|   SACD/DVD Audio--Who here has titles on either format? | DPM
Jun 21, 2003 11:55 AM | | Well folks, my SACD player finally arrived yesterday, and I must say that I like the sound of this new digital medium. It is definitely better than CD. A few months back I started collecting SACDs for I knew I was going to be taking the plunge sometime this year. The disks I own so far are...
Tubular Bells/Mike Oldfield--SACD hybrid w/stereo and surround mixes
Yo Yo Ma/Solo--SACD stereo
Vivaldi/The Four Seasons--SACD hybrid w/stereo and surround mixes
The Police/Zenyatta Mondatta--SACD stereo
The Police/Ghost In The Machine--SACD stereo
The Police/Synchronicity--SACD stereo
Rolling Stones/Beggars Banquet--SACD hybrid/stereo
Rolling Stones/Let It Bleed--SACD hybrid/stereo
Rolling Stones/Through The Past Darkly--SACD hybrid/stereo
Rolling Stones/Big Hits--SACD hybrid/stereo
Pink Floyd/Dark Side Of The Moon--SACD hybrid w/stereo and surround mixes
Peter Gabriel/Passion--SACD stereo
Neil Young/Harvest--DVD Audio w/stereo & surround mixes plus a DTS surround track
So, who else here has entered into the world of higher resolution digital? What disks have you bought? What are your impressions of the sound quality and the whole stereo vs. surround thing?
Dave M |
| The quality of the original recording matters <i>far more</i> than the format. | Slosh
Jun 21, 2003 12:08 PM | | My Police and Peter Gabriel SACDs don't really sound any better than remastered CD. My Queen DVD-A sounds dull and flat and my Queensryche DVD-A sounds excessively bright and edgy. It's all in the recording.
Now, <i>DSotM</i>, <i>Beggars Banquet</i>, <i>American Beauty</i>, and <i>Document</i> are all amazing. They all sound like what hi-rez digital is <i>supposed</i> to sound like; like a good vinyl pressing on a properly set up table with no surface noise and a much better signal to noise ratio.
I find most surround mixes to be gimmicky but DSotM and Document add something to the experience and the mixes make sense to me. I prefer the stereo tracks on all of my other SACDs and DVD-As. |
| re: SACD/DVD Audio--Who here has titles on either format? | Javier
Jun 21, 2003 3:03 PM | | To my ears most of the stereo SACD sound about the same as their CD countrparts ( slosh has already pointed out about the police SACD versions)MCH is another history and i have enjoyed most of the MCH releases both in SACD and DVD-A my favs so far are; bjork vespertine, yes magnification ,
queen the game and DSTOTM. |
| Only two | PwrPopGuy
Jun 22, 2003 6:16 AM | | And I only listen in stereo so I can't comment on the surround mixes. I bought my Sony DVP-NS500V last fall and still only have the two titles I bought along with it: Journey's Escape and Michael Jackson's Thriller (a guilty pleasure from the vinyl days). As far as how they sound in stereo, the Thriller SACD sounds great - I'm sure it's quite superior to the cd counterpart, although I don't have that to compare with. Journey sounds like a well-recorded CD, not much more, at least in two channel. I'm really more interested in getting the best front mains I can for just plain old stereo - I'm considering getting a pair of Athena Tech AS-B2's. I read over in the Digital forum that you can no longer find SACD players at either Best Buy or Circuit City. I don't know about CC, but I was in Best Buy a couple days ago, and sure enough, I could not find a single SACD player on their shelves and there was a bunch of shelf space in that dept., near the sign for SACD Audio. (Couldn't find a damn sales person to ask about it either, naturally). Wonder what's up with that? |
| Only two | Chuck G
Jun 23, 2003 5:33 AM | | I generally prefer the MC mix if it is available on any hi-rez disc.
I have on DVD-Audio---
Fleetwood Mac-Rumors and Tell Me Why (both great MC mixes)
America-Homecoming(nice mc and stereo mix)
Queensryche-Empire (sounds pretty good to me, better than the reqular CD)
Bare Naked Ladies-Maroon(mc and stereo)
Doobie Brothers-Captain and Me (great MC mix)
Natalie Merchant-Tigerlilly
SACD----
Rolling Stones- Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Aftermath
Pink Floyd-DSOTM
Bangles-Hits
Grant Lee Phillips-Mobilize (he needs the band back)
Bruce Cockburn-Singles |
| re: SACD/DVD Audio--Who here has titles on either format? | JazzHead
Jun 23, 2003 7:30 AM | | I have a ton of DVD-As (well, as close to a ton as you can get, considering the glacial release schedules). Most impressive multi mixes to my ears are the two Dead albums, Grover Washington Jr. "Winelight," Ton Kooperman "Bach Organ Works Vol. 1," The Band "Music From Big Pink." Less than impressed with the multi mixes for Yes "Fragile" (I know I'm in the minority here, but I find it murky and cluttered) and George Benson "Breezin'" (what's up with the awful echo - Benson's style is crisp and dry!). I enjoy the high-rez stereo versions of both, though, so the purchases weren't wasted.
