The best SHM-SACDs

They don't use compression as we already know, so that's complete rubbish.

Not all shm-sacd's aren't maybe reference quality, but you can't make sound a bad recorded album stellar (e.g. Velvet Underground).

 

I only said "to me it sounds loud [Dynamically Compressed]" which is my opinion and was presented that way (including in my sig). However your remark was stated as FACT! Just how do you know this definitively? You've talked the talk in attempting to besmirch me, now how about walking the walk -> Do you have proof/empirical evidence of some kind to present to this forum? Or is it "complete rubbish" as you called it?



P.S. I Never mentioned Velvet Underground my post referred exclusively to the loud Dire Straits s/t

 

At the time I wrote that post, it was my complete inventory of SHM-SACDs.

Tomorrow I will review a couple of new december jazz SHM-SACDs.

 

Cool. You've got a bunch of them. List your favorites, okay?

 

Father Christmas brought me Liege and Lief and Wheels of Fire yesterday to add to Who's Next that I've been enjoying for a month or so.

For me, Wheels of Fire is at least as good, or even slightly better than Who's Next and I think Who's Next is outstanding. I had to stop the disk after the first track (White Room) and listen to it again, I just could not believe it sounded so good. The subtle feedback from Clapton and the sound of GB's bass drums are extraordinary.

Liege and Lief is a different kettle of fish for me. I've never heard the album before but do enjoy 'Unhalfbricking' on CD.

The sound of Liege and Lief is very warm and lush sounding, very hi-def but lacking the air and space around the instruments that Who's Next and WOF give me. Maybe that's the sound on the masters but it's a bit rich for my taste really.

 

Ok. That will be hard...but I'll try tomorrow.

 

I can relate to that. I've got:

Classical:
Beethoven/Szell -- en route
Mussorgsky/Gergiev -- en route
R. Strauss -- Eine Alpensinphonie/Thielemann -- en route
Bruckner/Bohm
Beethoven/Klieber
Stravinsky/Salonen
R. Strauss -- Also Sprach Zarathustra/Karajan
Mozart/Bohm
Berlioz/Davis
Bartok/Solti

Rock
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road -- en route
Rolling Stones -- Beggars Banquet -- en route
Rolling Stones -- Let It Bleed
Rod Stewart -- Gasoline Alley
Blind Faith -s/t
Kiss -- Destroyer
10CC -- The Original Soundtrack
Dire Straits -- s/t
Black Sabbath -- Paranoid
The Who -- Who's Next
Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Boulevard
Steely Dan -- Aja
Moody Blues -- EGBDF

So that's 23, of which five are still en route. And I picked three.

 

the Bernie Grundman LP remaster is outstanding... better as the original CD and SHM-SACD. Although I slightly prefer the SHM-SACD over the original... both digital pressings have their faults.

 

It's still available here. Tom Port also provides an explanation for why the project was shelved.

Best,

Robert

 

Your last line nailed it. I would substitute music release for SHM SACD.

If you end up getting a DCC version there is artwork floating around here somewhere.

 

I think we have a consensus on Who's Next and Wheels of Fire. I have both and agree completely: those two are outstanding.

I also think the Bartók/Solti is outstanding. So that would be my top three—no particular order, as I feel they're equally outstanding.

Among the newer titles, Caravan's In the Land of Grey and Pink sounds fantastic to me, but I don't have anything to compare it to. Perhaps others will chime in with reviews and comparisons in the coming weeks. Yet, based purely on its own merits, I would put it up there with my top three—OK, top four.

Another new title still waiting for more reviews is Octopus. I have it and love it, but my original UK vinyl is almost as good and would probably best it on a top notch vinyl rig. Others will chime in on that one over the next few weeks I'm sure.

Best,

Robert

 

You had mentioned what of these you had, the most recently released not yet available to you at press time, as well as Bartók/Solti Concerto for Orchestra, and Berlioz/Davis Symphonie Fantastique.

I would have to go along with you on all the classical titles you have recommended thus far. They are excellent. Is that our collective highest bracket? They are superior! Just tonight I enjoyed Berlioz/Davis Symphonie Fantastique and couldn't imagine how it didn't make my top three list. Well, it is superior. Especially notable for the depth in the soundstage. That was really knocking me out. Wow!

