SACDs that "are tops"?

[Sckott]

I'd like to know for those who have SACD, what are your favorite SACDs and why? Do you have any of the AOR Sonys like:

Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell
Billy Joel - 52nd St - (mch) - I heard it and it was "ok".
Boston - s/t
Stevie Ray Vaughn - Couldn't Stand The Wx

I heard the Blonde On Blonde, and I'm getting that soon too. Classical and Jazz reccomendations are helpful. Does Hancock's "Headhunters" sound flippin' great? Thanks!! :p

[Paul L.]

For classical, I'd recommend:

1) George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra: Mahler Symphony No. 10/Walton Partita for Orchestra/Stravinsky Firebird Suite. From 1959 and 1961.

2) If you want more Mahler, the 2-disc hybrid of Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony, playing Mahler's Symphony No. 6, is a wonderful new recording.

3) My favorite piano SACD is Vladimir Horowitz playing Chopin/Rachmaninoff/Schumann/Listz. Recorded in 1962, these will kill you.

4) For violin, try Isaac Stern playing Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Also classic stuff, from 1958.

There's lots and lots of great classical stuff on SACD. Symphonies really benefit.

5) For jazz I like Terence Blanchard Let's Get Lost. It features a few female vocalists. Some people think this is too light, but there's room for light jazz. I bought it just to hear Cassandra Wilson's numbers, but actually like Jane Monheit's better.

Female vocals:

6) My favorite by far is Laura Nyro Angel In the Dark. Just the best there is.

7) Alison Krauss Forget About It is excellent.

8) Mary Chapin Carpenter Time Sex Love is also real good, and sounds neat on multi-channel.

Miscellaneous:

9) The Sopranos Peppers & Eggs 2-disc has a lot of variety. A lot of it I don't like, but it has some fine stuff as well.

10-34) The Rolling Stones and CCR should be good.

[vex]

I cannot recommend highly enough the exceptional "Introduction To SACD" disc by Chesky Records. There is a great selection of tracks from many of the discs in Chesky's catalog. All the recordings and performances are incredible. This is the disc I use to show off SACD. Also, I've bought many of the full length discs just from the strength of the individual tunes on the sampler. This one is a must have.

http://www.chesky.com/catalog/body_catalogdtl.cfm?PRODUCT=100194&CATEGORY=3

[Beagle]

I have about 10, my faves (sonically and musically) are:

Mike Oldfield-Tubular Bells
Weather Report-Heavy Weather
Toto-Toto IV
Miles Davis-Kind Of Blue

[Sckott]

Thanks to all!!

Girlfriend heard "Kind Of Blue" on SACD and I asked her if she liked Mch or Stereo.

"Oh, Stereo - Definately" :cool: There you have it! Woman knows best!

[vex]

Yeah, I found "Kind of Blue" in multi-channel not to my liking... there are some things that are better left alone.

[Steve Hoffman]

Haven't heard it.

What didn't you like about it? What did they put in the rear speakers?

[Sckott]

When I heard "So What", Miles was predominantly in the back. I'm not sure if I would do it that way, but they seperated the sound quite well. This is what came out by default, because I was just trying it out before I went out to eat, but that's what I heard.

From what I remember, Steve, their only multi was a 3-track? I can hear reverb in some channels for effect.

[Steve Hoffman]

Yeah, three-track.

Miles was in the BACK? :confused:

[Sckott]

On "So What", yeah.

I should recheck everything, but I had time to try a little SACD multi, so that's what I auditioned 1st. My rotel uses a 5.1 direct input using a parallel port (db25 connector) fitting, so I manufactured a cable using the pinouts Rotel laid out.

The track specifically starts out with Miles later in the track, like 25 seconds in, of course. Everyone builds in front with it echoing in the back. Miles comes in from the back on that track, from what I had.

I'll have to check while being back home to see what they did with Cannonball.

[Todd Fredericks]

Sckott,

Which SACD player did you end up getting? Also, 'Headhunters' sounds excellent!!

Todd

[Sckott]

I would have loved the 777 (which is the one I think Steve still has) but I got the CE775. Big difference, but it's a wonderful deck and I'll recommend it to anyone. I really haven't put in "burn-in" time YET!

