Dire Straits Self-Titled SHM SACD

Good, I am glad you are enjoying it. The Oppo does break in over time.

 

Should have my SHM "Dire Straits", "Who's Next" & "Blind Faith" SACD's today or tomorrow.
Will post my impressions after a complete auditioning.
Will be using "DSD Pure Direct" mode via Denon Link for my auditioning.
Hopefully these new releases are on par with the SHM "Aja" SACD.

 

Excellent. Yours might be the first Blind Faith review we get! And your impressions on the Dire Straits and Who's Next will be most welcome. Please hurry!

 

So if someone was to buy one on your recommendation and did not agree, would you be willing to take the SHM off their hands and re-reimburse them for the costs? I'm not saying do this for everyone but just as a one-off guarantee to first person willing to take you at your word on the alledged superior SHM quality? Basically "put up or shut up" or "put your money where your mouth is"

 

Hi, can you explain that? Or is that for the hardware forum?

 

Wait. How can I tell if my player is converting the DSD to PCM?

 

Proper SACD reproduction.

 

I believe I made this point at the beginning of this thread, but I do agree with you Claus.

Let's have some hi res remasters of music we don't already own!

 

Like watching a dog chase his tail...

The labels are only going to re-re-re-re-release the same titles over and over and over because THEY SELL over and over and over... look at the SIZE of these threads...Aja was discussed all day everyday for months on end...

it's always going to be about the $$$$$$$$

 

Well the Dire Straits SHM SACD is the first hirez digital version...

I do agree that there is MUCHO repetition on these warhorse titles.

 

I personally would be willing to replace any piece of music I already own (and care about) on CD with a Grimm SACD version if I had such a chance (and enough funds).

 

....does it sound $50 better.......

 

Not if I listen to my copy today and report.

 

Bring it on. BTW, what all of these new SHM SACDs do you have in your satchel? You're killing me, man.

 

Of those that just came out -

Dire Straits
Blind Faith
The Who
Black Sabbath

More on order already for October.

 

Well... the reason why I said it's a waste of titles. How many SHM-SACD they will sell from Rolling Stones "Banquet" or Humble Pie? Both available as SACD.

Universal Japan WILL NOT win new fans of this "dead" format, and I think they know that. The target are the audiophiles or collectors with a big wallet, where they can make profit with a small run.

The high prices will discourage most of "new" SACD users.

 

Cool. I've got:

Steely Dan - Aja
Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed
Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Blvd
Moody Blues - Every Good Boy

En Route, as of this morning from cdjapan:

The Who - Who's Next
Sir Colin Davis (conductor)/Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Herbert von Karajan (conductor)/R. Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, etc.

I'm obviously contemplating several others so I am enjoying this thread very much. I think I'll have to get Black Sabbath Paranoid for sure. And maybe some others like Blind Faith, 10cc Original Soundtrack, maybe even Kiss Destroyer on a lark. Certainly Humble Pie Smokin' from the October batch.

I'd love to see a review on the 10cc. Since SH did a DCC, which I don't have, I'm thinking about getting one or the other. If the SHM-SACD is glorious, hmm, maybe. But it's going to be about $20 more than the SHM SACD any way you slice it. And how can you get better than the SH DCCs?

 

Any reviews of the "classical-titles"?

 

It seems that once people get over the huge cost for their first one, it's been rationalised and they start getting the rest of them. MisterBritt's thinking of spending $600 for 12 discs, and not batting an eyelid.

 

Well I didn't mention that I have from the first batch

Steely Dan - Aja
Allman Brothers - Fillmore East
Clapton - 461 Ocean Blvd
Velvet Underground

On order for Oct:

Long Live Rock N Roll - Rainbow
Wheels of Fire - Creem
Argus - Wishbone Ash
In the Land of Grey and Pink - Caravan

If you notice I only order those that haven't been on SACD before or those with new 2010 DSD transfers (but I have to really love the album).

 

The "Symphonie Fantastique" is the worst choice for reissue, since it's a re-pressing of a previous SACD, made from Universal Classics 24/96 stereo PCM archives, while the same recording has later been reissued on a analogue-to-DSD transfer from the quad tapes by Pentatone, which is still in print and available at a fraction of the price (but not SHM )

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/2687
http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/4782

 

True that. But Misterbritt does an excellent job of cleaning house and settling on one-single-indomitable, definitive issue. His collection does not consist of a lot of also-rans. And he has no LPs at his disposal. He flatters himself as a master of asset allocation. For instance, he doesn't have eight various copies of "Aja," none of which exceeds the best of breed.

So while a $50 copy of "Aja" is pricy by anyone's standard, he should think, he doesn't have several hundred dollars invested in "Aja," as do many others. (And if he reads one more post about that Cisco LP he might wet himself in frustration. ) He is a true audiophile, and yet would not consider himself a collector, and he has the wisdom to recognize the difference and stick with his asset allocation paradigm. Indeed, he is downright smarmy about the matter.

So when he acquires a $50 SHM-SACD, he releases his previous best-of-class copy and uses the proceeds to offset the purchase price. (Well, that's the theory anyway. Reality would discover a growing collection of music -- albeit with little or no duplication.) He has one copy of the Moody Blues "Every Good Boy," one copy of Steely Dan "Aja," and one copy of The Who "Who's Next," etc.

As these particular items are concerned, Misterbritt loves the Japan Mini LP packaging as well. So he's killing two birds with one stone. And Misterbritt regards the exchange with much pleasure.

 

So is MisterBritt saying that the $50.00 SHM-SACDs he purchased so far are the "best-of-class" copy of those albums?

They do have their merits, but I wouldn't say that all that I purchased are the "best-of-class" - plus I just can't seem to get rid of other copies of any CD/albums anymore since I joined this forum. You never know when 5 years down the road someone states that so and so CD/LP is the best... and I would love to be able to pull it out again to give it a listen. Prior to this forum I was like you... get a new copy, sell the old. No more.

 

But the big deal about Aja was that it was it's first SACD release.

I didn't see any huge threads about titles like the Clapton, Police, Allmans or Derek & The Dominoes because they already had SACD versions out.

The same reason for the large threads about Who's Next and a lesser extent Dire Straits

 

Wow...thats a lot of 3rd person talk.....are you Bob Dole in disguise?