The only classical title that's not killing me is the Beethoven/Klieber. I'll spend some more time with it. I'll put it on again when my proverbial stars and moons and planets are sonically aligned in my listening environment. I keep an art deco temperature and humidity gauge set in the area and consult them as others might consult their horoscope reading. What can I say? I am looking for correlations -- more on the effects of the room than the equipment, per se -- and it amuses me. It is a folly. I can't believe I am making such an admission. I prefer about 70 degrees and dropping with 30-40% humidity, by the way.

Along those lines, I put on Who's Next again last night under ideal listening conditions and couldn't bear to listen to it. This has nothing to do with the mastering. I guess I have just moved on in my personal listening tastes.

It's funny because I sold my Octopus and Wheels of Fire and John Barleycorn and In the Land of Pink and Grey and several others as well, in anticipation of replacing them with the SHM-SACDs. Now, like Who's Next, I just don't think I have an appetite for the music. I'm trying to muster up the strength to replace my existing copy of Agus with the SHM-SACD, and just haven't been able to garner the strength to actually pull the trigger on it. Same story to a less extent with Fire and Water. I mean, I dig the record but I question how much time I would really spend with it.

Robert, you have piqued my interest with the accolades for Liszt/Arrau. I'm also considering selling a couple of Chopin XRCDs and replacing them with the recently listed Chopin/Pollini.

Another wild card out there for me is the yet unreleased Gershwin's An American in Paris. That might be really great or it might be ridiculous. I'm still scratching my head over that one.

Now, on another tangent, a horse of a different color, I would speculate that the SHM-SACDs that will most appreciate in the secondary market when these go out of print will be the obscure titles. The ones with the lowliest sales results before they go out of print. So it is of interest to me to read what guys are buying. On the other hand, technology marches on.

 

Have you compared it to the Vertigo LP? That's the vinyl version I like.

 

I think the Reiner (SACD) is better....

 

I only compared the CD/SHM-SACD against the Warner LP.

 

You guys are comparing the Dire Straits SHM-SACD to the vinyl? I thought you were referring to Elton John. If anyone else gets a chance to spin the original or nearly original vinyl, will you put an ear to "Sultans of Swing" and advise if it plays back at an ever so slightly faster speed or tempo on the SHM-SACD? It might be my imagination, but I remember the vinyl being a tad slower in pace. Just curious. TIA.

 

So far, I have 10 classical titles on SHM-SACD, listed here in order of actual purchase, starting with the newest:

Strauss/Karajan Also Sprach Zarathustra
Beethoven/Kleiber Symphonies No. 5 & No. 7
Mozart/Böhm Requiem
Bruckner/Böhm Symphony No. 4
Brahms/Karajan Ein Deutsches Requiem
Sibelius/Walton/Suwanai/Oramo Violin Concertos
Stravinsky/Salonen Le Sacre du Printemps
Bartók/Solti Concerto for Orchestra
Berlioz/Davis Symphonie Fantastique
Liszt/Arrau Sonata in B minor

I believe they are all, without exception, sourced from earlier DSD transfers. So they have all been issued on SACD over the years, with some now OOP, and some still available. In general, I would say they all sound at least very good, if not excellent, and a few are simply outstanding. The only title I already own on SACD is the Beethoven/Kleiber. I haven't had time to run a thorough comparison of the SACD with the SHM-SACD. I listened to the SHM twice so far, and I can't hear any obvious departure from what I've been used to hearing for several years with the SACD. So my initial suggestion to those who already have the SACD would be to pass on that SHM—unless, like me, curiosity has the better of you. I'll nonetheless report back on that one later, after I've had time to compare them.

The other nine titles are new interpretations to me. Barring other interpretations/recordings of those works, I have nothing to compare them to. So in each case, I'm simply going for the sound of the disc on its own. The Bartók/Solti sounds amazing. The sheer amount of palpability I hear from this SHM makes it a clear winner. Even during the most congested parts, this manages to sound crisp and clear. It was a great recording to begin with, so there must be other pressings (SACD, CD, vinyl) that are bound to sound just as good. Be that as it may, this SHM-SACD sounds outstanding to me.