I own a Rotel 965 pre, and it has a Parallel port fitting for 5.1 analogue. I first took a DB25 connector and wired RCA's, but I got a hold of a serial cable here at work and snipped it. Much better cable resorces at work.

[Todd Fredericks]

Sckott,

Good deal. Yes, it's not a 777ES or SACD-1 (wow) but it is a great deck for the price. How's it doing on redbook in your opinion?


Todd

[bmoura]

There are a number of good SACDs out now. Some of my favorites:

Multichannel SACDs:
==============
Hourglass - James Taylor
Ship Ahoy - O' Jays
A Celtic Spectacular - Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops, James Galway, Chieftans
Triangulo - Michel Camilo
Shifting Landscapes - Kristjan Jarvi, Symphony Orchestra of Norrlands Opera
Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield
Swing Live - Bucky Pizzarelli
The Life - Ginuwine
Blow by Blow - Jeff Beck
Headhunters - Herbie Hancock

Stereo SACDs:
==========
Now That I've Found You - Alison Krauss
Angel In The Dark - Laura Nyro
Blues In Orbit - Duke Ellington
Music From The Sopranos
Birdland - M. Sasaki & LA All Stars
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Abraxas - Santana

[Sckott]

Originally posted by Todd Fredericks
Sckott,

Good deal. Yes, it's not a 777ES or SACD-1 (wow) but it is a great deck for the price. How's it doing on redbook in your opinion?


Todd


I read a bad review about that. I'm going to try a few old n' new Cds and write later. Again, it hasn't seen 4 discs yet. Too brand new and I'm still @ work :) It does DTS direct-stream with no problem using the optical, but that's old hat for Sony CDP units.

[bmoura]

Before I forget, you can get a good deal these days on Telarc SACDs from their web site at http://www.telarc.com/

Not only have the prices dropped from $24.99 to $19.99 per SACD, if you buy 3 and enter the promotional code GOODGUYS in the web order form, you'll get a 4th SACD free!

Now that's a good deal.

[vex]

"Kind of Blue" multi-channel is essentially a three-channel mix (front three channels with rears used for ambience). To be honest, it probably sounds okay on a "proper" multi-channel setup with three identical front channels. But, as I've indicated elsewhere, I've had to compromise my center channel to conform to a home theater arrangement (blasphemy, blasphemy!) Yeah, yeah, I know...

So, I tend to shy away from any mix that has an "active" center channel (i.e. one that has equal weight to the left and right front channels). This mix just doesn't cut it with my compromised center channel. Also, the ambiance in the rears sounds "derived" from the 3.0 mix. It would probably be better served as a straight 3.0 mix (a la the multi-channel SACD of Dave Brubeck's "Time Out"). As it is, it sounds a bit contrived and unnatural. I prefer the stereo mix.

[MagicAlex]

Originally posted by Steve Hoffman
Yeah, three-track.

Miles was in the BACK? :confused:

Yes...but the stereo version is the boss! This is the definitive KOB for me! It's worth buying fo sure...

[Sckott]

Damn. If just for the $2 extra trip, my Time Out is Stereo only. Bummer..... More later....

[Paul L.]

Bmoura,

Thanks for the sale info at Telarc. Just ordered 4 for the price of 3.

[bmoura]

Originally posted by Paul L.
Bmoura,
Thanks for the sale info at Telarc. Just ordered 4 for the price of 3.

Glad to help There are so many good Telarc SACDs that I'm sure many folks will want to check out that deal !

[Marc Pool]

The SACD's that I really like are.

Al DiMeola - Elegant Gypsy (JSACD)
McLaughlin, DiMeola, deLucia - A night in San Fransico (JSACD)
Carel Kraayenhof - Tango Royal
Groove Amanda - Goodbye Country
Kinobe - Verse bridge chorus
Alison Krauss - Now that i've found you
Alison Krauss - Forget about it
ML - Leaving

[Richard Feirstein]

John Denver's Live Concert from Sony Music, produced by SUNDAZED's Mr. Irwin, is so very good to hear, a real sleeper, and stereo only! :D

[Marc Pool]

Well Richard than you will be glad to know that Sony is planning to release it in Multichannel :)

[martinimaster]

Alice in chains greatest hits , after the first song which sounds like crap, the rest of the album sounds real good.
It's a multichanel release but my player is stereo only.