I would like to pick up some more of these, as I own very few, so I am looking for some guidance. Please list your favorite SHM SACDs, the ones that have a significant improvement over all other digital masterings. Thanks!
I love these ones. I can't say they're the best available versions or anything, but I think they're very good. Wheels of Fire -- Cream. The best I've ever heard but I have never heard the DCC. Disraeli Gears -- Cream. It has both the stereo and mono versions. Breakfast in America -- Supertramp Sticky Fingers -- Stones Quadraphenia -- The Who John Barleycorn -- Traffic
Thanks Macman, my SHM SACD Sticky Fingers arrives today! One of the things I am hoping that comes out of this thread is finding out which of the other SHM SACDs are great.
My favorite are these Blue Note SHM-SACD: Herbie Hancock "Speak Like a Child" Eric Dolphy "Out to Lunch" Best digital masterings I've heard.
Steely Dan - Countdown to Ecstasy, Pretzel Logic, Aja Black Sabbath - debut, Paranoid, Master of Reality, SBS Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life John Coltrane - Ballads Keith Jarrett - Death and the Flower Wes Montgomery - Smoking at the Halfnote Traffic - John Barleycorn Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street The Who - Who's Next, Quadrophenia Bud Powell - The Scene Changes Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil Horace Silver - Song for My Father Sonny Rollins - A Night at the VV, Vol 2 Johnny Griffin - A Blowing Session Herbie Hancock - Speak Like a Child Lee Morgan - Candy Hank Mobley - Soul Station Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin
What further info do you need? Both are still available 2 years after release, which is pretty amazing for Japanese products. I have bought these many times over the years on cd, and all the audio aspects of these are better in my estimation on my system. There's no alternates added to the original albums, but that is less and less important to me as time goes by.
Outstanding* Black Sabbath - Master of Reality Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink Bill Evans - Explorations Gentle Giant - Octopus Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn Police - Synchronicity Jimmy Smith - The Cat Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die The Who - Quadrophenia The Who - Who's Next (SH's MCA is very close) Good Anne-Sophie Mutter - Carmen-Fantasie Black Sabbath - Vol4 Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Bruckner - Symphony No. 4 Cream - Fresh Cream Cream - Wheels of Fire Dire Straits - Love Over Gold (MFSL sounds better) Bill Evans - Waltz for Debby Bill Evans - Moon Beams Espana - Capriccio Espagnol etc Fairport Convention - Liege and Lief Free - Fire and Water Getz/Gilberto - ST Astrud Gilberto - ST Elton John - ST Elton John - GYBR Oscar Peterson - We Get Requests Art Pepper - Meets the Rhythm Section Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St Rolling Stones - Black and Blue Rolling Stones - Tattoo You Sonny Rollins - Way Out West Supertramp - Breakfast in America Thin Lizzy - Black Rose The Who - The Who Sell Out The Who - Tommy Wishbone Ash - Argus Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (Audio Fidelity or MFSL sound better) Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life (Audio Fidelity sounds better) * Best digital pressing IMO
I thought I had a few, but I guess I dont have any. I do have the SHM SACD of Sticky Fingers arriving today.
