The best SHM-SACDs (part3)

I should perhaps add that I have both titles and certainly rate them as outstanding. As others have commented both are a marked improvement in terms of how "close" and "realistic" they sound over the respective MFSL SACD's and, in the case of The Band - ST, the AF gold cd.

 

The SHM-SACDs do not better the original LPs.... but they're probably the best digital pressings.

 

Hi Claus,
Where would you put The Rolling Stones - Goat's Head Soup on the rankings?

 

oops..... I never noticed I haven't added Goat's... it's a good one-

 

Latest update....... I always missed Goat's Head Soup.

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 - Goat's Head Soap
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.

 

OK, thanks for the response.

 

In my own rankings I would probably place Lennon's Imagine in the Outstanding category. I would agree that the original SACD sounds better for Electric Warrior, though the SHM-SACD is a fine alternative if you can't find that OOP disc.

 

As a straight PCM transfer it doesn't deserve to be on SACD. What's the point?

 

Claus, for John Lennon, why do you buy CDs and not SACDs?

 

In this post you says the SHM-SACD of the Band S/T slightly betters the original Lp.

#708

 

Well, I'm not a huge fan of John Lennon

I listened to a "new" 1st press... the differences are so subtle, I can't decide which one is better. The original Capitol and the SHM-SACD are the best pressings of the Brown album. I always try to find the best original LPs or Rips... and then I listen again and try to verify my ranking.

 

But that's good. Nothing is written in stone, things can change over time.

Playing The Band s/t now……it's very good. And I'm impressed how good todays DSD converters are, the sound is lush and sweet, but at the same time very distinct/neutral sounding.

 

@Claus
In agreement with most of your list. However I am surprised at your rating for Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story. I find it to be outstanding. To my ears, one of the best sounding SACD's in my collection. So real and analog, details and nuances. You can hear Rod taking in breathe. And the drums are wonderful.

I have compared closely to MFSL Ultradisc, HDTracks, and the SHM-SACD and the latter wins by a good margin. Might I suggest another listen and re-evaluation?

 

I also think the SHM-SACD of Every Picture Tells A Story is outstanding.

 

Claus stated he also does Vinyl in his compares and that Outstanding is only if the SHM-SACD exceeds all his digital and vinyl versions. To me that means even if it sounds outstanding it has to be in his opinion noticeably superior over all other versions he has. Which is the reason I've never "argued" for the excellent Cream's "Fresh Cream","Disraeli Gears", and "Wheels of Fire" to be bumped up a notch.

 

I think that Claus listed "Every picture tells a story" as average/good, is a bit controversial. I think Claus may agree that there is no better sounding version of the albums original mix than this SHM-SACD. But that he prefer a remixed version?

 

Regarding Every Picture Tells A Story... the SHM-SACD is okay, but I really was not impressed. The SACD, MFSL Gold & Silver LP sounds "lifeless" compared to the original UK LP. Just my 2 cents.

 

Don't the Lennon SHM-SACDs have the same mastering as the 2010 CDs?

 

Soon for the MFSL SACD? Highly unlikely.

 

Yes it does.

 

The same EQ and everything between the SHM-SACDs and 2010 CDs? It's been awhile, but I don't recall the 2010 Imagine CD being "outstanding". Of course, everyone has different opinions, so I am not trying to attack PhantomStranger.

 

+1
Gorgeous sound

 

Listening to it right now, sound is very organic and crankable. A very good sacd

 

How come Universal Japan hasn't taken on The Police's GHOST IN THE MACHINE, I wonder. The existing SACD ain't so hot.

 

Thanks. I'll consider it.