The best SHM-SACDs

We have so many SHM-SACD threads (Sep/Oct/Nov/Dec...)

It would be a good idea.... to post here the best SHM-SACDs so far.

Very good:
The Who - Who's Next
Free - Fire and Water
Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley
10cc - The Original Soundtrack
Wishbone Ash - Argus

Good:
Eric Clapton - Layla
Kiss - Destroyer
Steely Dan - Aja
Steely Dan - Gaucho

 

What do you hear so far?
(I think I will receive my disc tomorrow or wedensday.)

 

great to see Rod Stewart and Free in your list.

Hope I'll receive them soon!

PS: Which version of Gaucho is the best according to you? The old sacd or the new shm-sacd (just curious)?

 

I only have two: Dire Straits and Aja. I'd put Dire Straits on the "Very Good" list and Aja on the "Good" list.

 

Gaucho is definitely better than the standard SACD and Mofi. It's sounds very analogue-like on my dCS player.... I only have the SACD, Mofi and the Citizen boxset (the worst sounding).

I wouldn't rate Dire Straits as very good. The original CD sounds great and it's hard to beat (IMO). Both pressings have their strengths and weaknesses. They're not perfect... I miss the analogue flow on the SHM-SACD, although the details/clarity are very impressing.

 

Can't wait to get it and take a listen.

Played the standard SACD yesterday and some of the cuts are icredible good produced and engineered, like "Hey nineteen".

 

And that demonstrates the folly of trying to create such a list.

 

We need more categories besides 'very good' and 'good'.

I suggest the following:

• outstanding
• excellent
• very good
• good
• poor

Best,

Robert

 

Agree

 

Agree

The Who and 10cc are outstanding.... and the best SHM-SACDs so far.

 

I would imagine these are good because they are SACD, not SHM.

 

A combination of mostly these things: tape sources, mastering facility/equipment, mastering work/tape transfer, DSD 1 bit 2,8 MHz and quality control with disc manufacturing (SHM).

 

I totally agree. But I like Dire Straits as well.

 

I was not impressed by the Rod Stewart

 

then listen to the Dennis Drake mastering or the standard Universal remaster they sound poor against the SHM-SACD IMO.

 

I was planning to...I guess you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear

 

You said:

It would be interesting on a deeper level to discuss why we rate (hear) so differently. Why we rate this disc from "heaven" to "hell". Not discuss who is right or wrong in their hearing.

But it's nothing bad with the recording. I listened to a couple of sonngs from Rod Stewart on the internet, and the recording holds good/high analogue standard.

 

Outstanding [Best CD/SACD version I've heard]:
Who's Next - the crown jewel of the SHM-SACD lot. If all the SHM-SACD's sounded this good we would be entering a new golden age of digital releases but alas it was not to be.


Fair [OK or average sound but better CD masterings exist]:
Wheels Of Fire - worth the money but I prefer the sound on the gold CD's
Gasoline Alley - middle of road at best
Dire Straits self titled - decent tonality but way too LOUD and fatiguing - overall passable - Buyer Beware.


Horrible [Waste of money and time listening]:
Kiss Destroyer - Vinyl or original Japan CD makes this SHM-SACD sound like it was mastered by an amateur.
Aja - don't get the fuss, my vinyl and $5 80's CD kills this crappy sounding $60 disc.
Gaucho - bad
Paranoid - The original 80's Castle and 1996 Castle remaster CRUSH this bad sounding disc.
10cc The Original Soundtrack - sound did not impress me nor did the so so material IMHO. Purchased this one on recommendations on this forum. Hope those that 'deceived' me got a commission check out of it.
Layla - not offering money back on this one is criminal
Outlandos De Amour - worst sounding SHM-SACD ever - I want my money back NOW!


I seriously question the validity of anyone who thinks ALL SHM-SACD's sound great. As with all audio disc releases they are a mixed bag.

 

I agree Who's Next and The Original Soundtrack are outstanding. I'd also place Cream Wheels of Fire, Bartók/Solti Concerto for Orchestra, and Berlioz/Davis Symphonie Fantastique in that category. I'd be tempted to place Liszt/Arrau there as well. Stravinsky/Salonen Le Sacre du Printemps is excellent at worst, and most definitely a few notches better than 'very good'. So is Aja. To me, the sampler would qualify as 'very good'. Outlandos d'Amour I'd place as 'good' at best, but wouldn't hesitate to downgrade to 'poor'.

Best,

Robert

 

I've never said all SHM-SACDs sound great... I don't want give a complete rating, but I own only 16 discs.... and I avoided the discs, which sounds really poor.

By the way... I would say the 1996 remaster of Paranoid is really bad... lots of drop-outs, compressed and smiley eq. Not my cup of tea. Although I agree.... the 1986 Castle is good.

 

Then you can question me.

I would not rate any of my 11 SHM-SACDs (2 more tomorrow, I hope) lower than excellent.
By that I don't mean that every one of them sounds great by the recording. The Who and Velvet Underground & Nico are not great sounding recordings.
What I mean by saying that I don't rate any of the SHM-SACDs lower than "exellent" in sound quality is that the transfer from the tapes are exellent, that each and every one of them gives me the feeling of looking deeply into the analgue tapes with very high resolution in sound. I hear the guitar strings on the Dire Straits SHM-SACD more like I hear guitar strings in real life, than any CD editions captures. And thats good enough for me!

Best

Espen

 

Claus buddy, seems like Newport was questioning a different forum member I think we all know the one - in fact in this very thread he has stated he feels "ALL SHM-SACD's are EXCELLENT"*. Since the rest of us know that factually is an impossibility those who like myself who have no financial interests in the format know who's recommendations/opinions to avoid.

Yes the 1996 Paranoid is not so good but I think the other poster was alluding to faults and all sounds better to him than the SHM-SACD.

* = Outlandos seems to be an almost universally panned rehashed 2003 mastering, but of course 1 member here insists it like all SHM-SACD's are excellent. Laughable really!

Just my .02 - and not presented as fact.

 

You are free to shoot me!

I have not the Police on SHM-SACD, because I don't think the standard SACD sounds very good, therefor I knew that the SHM-SACD probably would'nt sound so good.

 

The allman brothers and the Layla blow. Too much mastering. Moody Blues is a wasted opportunity.

On my stereo, the Sabbath is great, kills the castle with presence and that air around the chords. Argus, Wheels of Fire, Rod, Who, Traffic, 461 Ocean, Velvets, Kiss are all either great or stunners, particularly considering the recordings.

There are other good ones ....

You should go back and listen to the Police' debut on shm-Sacd.

 

I assume you are not going to buy many more titles after those glowing reviews.

This is a pointless thread, everyone will have opinions & none are wrong. Personally I love the Who's Next, Dire Straits S/T and Black Sabbath Paranoid discs on my mid-fi rig. Many will disagree and I can live with that.