Dire Straits Self-Titled SHM SACD

I hear you. I have the original WB vinyl (which doesn't sound that great to me)... the original Vertigo CD, The original WB CD, The remastered CD, the SHM-CD, the remastered WB vinyl (released a few months ago) and now the SHM-SACD.

The biggest problem with doing a comparison as I was doing, is that I would rather just listen to the disc. I might have to listen to the SACD more over the next few days/weeks to come to a "definitive" feeling about how it sounds overall. I know I heard things I really liked, but I still wasn't bowled over. (I'm sure as others get this disc there will be wildly divergent reviews as we saw with some of the other SHM-SACDs (i.e., AJA)).

I did feel that even though the SACD had a less bright high end than the SHM-CD, it still had a bright shimmer to it, but then again on many songs the sticks hitting the cymbals sounded really nice, natural and smooth (not harsh). The hiss, that was present though, was a bit of a distraction, as to my ears it wasn't that subtle.

 

The Vertigo CD is not too shabby in my opinion. I just got an early LP pressing which sounds very good. The Vertigo LP is probably the way to go. I suspect the original recording is not an A+ tape but I may be wrong.

 

I have to agree with this. I'm new to SACD, having only just bought an Oppo BDP-83. I'm running HDMI from the Oppo into an Atlona HD577 audio de-emmbedder box and digital coaxial from the Atlona into my Bryston dac, so the sound quality is due to the Bryston.

For CD standard playback, I use Apple Lossless on an iPod/Wadia 170i into the Bryson. This setup allows me to play a SACD and the same album on the Ipod at the same time - to hear either one, all I need to do is select the corresponding input on the front of the Bryston so I hear the same song on either format instantly.

I can hardly hear any worthwhile difference between the two, if any. Of the new Japan issue SACDs, I've only got The Velvet Underground and Nico, Moody Blues Every Good Boy... and The Stones 'Let It Bleed' with 'Who's Next on the way but I've got quite a few other SACD titles and I think the Stones 'Let It Bleed' actually sounds better on my 20 years old CD version (abkco, West German, MCPS 820052-2, 850025-503).

I could say the same about every SACD I've heard so far but these are very preliminary impressions and my opinion could change over time but so far I would have to say that SACD is underwhelming to say the least or more accurately, no worthwhile improvement over Redbook CD!

 

That is already a very bad sign in my opinion. The Bob Ludwig mastering was already compressed compared to the original recording. If the SACD is even louder, then it is certainly not for me.

 

It would be interesting to hear a comparison of the WG Vertigo CD (which I really like and should be hard to beat) to this SHM SACD.

 

Wah? How do you listen to SACD from an iPod? Does the iPod capture a DSD data stream?

 

Thanks, Mike. I do not have the SHM-CD, but I find it disappointing that the SHM-SACD is not noticeably better.

The Aja SHM-SACD did not blow me away. If I feel the same way about the Dire Straits disc, it will probably be my last SHM-SACD.

 

Please keep in mind that what you are hearing is 24bit/88.2khz PCM, not pure DSD. I assure you that there can be a big difference in sound between the two. Judging from what you've written before, it seems like you've selected the DSD-PCM conversion option where the Oppo converts the 1bit/2.8mhz DSD audio to 24/88.2 PCM on the fly. There is currently no HDMI de-embedder that can take the pure DSD bitstream from an HDMI connection and send that to an external DAC. It can only pass on PCM of varying bit rates and sampling rates.

 

That's not what I said! I said I use the Oppo-Atlona-Bryston dac for SACD and the iPod/Wadia-Bryston for cd. Because both sources are connected to the Bryston, I can switch between the two by selecting the matching input by front button selection on the Bryston (the Bryston can handle up to nine digital sources). By having both formats playing the same album at the same time, I listen to either one by selecting the right input on the Bryston. The other one is playing but I only hear it when I select the input for it. This way, I can toggle between the two and hear an instant comparison and as I said, not much if any difference at all!

 

Yes, this is true so I'm probably not hearing the format to it's true capability but I was still hoping for a noticeable improvement - Oh well!

 

Okay that makes more sense but then you are listening to hirez PCM...quite different than native SACD.

 

Too many connections and too many devices in the signal path, IMO. Besides, as others have pointed out, you are not listening to DSD. Try listening to your SHM-SACD's using only the Oppo.

 

I may have spoken too soon as things are starting to sound a lot better. As the Oppo is only 4 days old, it maybe starting to loosen up a bit although my Bryston dac is well run in. I also went into the Oppo's set up menu and changed the SACD output to DSD and this definately sounds a lot better to me now. As I type, I'm listening to 'Let It Bleed' and it's sounding nice - really nice! Also, I've just installed isolation feet under all my digital sources and speakers from Herbies Sound Labs so lot's of changes in a short time but now really sounding extremely good!

 

Great!

 

Have you heard the full potential of CD sound? The Sony SCD-XB 940 which you indicate in you profile is not a great CD player.

Even the CD playback of my SCD-XA777 pales before my Electrocompaniet DAC, which sounds much more analogue-like and transparent.

What I'm tired of is poor mastering, which exists on CD and SACD, and which the superior resolution of SACD cannot compensate.

 

Claude, there is nothing left of the original sound of the XB-940, compared to my Vacuumstate Level 7 mod with Terra Firma bit-clock.
And my player compete with very high-end players when it comes to CD sound.

What I don't like in CD sound is the "cut off" sound when it comes to ambience, transients etc. Despite the not so good mastering of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road SACD, I clearly prefer it compared to the MFSL CD of GYBR or DCC "greatest hits" cuts. There is much more information in sound on the SACD. This was not true for me some years back, but after the latest modifications on my player, included the outstanding Terra Firma bit-clock, this is now true!

 

There is a lot of "information" coming through from the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road SACD, but the mastering sucks. It's too loud, too hot. I hear the potential of the album on SACD in the layering, but they really butchered the mastering. Just a lost opportunity.

If UMG decides to issue this album on an SHM-SACD, here's hoping they remaster it and do it right. For now, my go-to discs are the MFSL and DCC gold CDs. They are a much more enjoyable listen than the SACD.

 

Agreed... a waste!

But most of the SHM-SACDs are a waste too (!!!)... who needs Gaucho, Police, Stones again. Why they haven't released SHM-SACDs, which were never mastered on SACD, like Paranoid or Who's Next?

 

That's your opinion.

If this is bad to you, what about Classic Records releasing the same "Kind of blue" and "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" records in 140g, 180g, 200g, 33 and 45 rpm, HQ vinyl, UHQ vinyl...and so on?

 

Because that would require much more work. It's easier to repress existing SACD masters on SHM-SACD, and there seem to be people who think SHM is so much better that they rebuy them on SHM-SACD.

 

Premium-Repressing for the price

 

I don't think SHM sounds better, I hear it.

About SHM:
Nearly everyone hears that SHM Getz/Gilbero (example) sounds better than the US version, me included. Everyone that have ears agrees that they don't sound identical.
And there is no doubt that the SHM-SACD is from the same Verve DSD masters produced for the US 2002 SACD.

But to those who don't think SHM material makes any differences, what do you think Universal Japan does to make it sound different? Add EQ and compression? Or de-add EQ and compression?

 

Was that ever confirmed? Universal Japan also has another, different DSD master, previously released on the JSACD UCGU-7031.

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?p=5646808&highlight=ucgu+7031#post5646808

 

Universal states on their web sites that it is from the 2002 DSD master. And everything tells me thats true when listening.

 

Hearing and thinking both occurr in the brain and are closely related...