD-A to the SACD for GBYBR, and the same goes for Tommy, Brothers in Arms and a couple of classical titles that I have in both formats. Somehow DVD-A seems to have just a tad more clarity.

I can speak only for the 5.1.

 

Either format should give you a nice buzz cut. Ouch. That treble.

 

I find the SACD and DVD-A identical, sonically, although I know the SACD went thru a PCM to DSD transcoding. Agree about the mastering, EQ choices, etc.

 

It certainly reaches towards the sound of a clipper.

I don't mind the 5.1 at all.

 

I have both.

The following relates to the multi-channel mix only. For stereo I listen to either the original Japan MCA CD, or the black/rainbow label LPs

My only gripe about the DVD-A is the gap between the end of "Your Sister Can't Twist" and "Saturday Night" is too long. Reminds me of mp3s with the enforced gap between tracks. I have two universal players, a Marantz and a Samsung, and the disc behaves the same on both.

The SACD flows like the CD (and the LP before it).

Soundwise, on my equipment, I slightly prefer the SACD but that may have a lot to do with the bass management capabilities of my equipment.

 

Want to hear this one correctly on digital,

Get thee a DJM or MCA 2 disc edition, a single disc MCA or Polydor edition or a Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc Gold CD. All the above issues sound superb and don't need the treble turned all the way down. The MCA or Polydor can be had cheap with little hunting. Any other CD versions are ear bleeders. This is one of my worst SACD issues except for surround program.

 

What happens if you play something like the Beatles' "Love" DVD-A on your players? Does it play gaplessley?

 

DVD-As can have layer changes I believe. My player is quite slow when playing DVD-A format: slow to skip and find tracks, and presumably slow to change the layer.

 

I had the SACD and sold it because my system is incapable of playing it back properly.

Originally, I thought it had too much treble, but a few forum members set me straight and stated that the EQ was fine and it had to be my ears or my system (tongue firmly in cheek).

I have the Pioneer Elite 47ai on the front end. It handles DCC discs perfectly; balanced, tonally accurate, smooth.

The MFSL CD sounds wonderful, btw.

 

To me both the SA-CD and the DVD-A sound like they came from the same mastering.

 

Yep, the DVD-A has the same info so I imagine it's the same source.
I agree it's bright, as are all the SACDs. I do find that with some EQ and judicious use of dynamic expansion then level adjustment, some of the SACDs sound better, but of course nothing beats those DJM original vinyl pressings. I once tried to borrow a bit of piano from Funeral For a Friend on the DVD-A to patch a section of an otherwise fine UK vinyl pressing, but it was almost impossible to match the EQ. The DVD-A source did sound like the buzzsaw.

I'll resist my completist tendancies and put the money into something worthwhile.

Thanks for the comments all.

 

Hmmm....I thought Penny mastered the new ones. I thought Bellman was good. Would he master it that bright?

 

From what I know Penny was only responsible for the surround mix. That fact is listed in the SACD notes.

 

I've only watched this once, but is that Bellman sitting at the board with Penny in the DVD?

 

I have several DVD audo discs including, Becks "Sea Change" and Björks "Vespertine". Those two are superb. The "Yellow Brick Road is terrible. Not only does it sound bad but the mix is so wrong...

 

You don't like the 5.1 mix? I think that's the only reason to have the SACD or DVD-A since the stereo mastering was so bad.