Warner Japan Rock SACD titles set for August

*Everyone* is heavy into SACD business these days, except for Sony...

I have never owned a DVD Audio player, so for me these warners titles look interesting. Hoping for Neil Young "Harvest" on SACD, heard that the DVD Audio version was very good.

 

I'm since 2 years collecting audiophile stuff.

I have heard of dvd-a, dcc,... but those aren't available under 125$, except if you're extremely lucky.

If people pay more than 100$ for a used "Hotel California" dvd-a, at every ebay auction ... there must be some kind of interest.

I would suggest Fleetwood Mac "Rumours" in the next batch. Off course the Steve Hoffman & Kevin Gray master. Please send them to Japan!!!

 

we are at the end game of physical media now, the record companies realise that your average man is going to download music - usually for free - and certainly not bother at all with a cd.


the only way for record companies to squeeze money out of the consumer is by finally, after years of loudness wars etc., targeting the hard core (who are the only ones willing to spend money on music as they view it as an artifact as much as anything else) and offering them what they want - which is the reproduction of the music they love in its highest quality given the best technology available.

 

Seriously, when will ALL of these major labels (and even the small indies that are catering to the "Gold Disc"/"SACD" market) learn, enough of the same old, tired a$$, back catalog reissues? I don't want the same titles over and over.

If you major label heads really read these posts, like our kind host says that you do, then, how about digging a little deeper or at LEAST give us some titles that have never had the hi-rez treatment before.

Dear Warner executive,

I will request this one, for the 100th time, in hi-rez

"The Complete Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim"

If it's titles that are in the bag, then this one is just sitting in one of your vaults, collecting dust, as it was done in 5.1 hi-rez about 6 to 10 years ago, by Elliot Mazor and his wife Diane. Please send your tape vault guy or gal in to retrieve it and kindly put the results on a shiny little SACD for us.

Signed,

One of the few people who truly believed in and bought many of your DVD-Audio titles.

aka, Chris C

 

Only audiophiles buy more than 5 cd's a year these days, and they complain about bad soundquality.

I suggest a "niche market" high resolution audio (sacd, vinyl, downloads) and itunes for those who don't care about audioquality.

Every cd should be available in high resolution audio. The classics and the top 50 stuff.

10 years ago, when sacd was launched ... MP3 was the magic word. It was launced at a very bad moment.

 

A few grammar corrections (in bold), but I agree with your message 100%.

 

Surprised at the reactions so far in this thread. This is a major and positive development in the world of SACD releases. Warner Music had a worldwide edict banning SACD releases on their labels for the last decade. Sure, this first batch looks to be reissues of their existing Hi-Rez masters. But we get surround and a cheaper price than the SHM-SACDs. The ballgame is getting very interesting now...it is a great day for fans of high fidelity.

 

I'm in agreement with this statement. I'll be getting the Chicago 5 and the Eagles for sure. I'm very pleased with this development!

 

I see some of these titles are available on DVD-A.

What should we expect, if Warner Japan uses the same masterings for the SACDs? How good is the mastering on the DVD-As? Who mastered them?

How does the Hotel California DVD-A compares to the DCC gold CD mastered by Steve? How does the Fragile DVD-A compares to the MOFI gold CD?

 

And...the good thing about this Warner annoncement is that I don't think Sony now can sit still and ignore SACD.

 

All of those titles are on DVD-A, I have all of them.

 

I'm sure they will use the same (!) mastering.

 

I am not thrilled by the fact that these titles were already released as DVD-Audio discs (which I have and like) and the possibility that these SACDs will use the earlier DVD-Audio mastering. However, if they do use the DVD-Audio mastering, I may get them anyway. SACD is a more convenient format, and I wouldn't mind a good CD layer as a bonus.

As always, here's hoping for good mastering. And let's hope these titles are a stepping stone to Madonna, Van Halen, Prince, and Led Zeppelin SACDs.

 

What about Led Zeppelin in stunning high-rez...

 

Yes, these 5 SACDs released in Japan will really shake up the world music market ...

 

You're right and I didn't mean to necessarily rain on the parade, but, if they truly want to get more people "involved" in the actual "purchasing" of these hi-rez type of discs, then they better hire some really creative and talented folks to, explain just what an SACD disc is and why they should want to buy it. I still show DVD-A's and SACD's to friends who aren't as well schooled in hi-rez, as I am and they give me the classic "deer in the headlight look", until I sit them down and explain that this will "rock your world", just like the sound of an action movie does. "Push play, shut up and hear what you've been missing", should be the advertising motto! Sadly, we all know that what they'll do instead is, what they always do and that is to just expect people to understand this format (SACD), because it's available and when they don't sell..., especially since most of us that do understand it, already have these same titles on different formats in hi-rez, they'll just abandon it, like they always do. Hence, why I personally have such a problem with the same titles over and over again.

Chris C

 

+1

I did miss some of these titles the first time around.

 

How is the DVD Audio of "Hotel California" compared to the best Lp's?

I remember Hoffman said the tapes was in bad condition when he mastered the Gold CD for DCC.

 

I do not know how are they going to decode the digital PCM audio masters and made the DSD SACD but i think the SACD sound levels will be lower than the DVD-A , a good thing IMO. Or maybe they have the original digital master in DSD so the SACD will be superior

 

You might be surprised...

 

The tapes had to be baked, that's all.

 

And at $50 or so to get each to the US, it will excite a couple hundred people, or less, in the US. I was never and will never be in the market for a $50 single album release but I did purchase all of these Warner DVD-As when the price was less than $20. I don't know how well this type of release sells in Japan but it is a different market.

 

Not more than that...I've got the impression that nearly everything after 1974 had to be baked.

 

I listen to DVD-A all of the time without turning on the TV. There are variances as to which series of button pushes works with the various DVD-As but I can't recall ever not being able to load one and play it, even if it takes a few seconds of trial and error, usually a combination of enter, play, >, v, or stop buttons. Most often a simple enter and/or play command loads and plays the high resolution surround layer and if get stereo, I can usually change on the fly to surround. Not as easy as SACD obviously but not so hard that I have to turn on the display.

 

You don't understand Capitalism, then.

Somebody with a good ear will understand that there is a very enthusiastic niche market out there. Or have you not checked out HD Tracks?