I agree with Slosh that the quality of the original tape is a big factor in the success of a multi (or hi-rez) remaster. I would add that the engineer's choices in placing sounds is also crucial. A well-recorded album can be turned into a hash if the surround choices are gimmicky. Conversely, intelligent choices can make event the most unlikely candidates for surround shine. The Kooperman Bach, for instance, is a solo organ recital, but it captures the ambiance and reverb of the cathedral where it was recorded - you feel like you're sitting smack dab in the middle of the nave. "Big Pink" uses the surround to recreate the feel of an informal session in someone's basement - essentially how the record was made. The players are arrayed in a sonic semi-circle - you can practically point to their positions in the room. The ascending three-part harmonies in "The Weight" reveal themselves across the center to the right to the right rear - just glorious.
Obviously, I'm not opposed to 5.1 in principle. It helps if the remix is done by someone with a connection to the original recording, cf Mickey Hart on the Dead albums. The real attraction for me, though, is the high resolution the format offers.
peace,
jh. |
| re: SACD/DVD Audio--Who here has titles on either format? | PDK
Jun 23, 2003 9:00 AM | | I've been debating SACD. There just aren't many titles available in my area (a small Best Buy section). I know, there's always ordering online, but I'm a big impulse buyer (or just seek immediate gratification). Since I've gotten my HT system assembled and tweaked, I've been looking for good discs in the DTS (5.1) format to show it off. I've not had a lot of luck. I bought the Gary Numan collection which doesn't sound very good. I think REM's Document is a little forced- "let's make somthing come out of the right surround on this track" but sounds quite a bit better. The Sade Lover's Live disc is a concert video that sounds decent but doesn't quite envelope like I thought it would. My sub hits very low and accurately, so there are some very nice bass pieces in it. The Police's collection on DTS sounds pretty decent- I think about half the tracks sound quite a bit better than the originals. I will probably buy Donald Fagen's The Nightfly and Joe Jackson's NIght and Day to give them a try. I should probably just take the SACD plunge and stop messing around with DTS. |
| I've only got two as well... | BillB
Jun 23, 2003 9:41 AM | | ...and both are on SACD. I've had my player (Denon DVD-2900) just over a week.
Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon" - I like this one much more than the CD release. It also lends itself well to the surround format.
Oasis' "(What's The Story) Morning Glory?" - These guys are one of my favorite bands and I really do NOT like this SACD. They're known for that "wall of sound" BS and the bloke that mixed this album got it wrong 90% of the time IMO. Key guitar parts are buried, vocals stand out too much, and use of surrounds is iffy.
I've got about 50 SACD/DVD-A discs on my wish-list at Acoustic Sounds so I'm sure the collection will begin to grow shortly.
As for the lack of players at Best Buy and Circuit City, they probably carry the players in the DVD-V section so as to not confuse those general public types. Even Sony's low-end SACD machines are listed as primarily being DVD-V players. Neither store carries any mid-fi stuff which is where most of the universal players are right now.
Bill |
| re: SACD/DVD Audio--Who here has titles on either format? | Digital-G
Jun 25, 2003 7:55 AM | | All this talk of Best Buy. My Best Buy finally got their SACD and DVD-Audio titles done right, believe it or not. They are no longer relegated to the single shelf at the back of the store (actually the 2 formats were in different locations). They are now right up front as you walk in the door with large signs; the 2 formats (and DTS) are all side-by-side. Woo-hoo - hopefully other stores wil be following suit.
Here are some of my favs:
REM - Automatic for the People (DVD-Audio)
Eagles - Hotel California (DVD-Audio)
Billy Joel - The Stranger (SACD)
Steve Miller Band - Fly Like an Eagle (DTS)
I like the spacial aspect of Dark Side of The Moon, but am I the only one that feels the MCH mix cheats us on the bass (esp. the opening heartbeat)? The stereo mix goes much deeper, no comparison. |
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