The Berlioz/Davis is very sweet, with lots of depth. Under Davis, the work is played almost as if it were Beethoven's Pastorale, with everything in its place, very relaxed pace, and devoid of any sense of urgency or tension. (Alex pointed me toward the Paray/Detroit interpretation, which is very much unlike Davis in its bursts of passion and explosiveness. None of that in Davis.) Still, there are times when the Davis works just fine for me. Excellent sound, bordering on outstanding.

The Liszt/Arrau sounds very good. His piano is spread all over the soundstage from left to right, no more than 10~12 feet behind the speakers. This makes for a comfortable, if intimate, presentation. His playing is impeccable. He slows down the slow sections of the work—unlike, say, Cortot or Argerich, who are simply effervescent in comparison—and brings out their utter tenderness and lightness in a unique way. Yet, for all that delicacy of touch in the quiet parts, Arrau also displays fire and thunder whenever the work asks for it, but does so with control and aplomb—unlike Gilels, for instance, who is downright overly aggressive in those sections, to the point of being exasperating (IMO, of course). My favorite interpretation of the Liszt sonata had been the Jorge Bolet, but the Arrau is at least as convincing to me. I would recommend either interpretation without hesitation. Excellent sound on the SHM, if you don't mind the proximity. The Bolet recording (on EMI CD) is more to my liking in terms of presentation.

I have already commented on the Stravinsky, Sibelius, and Brahms in other threads, so I'll leave it at that. This leaves the Bruckner, the Mozart, and the Strauss, each of which I've only listened to once so far. Of the three, the Mozart made quite an impression. This is another work I would call majestic. The recording itself is a bit congested at times, so I wouldn't place it in the 'outstanding' category, yet for all that it is certainly excellent. The Bruckner sounds fine, but with Bruckner, I really have to be in the right mood—which wasn't exactly the case the other day. So I'll return to that one later. For the Strauss, I'd like to compare it to the CD before making any comments. So I'll return to that one later as well.

The Chopin/Pollini, Beethoven/Szell, and Mozart/Haskil won't be here until March 2011—which is a good thing, in a sense, as it will give me plenty of time to listen to my SHM and Esoteric titles.

I have two recordings of the Gershwin: the Slatkin/Siegel/Saint-Louis issued by Classic Records on 24/96 DAD; and the Fiedler/Wild/Boston Pops on RCA Living Stereo SACD. I have no idea what Gershwin sounds like in the hands of Seiji Ozawa. My initial feeling was to let that one pass, especially since I'm quite happy with the 24/96 DAD, which features all of Gershwin's works for orchestra and piano on two discs. Furthermore, I believe MoFi has also re-issued the Slatkin/Siegel/Saint-Louis on SACD a few years back. If I'm right about the MoFi, that could perhaps be an alternative worth pursuing.

Best,

Robert

 

If I had to pick 3 SHM-SACDs

Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section - because it's incredible open and analogue. It's like "looking" into the tapes. Hearing the sax on "Imagination" on the SHM-SACD and the AP SACD is two different things.
Great music!

Dire Straits S/T - because it is more open and "real" sounding than all the good Lps and CDs I've heard. Lots of textures in the sound.
Great music!

Getz/Gilberto - because this was my first SHM-SACD. And it took me less than 10 seconds to realize that it did not sounded the same as my US 2002 SACD. I would be very unhappy if I had to live with only the US SACD
Great music!

 

Are any of the SHM-SACDs surround?

 

No - stereo only.

 

YES!!

 

So far the SHM-SACDs that really perk my ears up are:

The Who - "Who's Next"
Elton John - "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
Cream - "Wheels of Fire"
Rod Stewart - "Gasoline Alley"
Blind Faith

and as far as all the rest I have.. I find something I like in all of them. They may not all be worth the high price tag but anyway...

 

How good is the SHM-SACD against the Mofi?

 

Pretty close, from my memory of making the comparison. I still think the SHM-SACD has a slight edge. I guess if you have the MOFI and are very happy with that, the new SHM-SACD may not be "necessary".

 

Thx.... I'm happy with the Mofi and will save my money for other SHM-SACDs.