The best SHM-SACDs

I would agree.

I too scratched my head at the list of how the SHM-SACDs are 'ranked' great to bad.

My rig is pretty darn good at resolution and presentation - so when folks slobber over Who's Next, I don't get it....

Perhaps it is that the SHM-SACD of Who's Next is the best presentation available for this selection? Kinda like hot rodding a Pinto...it could be bad and trick, but its still a Pinto, but maybe it is THE BEST Pinto ever...ok...get that.

Discounting the musical performance and merit of the compositions - compared to other selections - like Aja - for sonics, soundstaging, detail, and dynamics (esp Keith Moon's drumming) it is "ok".

So, I wonder if the rankings are in relation to other remasters for the same selection that are available, not necessarily in relation to others as SHM-SACDs.

 

Really, I found the Who to be quite good on my Maggies. I also liked Aja and I have all the best vinyl pressings on that one.

 

Who's Next sounded excellent to me, on my system. Neutral, smooth, and fairly dynamic; not too bright, but not dull either. Count me impressed with it. I wonder if a lot of the controversy on some of these titles isn't simply due to tonal balances differing on different people's playback systems.

 

From the start they were ranked in relation to other versions of the same album, or so I think!

To me, Who's Next SHM-SACD is inferior to the Steve Hoffman CD, except for 'Won't Get Fooled Again'.

 

For another $150 you can get a brand new Marantz UD8004 (half of old retail price)

http://www.musicdirect.com/search.aspx?searchterm=MARANTZ - UD8004 UNIVERSAL BLU-RAY PLAYER

 

Disagreed....

 

T. REX Electric Warrior SHM SACD

Warrior arrived this morning and WOW !!!
Marcs vocals are so smooth and just fills the room.Every instrument seems to pop out..I heard things that I hadnt heard before..string parts,Flo and Eddies vocals smooth,don't think my neighnours appreciated Mambo Sun at 9.30am !!
Get it On is fabulous and Rip Off never sounded so weird(never my fave track but for once I didnt skip the track)
I have too many copies of Warrior,from the first vinyl to every cd,SACD(2003)DVD Audio,Japanese vinyl,German, etc I dread to count them!!
This version is FANTASTIC...Big THANKYOU to Rob Loverde for the Mastering.
Love to hear what Mr Visconti will think of this.
The sleeve is the usual cardboard digi pack with the line drawings of Marc n Micky in Black and white.The lyric back is unreadable but I'm sure all of us who buy this will know the lyrics off by heart!!
If anyone can translate Japanese could they tell us what the 2 pages of script are..A synopsis will do !!
Shame these are so expensive but if you love Mr Bolan this is a MUST Have..
MORE T.REX Please...
Mr Rex Guy Darryl..can't wait to hear your review.
Rock on..

 

Still gotta pick this up. For some reason it just keeps slipping my mind.
I also need to get the SHM's of T Rex (brown album) & EW.

Darryl

 

Claus, any thoughts on the above?

Also, you listed the Bill Evans Explorations SHM-SACD as "outstanding". Have you heard the Portrait of Jazz SHM-SACD?

 

This is getting expensive. I just ordered:

Sonny Rollins Saxophone Colossus
Jimmy Smith The Cat
Cream Wheels of Fire
Welcome to the Top of the World sampler

I'll compare Saxophone Colossus and Wheels of Fire to the DCC gold discs and The Cat to a German CD with the original mastering.

 

Forgot to ask...
How does it compare to the 2003 SACD?

Darryl

 

Can't say I even remotely agree with that ...

 

Well, to each his own, I got the SACD and sold it back as I was more than content with Steve's version.

Don't get me wrong, I was happy to hear the SACD, but sometimes a flat transfer doesn't cut it for me. I'm so familiar with this album that it needs a good mastering to be exciting.


BTW: I'm not talking of the Canadian Who's Next CD that uses an analog copy of Steve's mastering, I'm talking about the real deal; I don't know which one you've heard (or both) but I've heard them both and the differences were important: the Canadian didn't sound as good.

 

Well.... I still prefer the Mofi's Innervision over the SHM-SACD, but the SACD is close. I also favor FIM's Getz/Gilberto over the SHM-SACD. The K2HD sounds a little bit smoother/natural than the SHM-SACD IMO.

Way Out West is good.... better than any other pressings, incl. MFSL, AP (SACD/24K). The SHM-SACD We Get Requests sounds good, but I had not many different albums for my comparison a few weeks ago. Anyway the SHM-SACD sounds (much) better than the regular SACD... which I don't like.

I want hear AP's Getz/Gilberto and We Get Request... maybe I change my opinion again

 

I have a feeling that the AP "We get request" could be a real gem.

For the Getz/Gilberto, they use another mix than the SHM-SACD.

 

Thanks, Claus. I like the K2HD CD of Getz/Gilberto, but I haven't compared it to the Japanese anniversary SACD from a few years back yet.

So you haven't compared the SHM-SACD of We Get Requests to the K2HD CD? Amazon has the K2HD disc, which of course is a good bit cheaper than the SHM-SACD. They also have the previous Japanese anniversary SACD. I wonder how it compares to the SHM-SACD.

I think I will just save some money and get the Analogue Productions Getz/Gilberto and We Get Requests SACDs when they come out.

Maybe I'll pick up the Way Out West SHM-SACD. I have and like the Japanese VDJ and MFSL CDs but would like to hear the SHM disc. The original SACD is nothing special compared to the earlier CDs.

There are just too many versions of these jazz classics, and too many coming out at once.

 

Interesting. I presume Analogue Productions will use the best dub out there. Of course, one wonders which one(s) was/were used for the SHM-SACD and K2HD CD.

 

I was thinking the same thing too recently...and since none are all that cheap it makes it difficult to decide which to buy since it's not really practical price wise to buy all of the different versions.

 

"We get request" is the one of two SHM-SACDs I have some reservation against (Steely Dan "Gaucho" the other).
It sounds good, but I always have this feeling when listening that I'm not completly satisfied.

Steve, can you say something about the sources used for the 1997 Verve 20-bit remaster CD?

 

According to AP they aren't using any dubs...

"The one problem we had was an Oscar Peterson one – We Get Requests," he says. "We played through it and there was a lot of weirdness going on, and the tape was really deteriorating. But what happened was they got the original three-track on that, and the three-track was great. So it all worked out in the end. That was the one tape that gave us a headache.

So imagine that. We Get Requests, of course, is a timeless audiophile classic. But the stereo master was shot. Given that we know the three-track hadn't been used before, this means that all those great reissues of this record to date? They were made from copies of the master. Now we get to hear the original three-track master"
http://store.acousticsounds.com/index.cfm?get=page&PID=516&store=acousticsounds&keywords=NL051611

 

Ok. Thanks.

It will be interesting to hear the AP SACD 3-track mix. The thing I like with new mixes from simple 3-track recordings is that they often are more clean and transparent. Old mixes could be more "muddy" in sound.

 

When comparing K2HD CDs, SHM-SACDs, and Analogue Productions SACDs, the Analogue Productions discs are a steal. They are the cheapest of the three, are hybrids, and sound great.

For We Get Requests, I'll pass on the K2HD and SHM discs and wait for the Analogue Productions SACD. I bought the K2HD CD of Getz/Gilberto before the Analogue Productions SACD was announced, but I won't be getting the SHM-SACD.

It's not a good idea to rush into buying jazz SHM-SACDs.