Topic: Is SACD a dying format?

[powermonkey]

I realise that there are quite a few SACDs around already - plenty to keep me going for the time being - but is new stuff getting released as SACD?

I'd love to hear the latest Norah Jones, or the new Bjork album, for instance, but after a bit of investigation, it appears that the record companies have little or no interest in such releases.

Does anyone know of any reliable sites showing new and future SACD releases?

Thanks very much.

[nickgregory]

http://www.elusivedisc.com/

[powermonkey]

Cheers for that. T+!

I guess SACD may get a kck up the backside when the long-rumoured Beatles reissues appear...

 

[RebelRebel]

www.arkivmusic.com (my favorite site of all time for getting music)..ive probably spent a couple grand there in the past year..(check out the OPUS 3 label..trust me)


www.acousticsounds.com

www.musicdirect.com

I realise that there are quite a few SACDs around already - plenty to keep me going for the time being - but is new stuff getting released as SACD?

I'd love to hear the latest Norah Jones, or the new Bjork album, for instance, but after a bit of investigation, it appears that the record companies have little or no interest in such releases.

Does anyone know of any reliable sites showing new and future SACD releases?

Thanks very much.

[powermonkey]

Woohooo! Thanks!

Yet more excellent sites to spend all my cash on!

T+

[nickgregory]

now I will admit, I have a handful of SACDs and have been blown away in the past by the sound when compared to CD...I did a listening comparison last night to Dark Side of the Moon SACD and Vinyl...and the SACD was lacking when compared to the Vinyl counterpart...just a thought....

[powermonkey]

I've only got a few SACDs myself at this point, and I'm no seasoned audiophile (my stereo setup costs, all in, maybe £400) but the difference between CD and SACD is enormous... I've always found myself turning up the treble when listening to normal CDs, but SACDs sound that much more balanced that I don't need to. The warmth and the increased definition of instruments is fantastic. I've not checked out any of my discs with my surround setup yet, but then my surround kit cost about £150, so it's never going to sound all that good.

My only problem is that I'm spending way too much on SACDs...

 

[RebelRebel]

I love SACD too, by far, my favorite medium, and ive spent a lot on them myself. Telarc does really good SACDs as does Pentatone, Proprius, Opus 3, Waterlily acoustics...etc..

I've only got a few SACDs myself at this point, and I'm no seasoned audiophile (my stereo setup costs, all in, maybe £400) but the difference between CD and SACD is enormous... I've always found myself turning up the treble when listening to normal CDs, but SACDs sound that much more balanced that I don't need to. The warmth and the increased definition of instruments is fantastic. I've not checked out any of my discs with my surround setup yet, but then my surround kit cost about £150, so it's never going to sound all that good.

My only problem is that I'm spending way too much on SACDs...

 

[RDunn]

now I will admit, I have a handful of SACDs and have been blown away in the past by the sound when compared to CD...I did a listening comparison last night to Dark Side of the Moon SACD and Vinyl...and the SACD was lacking when compared to the Vinyl counterpart...just a thought....

I've recently recorded some old Count Basie records on Pablo to DVD-A.  Vinyl on the Linn Sondek LP-12 > Linn Wakonda preamp > Lunatec V3 > Marantz PMD-671 at 24/96.  Yummy :^)

[cshepherd]

now I will admit, I have a handful of SACDs and have been blown away in the past by the sound when compared to CD...I did a listening comparison last night to Dark Side of the Moon SACD and Vinyl...and the SACD was lacking when compared to the Vinyl counterpart...just a thought....

With a P1?  That's awesome, Nick. 

Don't those Pablo records sound great?

Chris

[Kyle]

now I will admit, I have a handful of SACDs and have been blown away in the past by the sound when compared to CD...I did a listening comparison last night to Dark Side of the Moon SACD and Vinyl...and the SACD was lacking when compared to the Vinyl counterpart...just a thought....

