Blu Spec Recommendations ?

Very interesting Barry. Thanks for the insight.

 

Thanks for that research! So there IS a difference.
There is still very little info about Blu-Spec CDs out there , so this really helps clear up some matters.

 

I wish we could mark this page for everyone to read whenever questions about Blu-Spec CDs (or even SHM-CDs) come up.

 

Yep. Helped me a lot.

 

I just ordered Santana III in blu-spec as it is one of my faves and not available on SACD.

Anyone have this blu-spec Santana and if so What do you think?

 

I have thought about buying that one myself but I keep hoping Mofi will put it out since they did Abraxas and the S/T one.

 

yeah, i too really enjoyed the ELO spec releases,wonder why they only released 3,sacd please

 

Interesting...ive not done any listening to this format at all, what kind of differences did you hear? You know as in not night and day, but descriptive types of change, such as in eq, low level detail etc.

 

There haven't been any new releases in the Blu-Spec CD "format" since the beginning of the year, have there? I wonder if Sony's giving up on the "format."

 

Sony has ceased manufacturing SACDs, I've heard.

 

And another rumour says they will start releasing blu-spec sacd's in late 2011 (Simon & Garfunkel etc.).

 

Interesting. Now that would be something I'd like to hear, much more than SHM-SACD.

 

Yep. OP of this thread here... when I started this thread, I had been a member all of 15 days. I didn't know Darcy from Dave, a WG from a target, nothing. I KNEW NOTHING. I bought that Elvis and have not cared about Blu Spec one iota since. The Japan 1st pressings, the WG pressings, the DCCs...dear God, those DCCs... the Blu Spec was quickly forgotten. So I own one. I was curious, I satisfied that curiosity, I moved on. Nothing worth my time or money it turned out.

 

SHM-SACD = Universal Catalogue
Blu Spec SACD = Sony Catalogue

If Universal's shm-sacd's arent succesful, I guess Sony will bury their sacd-plans again.

 

I only heard 2 Blu-Specs so far - Toto Hydra and IV. They friggin' blew my mind. The sound quality was so much better (or should I say beyond?) any redbook CD it wasn't even funny. It's indeed another level of detail and quality, IMHO better than SACD. Too bad Toto's are allready OOP.

 

Hydra is still available at HMV japan....along with the S/T Toto.

 

Hi kevintomb,

Actually, "night and day" would not necessarily be overstating it. For example, comparing Miles' take on "'Round Midnight", at first I could have easily been convinced I was hearing two different masterings with significantly different EQ. Listen to the piano, cymbals and of course, the trumpet. Even the added "reverb" sounds more coherent on the new disc.

But a better descriptive is "focus". Every CD master I've ever compared with the resulting pressings shows the latter lose focus and fine detail. With the very best pressings the differences are slight but still present. With most pressings, I find the differences to be rather obvious. These new methods for creating CDs finally seem able to preserve that focus and fine detail.

As I said in my earlier post, I am referring to playback via a CD player or transport/DAC combination. If extracting to hard disk for use with a music server app, the differences go away.

Best regards,
Barry
www.soundkeeperrecordings.com
www.barrydiamentaudio.com

 

Fantastic! I haven't read these postings from Mr Barry Diament before now. His findings equal very much with my own findings.

And over the years I knew without hearing the actual 16/44.1 studio master, that this CD I listening to now, like this the glass master could not sound. But sometimes with CDs, you get that feeling of...Yes, this is close to the glass master.

I have not listened to a blu-spec CD, but I'm sure the results very much equals what I'm hearing with these SHM-SACDs, as with my comparison with Getz/Gilbert and Ella & Louis from the same DSD master.
For me, these differences what these new production methods shows are very much important to me, because I have the feeling listening closer to the source, and most important; I got more lost in the music.

 

Thank you Barry !!!

Finally, someone who's opinion is well respected across the board, gives honest, intelligent, informed opinion of these discs. The sad thing is, it takes something like this for the other "experts" out there to take it seriously.
There has been so many threads endlesssly slamming both Blu-spec and SHM-CD, a lot of the time purely without even hearing a disc, that it becomes frustrating and you don't even bother offering comment.
Hopefully, Barry's comments may change that.

Thanks again Barry

 

The Blu-Spec discs to the Dylan reissues from 2009 are killer. NEW MORNING will never sound better than this disc does. BEFORE THE FLOOD and THE BASEMENT TAPES positively shine in Blu-Spec. DYLAN & THE DEAD on Blu-Spec Disc is, well ... what it is. Sure sounds good, though.

BTW, BOB DYLAN's GREATEST HITS VOLUME 2 is also out on a double Blu-Spec Disc set in Japan and is superb as well.

 

Enjoying Kind of Blue and London Calling.

How about any of the Essential Collections; the Byrds, Cheap Trick, the Clash, etc? Any opinions?

 

I'm listening to The Clash's LONDON CALLING Blu-spec CD as I write this. Here's my love letter to it:

God, what an album! I can't believe it's been 31 years. The genre-hopping and spot-on musicianship on this album still amazes me. It's right up there with the best a la EXILE ON MAIN ST., WHITE ALBUM, BLONDE ON BLONDE, QUADROPHENIA ... all the great double albums. I think the Blu-Spec CD is the best-sounding version I've ever heard, but IIRC there's another, much older CD issue that's supposedly spectacular, too.

The production, recording and musicianship is stellar ... especially Topper's drumming. What an overlooked genius musician he is ... I guess a lot of that is his own fault, what with the heroin and all.

I never really got into the second disc of demos, rehearsals and the like that accompanies the somewhat recent two-CD Deluxe edition ... I need to re-listen.

I loved The Clash a lot and enjoy most of their albums heartily ... I even still own CUT THE CRAP. And SANDANISTA! is soooo cool. It was my first album of theirs! I used to listen to it in its entirety every afternoon in the late winter of 1981 when I was in college ... six sides!

But LONDON CALLING is something else. What brilliance! So original, too.

 

Dylan's NEW MORNING is sublime on Blu-Spec CD.

 

I am extremely impressed with the sound quality of the SANTANA (III) blu-spec disc. A sonic "presence" and "fullness" was immediately apparent to me. Although not directly comparable I prefer the SQ of this disc even to that of the Abraxas SACD.

I also have the SHM CD of the Robbie Robertson S/T album but haven't had a chance to spin yet.