Here is my old list from 2015 including the ones I prefer and the ones to avoid; I just edited out the SHM-CD lines that don't share the same mastering as the SHM-SACDs: ----------------------------------------------------------------- "I generally don't compare them with LPs or analogue versions (unless stated), only with other digital versions. This is all after comparisons: ****Best**** Black Sabbath - Master of Reality Black Sabbath - Vol. 4 Black Sabbath - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath Camel - Moonmadness Camel - Rain Dances Caravan - For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night (for this the original CDs are excellent) Gentle Giant - Octopus (no contest) Hiromi Uehara - Voice (same mastering as the CD, but Hi-Res advantage) John Lennon - Plastic Ono Band (no contest, 2010 mastering like the 96/24 download) Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (no contest) Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers (I think I prefer the mastering of the common tracks on the old London Hot Rocks CD, the rest of the album would be in the Best category) Rolling Stones - Black and Blue Rolling Stones - Tattoo You Roxy Music - Roxy Music (cleaner transfer than the 2012 CD, though close) Steely Dan - Gaucho Supertramp - Breakfast in America The Band - Music from Big Pink The Band - The Band Tom Waits - Rain Dogs (almost a tie with the original CD mastering) T.Rex - Electric Warrior (better than the stereo mastering on the original SACD) U.K. - U.K. U.K. - Danger Money (both cleaner transfers than the original CDs, though close) Van Der Graaf Generator - The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other Van Der Graaf Generator - H to He, Who Am the Only One ***Excellent*** Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (on the fence for the Best category) Black Sabbath - Paranoid (yes, it doesn't sound like any other but I rather like it) John Lennon - Imagine (although I prefer the remix on the MoFi Gold CD, this 2010 remaster is the Best digital version of the original mix) Rolling Stones - Some Girls (probably Best in spite of the limiting) Steely Dan - Countdown to Ecstasy (I prefer the original CD) Steely Dan - Pretzel's Logic (I think I very slightly prefer the original CD) Steely Dan - Aja (only bested by Steve Hoffman's CD mastering. Not a fan of the Cisco LP) Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair (although possibly the best digital version of the original mix, I prefer Steven Wilson's stereo remix...) The Who - Who's Next (I slightly prefer SH original CD mastering) Roxy Music - Avalon (I slightly prefer the mastering of the original SACD, although the SHM is excellent in its own right. Also cleaner transfer than the 2012 CD) **Meh** Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink 2010 SHM-SACD (not the same as the 2014 SHM-CD) Fairport Convention - Liege and Lief (although OK in its own right, I find it too dark and muddy. Bested by original CD. Worth noting it has tape damage) Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die (bested by the subsequent SHM-CD) *Avoid* Aphrodite's Child - 666 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ***Where I haven't done a direct comparison but sound great*** (Best/Excellent) Fairport Convention - Unhalfbricking Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street Rolling Stones - It's Only R 'n' R Rolling Stones - Undercover Roxy Music - For Your Pleasure Stevie Wonder - Talking Book Van Der Graaf Generator - Pawn Hearts Van Der Graaf Generator - Godbluff
I searched my last posting in my thread "The Best SHM-SACDs, Pt 3“.... updated. 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 The Police - Synchronicity 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 * 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 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 - 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 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 Rainbow - Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers Rolling Stones - Exile on Main St 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 Van Der Graaf Generator - The Quiet Zone / The Pleasuredome Stevie Wonder - Innervisions (Audio Fidelity or MFSL sound better) Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life (Audio Fidelity sounds better) * Platinum SHM-CDs
The Police - Regatta De Blanc, Zenyatta Mondatta, Syncronicity. Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms The Carpenters - The Singles 1969-1973 Supertramp - Breakfast In America Bryan Ferry - Boys & Girls, These Foolish Things, Another Place, Another Time (or whatever it’s called) John Lennon - Imagine Olivia Newton-John - Physical & Come On Over The Who - Who’s Next Queen - A Kind Of Magic, The Miracle, The Works (These are on the loud side, but I don’t mind this on the 80s albums) Stevie Wonder - Hotter Than July Rolling Stones - It’s Only Rock & Roll, Some Girls, Black & Blue
Many thanks for your list!! When you do the above comparisons, can you please post your results, especially the Stones SACDs? Thanks.
A seller out of Las Vegas seemingly cornered the market on remaining inventory for many SHM-SACD reissues. They carefully control the supply, frequently putting singles of them up in eBay auctions. The lists from Plan9 and Claus are good starting points if you haven't delved into available SHM-SACDs. Several SHM-SACDs are almost certainly the best sound quality possible for a number of important albums. A new audiophile starting out could do a lot worse than getting all the available SHM-SACDs for the unique Rolling Stones' albums, John Lennon, Mike Oldfield, and the Who. Not to mention select others. I don't think the Carpenters SHM-SACD can be bettered with current technology.
You're welcome George. It's unlikely I will do direct comparisons shortly as these Stones albums are hardly my favourites. However I did hear other versions of Exile and IORNR (1994 CD and original EU press vinyl respectively) and to the best of my recollections the SACDs sounded a bit better, especially IORNR. As for Unhalfbricking I did hear a UK first press needledrop and the SACD sounded better to me, just as analogue but more lively and detailed.