Agreed 100%. I have a 4th pressing Harvest LP that sounds significantly better than the SACD. The SACD, imo, has a 'thin' sound and the multi-channel mix is not very engaging. With this one, if I am listening in stereo, it is the LP of Harvest CD (Japanese made Black label disc that sounds very good and better than the MFSL version) - multichannel is the 2496 DVD-A Quad Mix that circulated awhile back. Completely outrageous to say the least.

[nickgregory]

now I will admit, I have a handful of SACDs and have been blown away in the past by the sound when compared to CD...I did a listening comparison last night to Dark Side of the Moon SACD and Vinyl...and the SACD was lacking when compared to the Vinyl counterpart...just a thought....

With a P1?  That's awesome, Nick. 

Don't those Pablo records sound great?

Chris

I was a little surprised.  but to my ears, the SACD excels at the imaging on the dark side SACD...you almost are jumping from speaker to speaker like a tennis match.  the vinyl did that as well, but just sounds warmer to my ears for some reason...

As with anything else though, my ears could be hearing a little of what I want to hear

[Jammin72]

now I will admit, I have a handful of SACDs and have been blown away in the past by the sound when compared to CD...I did a listening comparison last night to Dark Side of the Moon SACD and Vinyl...and the SACD was lacking when compared to the Vinyl counterpart...just a thought....

With a P1?  That's awesome, Nick. 

Don't those Pablo records sound great?

Chris

I was a little surprised.  but to my ears, the SACD excels at the imaging on the dark side SACD...you almost are jumping from speaker to speaker like a tennis match.  the vinyl did that as well, but just sounds warmer to my ears for some reason...

As with anything else though, my ears could be hearing a little of what I want to hear

It's rare that you'll get a direct transfer from the original masters to DSD everyone wants to put their stamp on it and by God they always use that CD sound as a template.  God forbid they ever just give up the 2" Tape and transfer it without someone's interpretation of the way it's "supposed" to sound.


By God I want to hear a direct transfer of Electric Ladyland!!!

[it-goes-to-eleven]

I don't have any experience with SACD.. But I'm wondering.. How much of the improvement is simply due to better remastering for higher bandwidth/better playback?   When I listen to much of my commercial collection I notice how compressed and sanitized it is. Percussion is totally neutered, etc.

[RebelRebel]

SACD, like anything else, depends on good execution to sound good...Vinyl isnt going to be better than SACD by default(well not to me anyway). Totally depends on the production. I have SACDs that are really amazing, same with CDs and Vinyl..totally depends on the situation.

now I will admit, I have a handful of SACDs and have been blown away in the past by the sound when compared to CD...I did a listening comparison last night to Dark Side of the Moon SACD and Vinyl...and the SACD was lacking when compared to the Vinyl counterpart...just a thought....

Agreed 100%. I have a 4th pressing Harvest LP that sounds significantly better than the SACD. The SACD, imo, has a 'thin' sound and the multi-channel mix is not very engaging. With this one, if I am listening in stereo, it is the LP of Harvest CD (Japanese made Black label disc that sounds very good and better than the MFSL version) - multichannel is the 2496 DVD-A Quad Mix that circulated awhile back. Completely outrageous to say the least.

[bgalizio]

SACD, like anything else, depends on good execution to sound good...Vinyl isnt going to be better than SACD by default(well not to me anyway). Totally depends on the production. I have SACDs that are really amazing, same with CDs and Vinyl..totally depends on the situation.

now I will admit, I have a handful of SACDs and have been blown away in the past by the sound when compared to CD...I did a listening comparison last night to Dark Side of the Moon SACD and Vinyl...and the SACD was lacking when compared to the Vinyl counterpart...just a thought....

Agreed 100%. I have a 4th pressing Harvest LP that sounds significantly better than the SACD. The SACD, imo, has a 'thin' sound and the multi-channel mix is not very engaging. With this one, if I am listening in stereo, it is the LP of Harvest CD (Japanese made Black label disc that sounds very good and better than the MFSL version) - multichannel is the 2496 DVD-A Quad Mix that circulated awhile back. Completely outrageous to say the least.

