Yet interestingly on my system just to take an example I have the Animals Remix on Blu Ray SACD and vinyl....yet the vinyl sounds the best.
Purely subjective, my friend. It doesn't exactly hurt when it's clear you want the record to sound the best, either. The mind is a powerful tool.
Well, 99% yes and 1% no. There still exists a generational loss barrier having it stamped onto a record, it's still not 1:1 with the original DSD master used. Analog is 'lossy' whether people like it or not, and I say that as someone who enjoys a good record.
My copy of the One-Step and SACD just shipped from Music Direct, and I ordered an hour after it was available to pre-order back in May. When I called Music Direct to find out why it took so long to ship, they told me it was because I had other items on the order that are still on pre-order. When they upgraded their system, if you have any items that will still be on pre-order after the items that become shippable on any "new" order (not old ones that were there before they put in their new system), that order goes to the back of the line for fulfillment - hence the reason my order just shipped. Music Direct told me in the future, if possible, place individual orders for items so they will ship faster than those where you have a mix of shippable and pre-ordered items. To add insult to injury, they shipped my package UPS Smartpost - UGH - with expected delivery of 12/1. I can understand sending an order under $100.00 UPS Smartpost, but this was $129.99 (One-Step and SACD). I would prefer UPS (straight up) or Priority Mail.
Mobile Fidelity’s 40th Anniversary Thriller - The Absolute Sound So they just confirmed that a 45 rpm version is gonna come out in the future. Why though?
This isn’t North End’s fault, is my expectation. Did you get a shipping notice? My copy of the SACD, pre-ordered months ago at North End Haarlem, was shipped on Friday (I got an e-mail telling me) and arrived Monday morning. If PostNL hadn't rescheduled their delivery round, it would have been here on Saturday. (in the meantime, my 3 CDs from Ace Records in London, shipped on October 24th, still didn’t arrive here)
Post is somewhat erratic, my Thriller orders through Royal Mail came fine but I've a lot of issues with things via Evri/Hermes couriers of late. Might be an idea to contact Ace, explain and see if they're prepared to resend.
Oh I wasnt complaining, I meant it is standard lead time to Ireland! I'm not expecting it for a few days yet!
I feel your pain. Shipping to eastern Canada is god awful! Nobody does it well, always delayed, extra fees, and certainly not worth the cost, especially when in USD. I thought that Amazon would be better for the MJ 1S but they don't seem to have their copies yet. Another "hurry up and wait" scenario that I am all too familiar with.
Maybe people could, I don’t know, talk about the release itself? This is not a versus thread despite what you might want to turn it into. The thread title, which you managed to get wrong is “…SACD & One Step” not “…SACD vs. One Step”. If you have the SACD, how does it compare to prior digital versions? If you have the vinyl, how does it compare to prior vinyl versions? If you have both, how would you describe the differences you are hearing between the two on your system, which do you prefer and why? Or you can just continue to derail this thread into an endless and pointless debate about your thoughts when it comes to digital vs. vinyl and have your opinions masquerade as facts.
First listen - not as dynamic and immediate as the original or the last SACD. Bit more relaxed, warmer and especially on the slower songs, this softness allows a bit more detail to come through, especially in MJ's voice. Overall a bit more for sitting and listening to rather than getting up and dancing to!
How did you get on with comparing the HDTracks DSD to the SACD after I mentioned almost identical yesterday? Happy to be proved wrong but with about a 2db boost on the DSD download I found it very close to the new mfsl sacd.
I'm not sure why this is a problem here, as it was noted by another member, both SACD and OneStep are part of the title. And, to some, it's an interesting and not fully decided debate as to which is sonically better. Each format has their own flaws. It has been over a couple of decades, but I remember a professional-level shootout between the newly remastered CD, SACD, and Classic Records 33 set of Kind Of Blue. The Classic Records set came out on top, but the SACD came very close, as I recall. Digital seems to have come a long way since then, so the jury may be out. I'm not aware of how high a resolution SACDs can deliver these days, but why do you have to essentially belittle those who do want to discuss it?
Not really. I've invested around 20 years in digital high end buying and the last 10 months in returning to vinyl for the first time since I had a high end system. So it's the usual tribal assumptions on here I'm afraid.
Again, that’s purely subjective. I personally like the sound of digital mediums more. RIAA equalization comes off as very unnatural because it’s a lossy process, to turn up the high end, turn down the low end, and then reverse it in playback. Digital mediums don’t have such a shortcoming so the sound they reproduce is often more natural sounding. But again, that’s me.
I found the exact opposite. Vinyl reproduces voices, instruments in a more real way and there is a degree of weight and presence you don't get on digital. I heard it right away after listening to digital exclusively for well 25 years. Vinyl also doesn't lose out on anything when compared to its digital counterpart. What I'm describing though is not universal, there is obviously digital that sounds better than vinyl. However I'm talking about the pinnacle of what I've heard on my system. The closest I've heard is the SACD of Aja versus the preferred American first press-that's close. As stated taking the same new release Animals-the vinyl wins albeit narrowly. I could happily concede as I grew up listening to vinyl that's what my ears were attuned to. But the last 25 years it's been digital. And I see you have no system listed so I have no reference point.
But that doesn't mean it's lossy. Because you lower the level of a frequency doesn't mean you've lost it. It's still there. You just have an inverse equalizer that boosts what has been reduced. That's different than eliminating. It's like if a record is cut less loud. It doesn't mean you've lost those frequencies (particularly if the vinyl is quiet), it just means you have to turn it up more during playback.