SHM material warning

Makes sense to me. I spend $60 on a disc it is always being handled properly. No fingerprints, never left out to collect dust.

I am sorry this happened , perhaps this is another "Crest cracker type" case like the early SACD's.

 

Best to follow his advice with all discs IMO.

I hope you get a replacement for the Cream disc, contact the company you bought it from.

 

Yeah, I contacted CDJapan. I will let you know what they say. I'm not holding my breath, however. At least this title is still available.

 

The guy on SACD.net apologized in advance for posting something negative against SHM-SACDs, as though he knew people there would not respond well to the criticism. You don't respond well to criticism to SHM-SACDs. You have nothing but great things to say about every aspect of every single SHM-SACD all the time and can't let any critcism of them go unchallenged. You have been doing this here for months, and it has grown tiresome. I'm not the only one who has expressed these sentiments.

You post about SHM-SACDs not just as someone who enjoys music or even SACDs but as someone who has a vested interest in the SHM-SACD format. You are always trying to protect the format from criticism. It's time you stopped that.

 

KeithH: I have 17-18 SACDs, and all of them sound very analogue, very "real", near, musical and non-strident. Just the way I love digital to sound. And I say this from the bottom om my musical/audiophile heart! I have absolutley NO interest, commercial or whatever else in SHM-SACD.

Should I not be honest with you when I write about SHM-SACDs and how I hear things?

 

Hi, I'm not Keith but I believe I understand why. You have immense passion for your music and apparently the SHM SACD's as well. Fair enough.

All I can say is from the 3 SHM CD's I've heard there is better sounding CD pressings. The SACD's are another matter, but from other members I know very well from years of being here I won't be buying any and am very happy I bought the CD's I did when I did. Your opinion is different and that's all right with me. No need to be so "overly extreme" with your passion Espen.

 

Ok. Thanks for your reply.

I do know we hear different, and value different things in sound. And that's ok.

And I shall "calm down" my passion for these SACDs.

 

The poster you reference in the link above is the well known resident SACD.net fruitcake:

I submit: http://www.sa-cd.net/showthread/28439/28463/y#28463

 

The guy may like tweeks etc. but the results of him breaking the disc were the same as mine. I have never broken a cd before from gently wiping it.

 

You're welcome and I speak from experience of having to learn to temper my own passion for sound quality when speaking with others so I'm no stranger.

 

Thank you.

 

Oh dear.

 

I've got to chime in here and say that I don't have a problem with Espen R's enthusiasm for all things SHM-SACD. In fact, I find it a rather refreshing change from all the folks who constantly poo poo all things SHM-SACD.

I also have to wonder why folks have a need to clean/polish their discs. I use a can of compressed air every once in a while to blow off dust specs, but I never wipe them with anything.

 

Buy, listen & enjoy, isn't that all that is needed?

 

I don't think he is "gently wiping".
Quote, "I scrub the discs with"... "It takes a bit of elbow grease"

Scrub? Elbow grease? You would think he cleans his disks like he does his burnt frying pan.

 

SHM is a enhanced transparency polycarbonate material developed for use in LCD screens - http://shm-cd.co-site.jp/about/about_e.html

Notice that the SHM material is only used on the data (read) side of the CD/SACD.

Could it be that there is a significant difference of coefficient of thermal expansion between the two plastics causing stress and a fissure to develop?

 

Thanks!

Some years back I sometimes used anti-static fluid on the label side of my CD and SACDs, but no more. The sonic differences are very minor IMO, and even less differences thus better my CD/SACD player performes, as I hear it.

When I clean my discs I use some mild/gentle soap and wash they under spring water, not to hot water. I use only my clean fingers to "wash" the surface on the disc. After that I have a couples of thick towels that I place the discs in between for a couple of minutes. Then I have clean dry discs without any scratches.

(not for Nimbus CDs)

 

Hey you guys,didn`t you read the fine print?The specially fabricated SHM discs are disigned to begin disintergrating after only 10 plays!

Disclaimer:I`m not serious.

 

I am thinking that there must have been some sort of crack in the spindle hole, but I never noticed it.

 

First off, sorry for your loss Tullman and I hate to pile on but I too don't see a reason to clean a disc unless it's dirty and if they are treated properly they shouldn't get dirty. The only time I've ever had to clean a disc was a used one. I have a bottle of Shinola that I've had for years and it seems the only time I find any use for it is to clean discs from Netflix. Even when I do clean a disc I always lay them on a flat surface to do the work, never hold it in my hands. I never even thought about such a thing happening but it might be from cleaning lps which one can't really do while holding it that led me to treat digital discs the same.

On the subject of fragility being a sign of quality I can personally speak of the fragility of Australian black opals. They are very expensive and very beautiful but one has to be very careful with them, not only in their natural state, they must be stored in water, but once they are in a piece of jewelry they are prone to shattering/breaking. I have a ring with five of these stones and I've had to replace a few on two occasions. I now only where the ring in special circumstances. So just because it's more fragile than other digital media doesn't mean the material is cheaper or poorly made. It might be more delicate. I'm not obsessive enough about digital sound to even want to go there (buy these discs) and now I'm even less interested. If a $20 disc breaks, yeah it sucks but a $60 disc? To think I've always thought that vinyl was fragile and touchy to deal with. Sheesh. These discs have nothing on records.

 

Yeah yeah yeah, don't wipe the disc. To each his own. I wiped cds etc. thousands of times with nary a crack. These discs should not break with a light wiping. I wasn't bearing down at all. I wasn't polishing.

 

Same with the SHMs that broke on me. Please be aware that mine were SHMs and not the SHM-SACDs...thank god. I think I would cry if I broke a $60 disc.

I think I have only broke one standard disc my entire life but I have broke two SHMs. Makes ya wonder don't it?

 

Why do you do that, may I ask?

 

Have you seen my wife's cd collection? It is in the kitchen, hundreds of used and abused cds. If they start skipping, which is often, they get cleaned.

I also have many used cds that needed cleaning, some need mapleshade polish because of excessive scratches.
I also use ultra bit treatment on some, not all of my cds. Please, I don't need a lecture on snake oil.

Not to mention the hundreds of cds that I have at school. They get dirty and scratched. I am not the only one that is handling those.

 

Unless you are ultra careful stuff like fingerprints and dust can get on them. I have had some skip due to stuff like I mentioned. You personally must be ultra careful if you have never had to wipe them. I am no that fastidious.