The best SHM-SACDs (part3)

Platinum SHM-CD and SHM-SACD have the same mastering. In this case.... I'm happy with the Plat. Double Fantasy is better on the old Mofi. IMO.

 

That is a great one, so it is nice to already have the best version. Saving money is always good.
I'll use that money to get that "The Band" disc, and maybe Big Pink.

 

The Double Fantasy MFSL is pretty outstanding. My Lennon discs are on the way so I will do some back to back listening soon.

 

For me it is a split decision between the MFSL CD and the SHM-SACD what I prefer listening to..
MFSL CD has the best mastering with full dynamic range. The SHM-SACD has some digital limiting, but higher resolution with more in depth clarity and tighter sound.

 

I've really been enjoying Plastic Ono Band. It sounds great. Unfortunately I only have it on vinyl so I can't compare it to any other digital version.

 

Latest update.......

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
The Police - Zenyattà Mondatta
Jimmy Smith - The Cat
Steely Dan - Countdown to Ecstasy
Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die
Wishbone Ash - Argus (btw outstanding/good... the Plat-SHM CD is better)
The Who - Quadrophenia
The Who - Who's Next (SH's MCA is very close)

Good
Allman Brothers Band - Beginnings
Anne-Sophie Mutter - Carmen-Fantasie
The Band - Music from Big Pink
The Band - The Band
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 - Tons of Sobs
Free - Free
Free - Free Live
Free - Fire and Water (original Island is slightly better)
Getz/Gilberto - ST
Astrud Gilberto - ST
Elton John - ST
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
John Lennon - Imagine *
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
Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure
Roxy Music - Avalon
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
Roxy Music - Country Life (btw good/average)
Steely Dan - Aja
Steely Dan - Gaucho
Steely Dan - Pretzel's Logic
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)
U.K. - U.K.
U.K. - Danger Money
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.

 

Claus, have you heard a better version of The Band S/T, than the SHM-SACD (digital/analog)?

 

Nope...... the SHM-SACD is great, and slightly better than my original LP rip.

My ranking

SHM-SACD 8,5
Original Capitol LP 8,3
MFSL SACD 7,5

 

Thanks.
My guess would be that the SHM-SACD would be hard to beat.

Yesterday I compared the MoFi SACD to the SHM-SACD of Big Pink. The MoFi is not bad at all, pretty good in fact. But everything is more defined on the Jpn SACD, better subtle details, better focus, better contrast on micro dynamics etc. Not night & day, but still...

 

I read a review somewhere that ranked the recent Mofi LP reissue above the original Capitol LP. Maybe it was Hi Fi News and Record Review, I don't remember exactly. Fremer also liked it a lot in a review on his website. I have that one and quite a few other versions of this album, and am loathe to buy yet another, but this SHM-SACD is getting superlatives over all other editions here on the forum. It's rare that a digital version gets ranked higher than a a first pressing vinyl, so I'm tempted.

 

I've only heard the Imagine SHM-SACD from the recent wave of John Lennon SHM-SACDs but it's a stunner. I would put it on par with the better Who SHM-SACDs at the very least.

 

Has anyone compared the SHM-SACD to the Japan CP32 pressing?

 

And where is Steve's AF Gold CD in all that?

 

Slightly better sound as the Mofi.....

 

And you're probably right. As good as the SHM SACD is from Octopus, the price is high. Repertoire and Line versions arevery, very good but less expensive.

 

^ True. My second favourite digital version is the Repertoire remaster from 2008 or so.

 

Which Allman Bros titles have been released as SHM-SACDs so far and are any considered definitive (for digital)?

 

There are two Allman Brothers SHM-SACD releases. I have Beginnings and I feel it sounds very good. The other is Fillmore East which from what I've read is not a very good sounding disc.

Bill

 

At Fillmore East is a clone of the earlier domestic SACD and is to be avoided.
"Beginnings" is a two-fer, containing the first and second albums.
Since the S/T album is a remix it's hard to compare it to other versions.
As for Idlewild South, it's rather good and better than just about any other pressing.

 

Where are you getting this information? The SHM-SACD (UIGY-9609) is a transfer done in 2010.

 

Maybe I'm confusing this disc with something else. In any case, it's not very good.

 

Agreed. They did a flat transfer in 2013 on Platinum/SHM-CD that blows it away.

 

Yeah, and apart from that the original Drake CD and MFSL CD are good alternatives. The MFSL SACD is also due out soon.

 

Latest update....... added Tangerine Dream and John Lennon

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
The Police - Zenyattà Mondatta
Jimmy Smith - The Cat
Steely Dan - Countdown to Ecstasy
Tangerine Dream - Phaedra
Tangerine Dream - Rubycon
Tangerine Dream - Stratosfear
Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die
Wishbone Ash - Argus (btw outstanding/good... the Plat-SHM CD is better)
The Who - Quadrophenia
The Who - Who's Next (SH's MCA is very close)

Good
Allman Brothers Band - Beginnings
Anne-Sophie Mutter - Carmen-Fantasie
The Band - Music from Big Pink
The Band - The Band
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 - Tons of Sobs
Free - Free
Free - Free Live
Free - Fire and Water (original Island is slightly better)
Getz/Gilberto - ST
Astrud Gilberto - ST
Elton John - ST
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
John Lennon - Imagine *
John Lennon - John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band*
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
Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure
Roxy Music - Siren
Roxy Music - Avalon
Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks...
Supertramp - Breakfast in America
Tangerine Dream - Ricochet
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
Roxy Music - Country Life (btw good/average)
Steely Dan - Aja
Steely Dan - Gaucho
Steely Dan - Pretzel's Logic
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)
U.K. - U.K.
U.K. - Danger Money
Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself

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

* Platinum SHM-CD

P.S. 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 and other reissues.

 

Hi Claus,

Shouldn't The Band - ST and The Band - Music from Big Pink be in the outstanding category? Your earlier post suggests that you rate the SHM-SACD's of these titles above all original pressings and other reissues, but maybe I'm missing something. It's your list of course...