The best SHM-SACDs (part3)

Not the same, not even close in sound quality.

 

Agreed. I will keep the SHM mastering for the vinyl length versions of the album, the original CD for the longer mixes and the SACD for the multichannel mix.

 

Outstanding
Black Sabbath - Master of Reality
Carpenters - The Singles 1969-73
Dire Straits - Dire Straits *
Bill Evans - Explorations
Bill Evans - Moon Beams
Gentle Giant - Octopus
Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells
Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn
Jimmy Smith - The Cat
Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die
Wishbone Ash - Argus
The Who - Quadrophenia
The Who - Who's Next (SH's MCA is very close)

Good
Anne-Sophie Mutter - Carmen-Fantasie
Black Sabbath - Vol4
Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
Bruckner - Symphony No. 4
Caravan - For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night
Cream - Fresh Cream
Cream - Disraeli Gears
Cream - Wheels of Fire
Derek & The Dominos - Layla *
Dire Straits - Love Over Gold *
Dire Straits - Love Over Gold
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms
Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby
Espana - Capriccio Espagnol etc
Fairport Convention - Liege and Lief
Fairport Convention - Unhalfbricking
Free - Fire and Water
Getz/Gilberto - ST
Astrud Gilberto - ST
Elton John - ST
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Oscar Peterson - We Get Requests
Art Pepper - Meets the Rhythm Section
The Police - Regatta De Blanc
The Police - Synchronicity *
Rainbow - Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers
Rolling Stones - Black and Blue
Rolling Stones - Tattoo You
Sonny Rollins - Way Out West
Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks...
Supertramp - Breakfast in America
Thin Lizzy - Black Rose
Tom Waits - Rain Dogs
The Who - The Who Sell Out
The Who - Tommy
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (Audio Fidelity or MFSL sound better)
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life (Audio Fidelity sounds better)

Average
Beethoven - Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
Blind Faith - Blind Faith
Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink
Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Blvd
Eric Clapton - Layla
Dire Straits - ST (btw good/average)
Dire Straits - Making Movies (btw good/average)
Dire Straits - Communiqué
Dire Straits - Alchemy (best digital pressing)
Grand Funk - Shinin' on
Kiss - Destroyer
John Mayall - Bluesbreakers
Rainbow - Rising (btw average/avoid)
Rainbow - Difficult To Cure
Rolling Stones - It's Only Rock'n Roll
Rolling Stones - Some Girls
Steely Dan - Aja
Steely Dan - Gaucho
Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley
Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story (btw good/average)
10cc - Original Soundtrack
Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair
T.Rex - Electric Warrior (Original CD or MC-SACD are the better choice)
Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself

Worst
Asia - ST (Audio Fidelity is the best one)
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Rainbow - LLRR

* Platinum SHM-CD

P.S. I explain my ranking... SHM-SACD vs Original LP/Original LP-rip, Original CD and other reissues.
The category "Outstanding" doesn't mean audiophile sound, but outstanding quality compared to original pressings.

 

For these two titles I recommend the new SHM-CDs, which to me are better than the SHM-SACDs, lower resolution notwithstanding. In the Land of Grey and Pink especially - they botched the EQ on the SACD, whereas the CD now sounds like the original LP. Argus sounds a little less muffled.

 

Are there strange klicks between the songs on your SACD?

 

Have you compared the 2013 mastered Blind Faith Plat SHM-CD to the the old SHM-SACD mastering? I think it better and would it in at least the Good catagory. I felt it was tad better than the MFSL.

 

Off topic, but I am interested in BF plat if this view is established.

 

I always thought the "Grey and Pink" SACD sounded great, what specifically don't you like about the EQ?

 

The top end is severly boosted as compared to both the SHM-CD and the original LP. The latter two are very similar, which leads me to believe that that's how it's supposed to sound. Also, it's telling that they replaced a transfer done at FX Copyroom with another one done at the same facility, only by different engineers.

 

agreed.... same with a few other titles on Plat-SHM, which surpass the SHM-SACDs.... Wishbone Ash, Caravan, Free or Marvin Gaye.

 

Derek and the Dominos

I may have to pick up Blind Faith though I wonder if this mastering work will be released on SHM-SACD at some point. I suppose it wouldn't be hard to sell the platinum though.

 

What if it has better sound quality?

Resolution is not the defining thing when it comes to sound quality.

I have heard MP3 Files that are better sounding than some SACD's.

That shows me that the actual recording, mastering and mixing matter far more.

 

Which Free album?

 

Interesting. I have no basis for comparison so I guess the EQ doesn't bother me as much.

Fire & Water.

 

The usage of "definitive" in that context was intended to convey potential within today's possibilites. In other words, if the best Layla is the SHM-Platinum (redbook) right now then there could be an SACD with the same mastering which would be better. So, this platinum is "the grail" but not definitive.

 

Not released on Platinum SHM-CD as far as I can tell. The upcoming titles are the first. What are the odds Claus was thinking of Cream Wheels of Fire?

 

Yes!

 

That's what I thought too.

 

I think it was Mister Britt that compared Marvin Gaye SHM-SACD vs Platinum SHM-CD, and said that the SACD was clearly superior.

I compared the SHM-SACD of 10cc original soundtrack (japanese dub tape) to the Platinum SHM-CD (original master) . The result: I will never sell my SACD!

 

Yeah, Mister Britt preferred the SACD, but some other members myself included prefer the platinum mastering from What's Going On.

 

I think it's confusing that we're now comparing and discussing both SHM- SACDs and SHM-CDs in this thread.

It brings out the whole hirez vs normal-rez debate which clouds the main point of this thread: which SHM-SACDs are essential.

 

I only bought 2 SHM-SACDs from the last batch.... the last outstanding release was the Carpenters. Maybe next month again....

 

N.B. 2013-14 Pt/non-Pt SHM-CDs are stemmed from DSD-transferred analogue masters (often flat)...

 

Point taken, but even platinum SHM-CDs are still CDs

 

Methinks, they only surfaced for the Universal Music (Japan) 2013-14 releases, that for some of us sound better on Pt/non-Pt SHM-CDs than on previously released SHM-SACDs...