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SACD recommendations

stoutblock said:
Last I looked it was re-released but not sure now.
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It was indeed re-released not too long ago, on SACD with a multi-channel layer. A friend told me it sold out at wherever he was trying to procure it from, but I was able to get it from Music Direct.

Not sure if this run has sold out (again), but it’s a worthwhile purchase, IMO.
 
galactus2 said:
It was indeed re-released not too long ago, on SACD with a multi-channel layer. A friend told me it sold out at wherever he was trying to procure it from, but I was able to get it from Music Direct.

Not sure if this run has sold out (again), but it’s a worthwhile purchase, IMO.
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Agree. I was able to get the first run a couple years back. Done very well!
 
So looking on eBay at SACD offerings....prices are a little spicy ??? You guys really paying these prices or are there alternative places to shop
 
Sorry if this has already been brought up here, but I wonder if there's any real differences between regular CDs and the SCAD and what they are (perceivable differences, not technical ones). I actually have a player that will do SCADs and I've heard a friend demo some that sounded great, but I've read that they aren't necessarily a real improvement sonically. Some say that any improvement has more to do with the fact that the recordings in question are remastered, not that the format is fundamentally superior... Any thoughts on this?
 
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RyFi said:
No, the 'Brick' box set discs' DVD-A side has both a stereo AND a surround layer and the other side has a remastered redbook stereo layer. I think the albums were released separately too. As I recall, the discs were too thick for some players because they are dual sided but mine plays them fine.
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The U.S. got individual Dual Discs I believe and the CD + DVD-A sets were UK/Europe only. The other problem with Dual Discs is that it's hard to get an error free rip on them. I decided to pass on those and buy some of the CD + DVD-A sets. On the DVD-A, there are hi-rez stereo versions as well as the hi-rez 5.1 remixes. The hi-rez stereo is slightly more compressed in terms of dynamic range - the same as the 16/44 tracks on the CD. If you have the program DVD Audio Extractor, you can sum the 5.1 mixes to 2 channel stereo and create a hi-rez downmix. That's what I did because I don't have a 5.1 system. I often reach for these downmixes as my go to versions of the albums.
 
Aaron Hayman said:
Sorry if this has already been brought up here, but I wonder if there's any real differences between regular CDs and the SCAD and what they are (perceivable differences, not technical ones). I actually have a player that will do SCADs and I've heard a friend demo some that sounded great, but I've read that they aren't necessarily a real improvement sonically. Some say that any improvement has more to do with the fact that the recordings in question are remastered, not that the format is fundamentally superior... Any thoughts on this?
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You can read a lot of articles on DSD vs. PCM.

One of the fundamental problems with DSD is that it's not possible to make complex edits in DSD, even now with advanced software. So all those SACDs people were buying up to the mid-2000s had to be converted back and forth to PCM for editing purposes. That's why there are few pure, native DSD recordings available and they tend to be things like solo instrument classical recordings.

Now, I don't have an SACD player but I do have a couple of DACs that can play DSD files natively. I got curious so I purchased some of those solo classical albums that are pure, native DSD. Although they do sound very nice, my personal opinion is that is because they were recorded and mastered well, not because of DSD. If I converted them to PCM with a good software converter, it is highly doubtful that anyone would be able to pick out the differences between the DSD and PCM versions in a blind test with any reliability more than a 50/50 guess. It's the same deal with blind tests involving hi-rez PCM files vs. 16/44 with the same mastering.

Now, that doesn't necessarily mean SACDs aren't worth buying. Some of them have unique masterings or multichannel mixes (possibly worthwhile if you have a surround system) that were not released on PCM anywhere.

If the record companies stopped for a minute to remove their heads from you know where it would behoove them to release these as DSD files or converted hi-rez PCM files for sale. So far there has been only a trickle of that. You can buy some of these files at places like Acoustic Sounds Super Hi-Rez Store or HDTracks but the selection is very small. If you want classical recordings, Native DSD has a bunch but keep in mind the name is sort of a misnomer because not everything they sell was 100% recorded, edited, and mastered in DSD.
 
patient_ot said:
You can read a lot of articles on DSD vs. PCM.

