New SHM-SACDs last-word on packaging, sonics

Come in little collectible boxes with mini-LPs inside, notes etc. Way improved. Heard three today . Best versions of Rod, pistols and Cream ever.

 

My Stewart and Supertramp are on the way.
Highly anticipated.

 

• 
  
  Thanks, art!
  
  Packagings looks very nice!
  
  Maybe a few more words about the sound, when you get some time?
  
  

 

Where did you get them?

 

I get mine from cdjapan

 

What's the Rod title?

 

This packaging is identical to that of the Platinum SHM-CDs Universal's released.

 

Thanks! So, the new SHM-SACDs share the same packaging with the Platinum SHM-CDs. This is an improvement.

 

I order from HMV Japan, only good experiences.

 

I received my 4 SHM-SACDs today, and as indicated the packaging is much improved and very nice. I won't have time to listen tonight, as I'm heading out soon to see Elvis Costello (for the second time in two days), but if the sound is anything like Art indicates, I will be very happy. In addition to the same three titles Art listened to, I also got the Police title (I assume it sounds better than the prior SACD from years ago).

 

Every Picture Tells a Story

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/popular_formats/SHM-SACD/genre.html?id=fpop

 

Just a note:
The Police SHM-SACD is a new master - DSD flat transfer from UK original analogue master tape by Richard Whittaker at FX Copyroom, London, in 2013.
Edited in DSD by Manabu Matsumura at Universal Studios, Tokyo, in 2013.

It also indicates in the notes that the Platinum SHM and SHM-CD edition was taken from this same mastering by taking a 176.4/24bit transfer from the DSD in 2013.

Something I found a bit amusing:

Printed in English on the box is "Genuine SHM'd SA-CD for audiophile only".

Therefore if you are not an audiophile, but still have an SACD player, stay away. lol.

And yes I spelled that correctly... SHM'd is exactly what it says.

 

art and Mike T, thanks for helping me with Christmas gift selection (for me)

 

Every Picture Tells a Story is the best it's ever sounded by ways . Totally feel cheated by HDtracks ...

 

Tell us more about the sound of these new SHM SACDs, please!

 

Thankfully their production skills exceed their command of English. One thing I would be grateful for is them printing the booklets, tray, etc in English.

 

I'm actually a little bummed they changed the packaging. I have almost all the previous rock SHM-SACDs. Now the new ones won't match ;(

Oh well hopefully my order will be here shortly for the next batch...

 

Did you by chance compare it to the gold CD? That is my favourite to date.

 

Was mine too. This is the same tonally but deeper, richer and wider - all the other descriptive cliches - completely DSD-ized and in the room. You really get a lot more harmonic beauty of the acoustic instrumentation.

 

Thanks for validating my purchase.

 

Nothing to with command of English. ... Just a bit of 'tude.

 

I'm sure our friends in Japan wish every CD made in America came with Japanese translations.

 

The Pistols is an outright, stop-you-in-your-tracks stunner. Poster's cool too.

Talk about yer harmonics ... Yow. It's the very idea of harmonic tube distortion. You can all but smell the tubes in Jonsey's Twin Reverb.

 

I guess I'm the only one disappointed by the "jewelry box" packaging, it's way to cumbersome and they're the size of blu rays so they don't fit on my shelf. I'll probably take the mini LPs out and store the boxes away. The mini LP jackets are not the usual high quality you expect from Japanese mini LPs either...So yeah I much prefer the old SHM SACD packaging, which was my fave CD packaging ever.

But it's not that big a deal, the discs I've played so far sound fantastic. The Police disc is a little trebly/tizzy and probably would have benefitted from a non-flat transfer, but Breakfast in America and Bollocks sounded great on first listen.

 

I have yet to see the new packaging (my three titles should arrive tomorrow or on Monday, having been slightly delayed by local postal workers' industrial action), but no matter what it's like, I would have preferred sticking with the original design. There's enough annoying packaging variations in my collection already. And just like bonjo, I actually liked the way the old SHM-SACDs were packed.