Steve's Analogue Productions Blue Note SACD/CD Sound Quality Discussion Thread

Haha, rarely do we see such a contradiction directly after admitting it was an opinion.

Those differences are partially attributable to different gear and tweaks. I don't want to turn this into a discussion of about our various rigs, but in my case I have invested more in my SACD player, which really gives the vinyl a run for its money. That said, I would prefer the 45s, but at $50 a pop, it is too rich for my blood. I've been grabbing many of the BN titles for $23.18 at CDuniverse. That's half the price for four times the convenience (given that I don't have to turn over the two 45s) and not giving up much at all in sound quality (on my system anyway). Now if I significantly upgraded my TT, it might be a different story.

 

Not sure what this means, but there are 4 titles on SA-CD.net now showing links to merchants:

- Ike Quebec: Soul Samba Bossa Nova (jpc only)
- John Patton: Along Came John
- Joe Henderson: Page One
- Hank Mobley: A Caddy For Daddy

Strangely the AS website does not currently available (or with any release date). Seems like a mistake to not be showing these as "coming soon" on their website before (or at the same time, at least) as every other online store?

 

I can say the same about "Dexter Calling", "A.T.'s delight" and "Hootin' and tootin'". Great sound, and the back cover still looks like a Microsoft setup disk

 

I agree 100%.

That's one of my complaints with most jazz re-issues by AP or MoFi: they almost never give you the original back cover of the album.
Sure, the text and credits may be somewhere in the booklet, but I'd like to see the original cover on the back of the booklet, even if it's too small to read.

The old DCC 24K jazz discs always included the back cover

I have Whistle Stop and Lee-Way so far.
Both sound just fine to me.
Plan to get most of the others in this series, just waiting for that lottery windfall

 

Does anybody know what A/D converter was used for the Blue Note SACDs?

can't find the info in the booklet..

 

Trade secret! I don't think it makes a difference, any modern A2D will sound transparent.

 

Just received Ike Quebec's Soul Samba SACD. Listened to the CD layer.

This sounds so wonderful. The sonics are so warm they glow.

The decay on the cymbals is so natural.

Kudos to Gray and Hoffman; they really hit the ball out of the park with this one.

In contrast, the 2007 RVG CD is compressed and slightly headache inducing.

 

Yes, this really is terrific. I posted something about it yesterday in another thread:

I haven't listened to Page One yet, but I am listening to Soul Samba right now and I gotta say it's just sublime. A great late night feel. You can't miss with Quebec, who is right in the Ben Webster lineage here, and Kenny Burrell, who is just such a master of that rich bluesy understated sound. If you're not into samba, don't let it throw you--this is at least as much in a Midnight Blue-type vein. And in this sacd version, it just can't be beat. Great work.

 

I think one challenge Michael Cuscuna may face is that once people catch wind of how good the AP SACDs and Audio Wave XRCDs are, they won't want to settle for compressed and squashed RVG CD remasters anymore.

Rudy did a fantastic job of recording these sessions in the first place; but for some unknown reason, he chose to heavily compress his CD remaster series in 90s and 2000s, which had the unfortunate result of undercutting the sonic fidelity of his beautiful recordings.

Fortunately AP, Music Matters and Audio Wave have stepped in to present these important recordings in all their glory. The stellar work of these boutique labels raises the bar and sets higher expectations on the part of the consumer about how Blue Note music should be remastered and how much better they can sound than what has been reissued in recent years from EMI. And that's a good thing.

Whether the RVG CD remaster series from EMI continues or not, hopefully EMIs future reissues will no longer employ injudicious amounts of compression. As for the future of the RVG series, it's unclear. There haven't been any in a while. EMI has reportedly been hit hard by the recession. Anyone know what EMI's financial state is?

 

So, it looks like they are now shipping:

Hank Mobley / A Caddy For Daddy
Ike Quebec / Soul Samba Bossa Nova
Joe Henderson / Page One

Wow.. Three great titles!

 

FYI. My Soul Samba SACD says "disc made in Austria." Have the U.S. SACD plants been backlogged or shut down by now?

 

I think that I have had these for about a month or so?

 

I am not a subscriber to the series, so you probably have had them for a while. I just now noticed they were available. Sorry for the confusion.

 

I just listened to CAPUCHIN SWING from earlier in the series on the way to work today. OUTSTANDING! By far the best this particular session has ever sounded on CD, much better than the old Japanese "TOCJ-" disc (non-JRVG) in my opinion and certainly a far sight better than the RVG.

I really don't get why there were a number of very negative comments about these AP Blue Note SACDs, to me they are uniformly outstanding.

 

I don't think that there was ever any "real" negative comments about this series of SACDs, just a little controversy about the alleged differences between the SACD's and the corresponding title on 45 rpm vinyl. But Steve Hoffman posted that these two series, 45 rpm vinyl and SACD, were actually mastered identically and the perceived differences being based on the part of the consumer's equipment. Somebody please step in and correct me if my memory is wrong.

 

Ok, let's forget about "crunchy highs" that Jeff's magazine mentioned earlier this year...

Goran

 

No, I did not forget about that. But what is up with that claim?

 

Which title's are we talking about with the "crunchy highs" ?

 

I believe that certain listeners have laid that claim unto the entire series, but as far as I know only for the SACD layer.

 

"Crunchy highs"?

BTW, is Jeff the same dude who wrote this on the Blue Note XRCD thread?

Talk about being coherent.

You don't need a 400 thousand dollar system to say that Steve's Analogue Productions Blue Note SACDs sound great.

 

Merry Xmas everyone!

Therockman, I only pointed out that "crunchy highs" might or might not be a negative comment. It is not my opinion though, as I am a primitive CD guy - no SACD hw in my house.

In my experience, one should not worry too much about what music reviewers say about sound quality. Especially when this goes against audiophiles' opinion...

Goran

 

Are the new ones out yet?

 

My card's been charged for the two discs. Acoustic Sounds now has them listed 'In Stock.'

 

I think my order will ship today, as the status has been updated to "W" for warehouse...

 

Just received "Along Came John" and "Somethin Else"

So far I've listened to "Along Came John," and this is the best I have ever heard this title sound. It's stunning. My quest for a decent sounding CD of this title has finally been realized. It's been a frustrating journey:

1999: I picked up a Japanese RVG remastered CD of "Along Came John." MASSIVE compression. Unlistenable. Dumped it.

2000: I picked up the Ron McMaster mastered version of "Along Came John." This was extremely bright, a "McMaster earbleeder special." So bright it cut like your ears like razor blades. This version was also notorious for the album cover being "pixelated" due to a printing error.

2001: I hunted down a 1994 (non-RVG) TOCJ Japanese remastering. The early - mid 1990s TOCJ series was largely mastered from analog safety copies (not the master tapes). But despite not being from the master tapes, it sounded better than the Japanese RVG or McMaster domestic, both of which used the master tapes! The TOCJ, while not perfect, was my "go to" copy until now. The sound from this 1994 transfer was a little muffed and congested, presumably due to not using the master tapes.

2009: These new AP version mastered by Steve and Kevin is just jaw droppingly fantastic. It has the breath of life. It's not compressed to hell like the RVG CD. It's not an earbleeder like the McMaster. And it trumps the TOCJ with incredible detail clarity and warmth.

The new AP Blue Notes are just amazing. This is the best Blue Note has EVER sounded in digital. Highly recommended!!