Gold cd are still pressed?

As far I can remember, last Gold CD (the only SACD I imagine) is MFSL Ellington's Blues in Orbit. Later I never seen a newer one.
What happens? Are these just too costly and pressing plants are reconverted (a little like Laser Disc), or should we expect more new stuff?

Ezio

 

Blues In Orbit was never done with gold genuinely. They were German made dual layer. They were polycarbonate, dual-layer reflective, aluminum.

Will pressing plants use gold? Maybe not. I don't think the properties of a gold layer disc as "dual layer" would stand up against many pickups and industry standards. Maybe, but I doubt it.

Don't let it sway you though. Many new CDs are made much better than just 5 years ago.
MFSL is making new UD][ Cds SACD right now. Hayes' Hot Buttered Soul and many others!

Not sure if MFSL will ever go back to Gold UDCd's ever again for new product.

 

So what is my MFSL SACD of Patricia Barber then?.....Sure looks like a gold SACD to me.

 

Looking better at Blues in orbit I notice just now that the word "gold" isn't written anywhere. No problems. But the claimed long-lasting durability of Gold CD belows to past: Planned obsolescence?

Ezio

 

Dave; You can say that your dual layered CD/SACD is actually a Gold 24k?

I'm curious. The rim-outside of the CD says 24K too? Imquiring minds want to know.

 

IMHO it was the price point and cost of the gold discs that limited hearty sales of DCC and MFSL Gold Discs. I imagine a little consumer interest will remain though. SACD and DVD-A are better selling features. Improved sound from better audio technology.

Just a thought

 

Well it doesn't say 24KT gold but the color of the disc looks suspiciously like my 10KT grad. ring. I guess it could be just the dye but it sure looks metallic.

 

And they cost the same as the gold...hmmm....

I did read a press release that said they were planning on releasing LPs, SACDs and gold CDs (separate from the other 2) so I don't believe they have any gold in the SACDs. a lot of other commercial SACDs have the same hue as well.

 

Right. I know of no one making 24K Gold dual layer SACDs. Not that it may not happen, but right now, all of the plants are doing the same thing with very little variation, including stock used.

The cost of a dual layer SACD is slightly under a gold CD at production cost last I looked, but post production of an SACD (encoding, unless Sony pays for post production of course) IS higher, so there's the hitch.

At the rate things are going, I doubt highly MFSL will ever go back to making gold CD redbooks.

Dave, I'm willing to bet your SACD isn't made of gold. Not like it makes any difference.

Oh, another thing, dual layer SACds are a bit senstitive to cleaning agents and handling, just like dual layer DVDs are. Treat them even more carefully than golds, same with the AA SH CCRs and the like. They're like oreo sandwiches, same as laserdiscs. Keep em happy!

 

Hi Guys,

I have a few Telarc's SACD's with a gold tint to them but they are definitely
not Gold like the DCC's or MFSL's

 

Telarc produced some Gold CD's a couple years ago...

 

So, I'm wondering (for the history books) what was the last Gold disc released to the public (as of now)?

Todd

 

I think Groove Note Records belongs to the last one's in the US

 

Gold CDs were touted as providing better coverage of the pits, weren't they - thus minimising the chances of pits not being fully coated with reflective substrate. Also gold was pushed as having greater longevity, I think. At least that's my recollection of gold's advantages over aluminium.

I don't know how much more expensive it was to produce a gold CD versus a standard aluminium one - it would be interesting to know.

Perhaps gold is less suited to hi-res discs such as SACD and DVD-A - that would also be interesting to know. I don't know of any SACDs that have been released in gold. There have however been batches of redbook CDs recently reissued from Japan that have been done in gold - eg. some ECM titles. I haven't seen any of these, but I assume they are real 24K gold.

 

I have never seen a SACD pressed on Gold!

 

The gold color on some SACD's/DVD's etc. is the layer on top of a dual layer/hybrid disc. The STONES will be gold colored, the single layer SACD only discs from SONY will be silver.