Just like how we have some SACDs that are mastered from the 16bit CD (cough, Norah Jones, cough). Never could understand that one!

Check yourmusic.com for SACD/CD hybrids. They have some Living Stereo recordings on there, some other classical stuff, plus the Dylan discs. At $7 each, it's hard to beat.

[powermonkey]

I've got the Norah Jones SACD - I ordered it, then the next day read that it was based on the same 16bit as the CD. Needless to say, I was a little pissed (although my copy of the CD has a scratch or two). I don't know if it was purely psychological, or because my new DVD/SACD player has better sound, but it did seem warmer and more defined than the CD.

Next on the list.... Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral (hybrid SACD/CD reissue), O Brother Where Art Thou, and probably a couple of Living Stereo discs - the Julian Bream Spanish Guitar looks particularly enticing.

[RebelRebel]

and probably a couple of Living Stereo discs - the Julian Bream Spanish Guitar looks particularly enticing.

I have them all, they are ALL amazing.

[PeterE]

I've recently recorded some old Count Basie records on Pablo to DVD-A.  Vinyl on the Linn Sondek LP-12 > Linn Wakonda preamp > Lunatec V3 > Marantz PMD-671 at 24/96.  Yummy :^)

Question from a 24/96 n00b: Once you got the LP (or whatever recording) to 24/96 using the PMD-671, how did you author a DVD-A? What authoring software app did you use?  I've heard of Discwelder "Steel" ($495) and "Bronze"($99). Are there others? Will bronze work OK?  I'm just getting on the 24/96 bandwagon, I've got a HQ playback system w/ a DAC capable of converting 24/96 and I'm trying to figure out how to play back at hi-res AND to be able to give others a hi-res copy of my recordings.
Thanks for the help.

[BobW]

DVD-Authoringware

Start here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-Audio

1) Paging Scott Brown....
(he wrote a few wrappers, scripts, and fully-functional programs, although I'm unsure of the current status)

2) DVDA-Author
http://dvd-audio.sourceforge.net/
http://dvd-audio.sourceforge.net/alpha/

3) Wavelab

4) there's Cirlinca's program DVDA-Solo
http://www.cirlinca.com/

[Nick's Picks]

dvd audiofile

google it.

thats Scotts program.  by far, the most simplistic. 
track w/CDWAV > save as FLAC > make .iso from flac files > burn image
play your spanky new DVD-A and rock out w/your bad self!

[PeterE]

Bob, Nick,

Thanks much to both of you for your help!  I'll try Scott's program and if I have problems look into the others mentioned.
Pete

dvd audiofile

google it.

thats Scotts program.  by far, the most simplistic. 
track w/CDWAV > save as FLAC > make .iso from flac files > burn image
play your spanky new DVD-A and rock out w/your bad self!

DVD-Authoringware

Start here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-Audio

1) Paging Scott Brown....
(he wrote a few wrappers, scripts, and fully-functional programs, although I'm unsure of the current status)

2) DVDA-Author
http://dvd-audio.sourceforge.net/
http://dvd-audio.sourceforge.net/alpha/

3) Wavelab

4) there's Cirlinca's program DVDA-Solo
http://www.cirlinca.com/

[George]

How the heck can I find the living stereo stuff and sacd's on yourmusic? 

[bgalizio]

How the heck can I find the living stereo stuff and sacd's on yourmusic? 

I believe searching SACD in the album title field will work.

[chris]

hi

Check out Chesky's site.  He has a new jazz series that is truly a listening experience.  I recommend the Abercrombie and/or hank jones SACD titles.

Also, marecordings.com has some interesting stuff as well. 

good luck.

[George]

How the heck can I find the living stereo stuff and sacd's on yourmusic? 

I believe searching SACD in the album title field will work.