One of the fundamental problems with DSD is that it's not possible to make complex edits in DSD, even now with advanced software. So all those SACDs people were buying up to the mid-2000s had to be converted back and forth to PCM for editing purposes. That's why there are few pure, native DSD recordings available and they tend to be things like solo instrument classical recordings.

Now, I don't have an SACD player but I do have a couple of DACs that can play DSD files natively. I got curious so I purchased some of those solo classical albums that are pure, native DSD. Although they do sound very nice, my personal opinion is that is because they were recorded and mastered well, not because of DSD. If I converted them to PCM with a good software converter, it is highly doubtful that anyone would be able to pick out the differences between the DSD and PCM versions in a blind test with any reliability more than a 50/50 guess. It's the same deal with blind tests involving hi-rez PCM files vs. 16/44 with the same mastering.

Now, that doesn't necessarily mean SACDs aren't worth buying. Some of them have unique masterings or multichannel mixes (possibly worthwhile if you have a surround system) that were not released on PCM anywhere.

If the record companies stopped for a minute to remove their heads from you know where it would behoove them to release these as DSD files or converted hi-rez PCM files for sale. So far there has been only a trickle of that. You can buy some of these files at places like Acoustic Sounds Super Hi-Rez Store or HDTracks but the selection is very small. If you want classical recordings, Native DSD has a bunch but keep in mind the name is sort of a misnomer because not everything they sell was 100% recorded, edited, and mastered in DSD.
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It sounds like as someone with some experience with the format, you see SCAD as maybe not a superior format, no? You seem to be echoing my sense of it that the stuff that might make these things sound better has noting to do with the format and everything to do with more care in mastering (or remixing). With that in mind it seems a little silly to promote a separate format that hasn't become anything like an accepted standard, when companies could make the same kind of improvements on regular old CDs which are a format that has a universal standard.
 
Aaron Hayman said:
It sounds like as someone with some experience with the format, you see SCAD as maybe not a superior format, no? You seem to be echoing my sense of it that the stuff that might make these things sound better has noting to do with the format and everything to do with more care in mastering (or remixing). With that in mind it seems a little silly to promote a separate format that hasn't become anything like an accepted standard, when companies could make the same kind of improvements on regular old CDs which are a format that has a universal standard.
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The big majors aren't promoting SACD anymore for the most part (niche Japanese only releases are a big exception). The format war was already fought and lost in the early to mid-2000s, with neither SACD nor DVD-A gaining wide adoption like the majors had hoped. SACDs are still being released but they are niche within a niche and only of interest to a relatively small group of audiophiles.

The current thing is streaming for the majors with digital downloads a distant second and physical product like LPs and CDs in third place.

Mastering is everything but there are only a relative handful of truly great, big name mastering engineers out there. Only the most high profile projects are going to get worked on by them because they command higher fees and have a waiting list. Even when a top engineer works on something, things can still go wrong for various reasons. It's very much a case by case basis kind of thing. There is never any guarantee that a new remaster will sound better than an older edition of a particular album. Sometimes they do but often they don't or have a series of pros and cons to them or listeners have widely diverging opinions on them.

I have around 4,000+ CDs and still buy discs regularly, unlike most people. Most of what I am buying at this point are older, OOP editions of certain albums, not the newest remaster that you can find on Amazon or streaming services.
 
stoutblock said:
I'm really enjoying these SACDs on my new to me Music Hall Maverick. I know some discs are hard to find but am looking for some recommendations on exceptional discs.

Right now I have several Diana Krall discs which are quite lovely. Coltrane The Love Supreme has never sounded better. The sound stage on some of these discs are unbelievable!

As good as the my FLAC files sound up sampled through the Music Hall DAC, these SACDs go the next step beyond.

Anyone have highly recommended SACDs to share?
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Please dont laugh but what kind ofcd is a sacd?
 
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