But the cd's will have dsd re-mastered sound? Is that true? If so, that's better than normal re-mastered cd's.
That part is true as far as I can tell. Whether they sound better than the last batch released in '97 remains to be seen. As anyone here knows, it depends on the mastering engineer. All things being equal, would a dsd mastered cd sound better than a pcm mastered disc? I'm not so sure.
No, nothing is for sure, but it's certainly likely. I compared the gold cd of Amadeus to the recent Amadeus SACD on a normal cd player and the differences went from barely noticeable (the hybrid layer winning) to dramatic. I always thought the cd set was the best sounding cd's I have. You know the 2 cd set I'm talking about right? I've never been into movie ST's on cd before Amadeus is the exception (I need the visuals) but I'd be surprised if these didn't sound better than previous versions. I take it you're positive they won't be on SACD, right?
The sound quality of the DSD-remastered CDs I've heard thus far are always improved when compared to their predecessors. Of course, YMMV. This afternoon, I fired an e-mail to starwars.com asking for a clarification on those soundtracks. Will update when/if I get a reply.
The description doesn't say anything about sacd. It's a mangled pr blurb. I'll confirm with Sony today. As to analog to dsd sourced cds, let me put this out there: Why does Audio Fidelity master the cd layer of their hybrids straight from the analog master as opposed to the downsampled dsd master for the sacd layer?
I'd be surprised if this were an SACD set simply because there has been no press about it. To find it first for sale with no fanfare would be quite odd.
My original e-mail to starwarsshop.com was.... OK, everyone....here's the response I received from "Lauren" at starwarsshop.com's customer service Sounds like DSD-remastered CDs to me. A lost opportunity for SACD if it's true. Anyway, I replied, and pressing for an exact answer....
soundboy, thanks for continuing to chase this down. It wouldn't surprise me if this were nothing more than DSD mastering released on CD. Definitely a lost opportunity if true.
Well Lauren didn't say anything we didn't already know! Yeah, we KNOW they're being remastered with DSD. It will be disappointing if they aren't SACD, but , still DSD cd's are better than normal remasters. I might even buy the Empire ST now. I've never really listened to the SW ST's without the movies before. Are they good without the video going along with em?
Because Steve does not believe in DSD sources for PCM (CD) mastering? MoFi remasters the CD layer using DSD sources... as many other companies. I once read a technical paper that said DSD - CD downconversion was a cleaner way to create CD's, so I guess it comes down to personal preference. I think the AF discs sound great. So do the MoFi, Sony, Telarc and other SACDs that use Sony SBM for downconversion.
OK, guys and gals, 99.9999% confirmed these are "merely" DSD-remastered CDs. This is based on the latest e-mail I received from Lauren of starwarsshop.com....
Reviving old thread.... While passing my time at work today, I browse thru Hong Kong Sony's website. There is a listing of SACD titles that I assume get distributed in Hong Kong. Amongst the 153 titles on the list, an item of interest.... Soundtrack to Star Wars: Episode II Release date being October 2002 Hmmmmm....
It wouldn't surprise me if all the SW soundtracks were released on SACD next spring when SW 3 is released theatrically.