Thanks!  Didn't find much, only got about 50 hits and grabbed the handful that were listed for living stereo sacd's. 

[bgalizio]

How the heck can I find the living stereo stuff and sacd's on yourmusic? 

I believe searching SACD in the album title field will work.

Thanks!  Didn't find much, only got about 50 hits and grabbed the handful that were listed for living stereo sacd's. 

That's all that they have. Definitely worth picking up the Dylan stuff too.

[shane]

Get the Dylan while you can.  They used to have the box set with all the remastered sacds but don't anymore.  I ended up ordering all the titles individually and got them all except Planet Waves which was unavailable.

Shane

[jmz93]

Anybody have any favorite jazz SACD's?

The following comments are based on my system, which is just two channels.  Pioneer Elite universal player, into Decware SE84C-S SET amp, into Klipsche KSB3.1 bookshelf speakers. I don't own any surround gear.

I absolutely love the SACD of "Kind of Blue". Yes, I know it was remixed, but I prefer it even to the better cd versions.  Amazing, since it was recorded in 1959. All the earlier Miles 50's and early-mid-60's releases are available.

Beware of the Wes Montgomery SACD's and the Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane SACD. My Japanese 2K cd version sounds much better.

Michael Brecker and Pat Metheny's latest, and last, collaboration is on SACD. So is Gary Burton's Like Minds, with Meheny, Korea, Holland, andHanes.
I don't know if either of those were captured to SD tough, or 24/48 and then SACD.  That's something I wish I could find out when ordering titles,what the original source was for the SACD transfer.

Charles Mingus's Ah Um is great!

Any others? Specifically, any recent jazz, blues, or rock discs that were recorded in DSD to begin with? 

Hmm, AJA ad any other Steely Dan would be nice on SACD ...

Chris
P.S. I have yet to hear anything on dvd-audio at 24/192K, but what I've heard on 24/96K was nice.  Any recommendations for 24/192?

[macdaddy]

not that you care, though you might...

the stones abkco catalog on sacd hybrids is oop - so if you want it, pick 'em up. even if you are not a rabid stones fan (like me), beggars' banquet is a definite must have...

re: jazz - the old jazz at the pawnshop is something alot of folks drool over; i have it, and i dont think it is all that. "a love supreme" is fabulous, esp. if you dig that album (and how couldnt you..?); "blue train" is essential, too. sonny rollins' way out west" is terrific, too.

best bargain sacd that everyone should own is david johannsen and the harry smiths. it is a cheskey recording, and it is fabulous. if you like old blues, you'll love it. oh, muddy waters' "folk singer" is another must-have sacd - it is stunning.

i read somewhere that there was going to be a second dylan box set of sacds - has anyone heard of that...

havent heard it, but i am itching for the ccr box - i dont care about the last two albums, but all the others are fabulous. i like the police ones, too - but i am a fan.

i found ebay to be a great place to find bargains on sacd titles.

[RDunn]

I've recently recorded some old Count Basie records on Pablo to DVD-A.  Vinyl on the Linn Sondek LP-12 > Linn Wakonda preamp > Lunatec V3 > Marantz PMD-671 at 24/96.  Yummy :^)

Question from a 24/96 n00b: Once you got the LP (or whatever recording) to 24/96 using the PMD-671, how did you author a DVD-A? What authoring software app did you use?  I've heard of Discwelder "Steel" ($495) and "Bronze"($99). Are there others? Will bronze work OK?  I'm just getting on the 24/96 bandwagon, I've got a HQ playback system w/ a DAC capable of converting 24/96 and I'm trying to figure out how to play back at hi-res AND to be able to give others a hi-res copy of my recordings.
Thanks for the help.

I split the wav files into tracks with cdwave and then use Discwelder Bronze to burn the DVD-A.  It burns "true" DVD-Audio discs where as Audio DVD Creator burns audio DVD's (not true DVD-A but they play in any DVD player).