[scottder]

Don't get me wrong, I hav no problem with older recordings (it's nice when they can master the SACDs from the original analog tapes, for regualr CDs I love the 'Great Recordings of the Twentiet Century Series'), when the performance is wonderful the tape hiss melts away for me. Just curious how much native DSD recording is going one.

 

[Welly Wu]

I just got it today from Best Buy for only $13.99 USD. I picked it up out of sheer curiosity about this legendary album. At first blush, it sounds very good and I can make comparisons to Roxy Music's Avalon Hybrid SA-CD. I think I may be getting into this 1970s-ish kind of music.

 

[soundboy]

Quote:

I think I may be getting into this 1970s-ish kind of music.

You may want to check out the upcoming multi-channel hybrid SACD of Genesis' "Lamb Lies Down On Broadway". Coming in September.

 

[Ferbose]

Vivaldi's La Stravaganza (violin concerti)
Rachel Podger soloist, Channel Classics hybrid SACD (2-disc), ~$23

Music: Besides the Four Seasons, Vivaldi has written a lot of good violin concertos. These two discs demonstrate how Vivaldi is endlessly creative about writing for violins.

Performance: First rate. Podger is anexcellent violinist for Baroque music.

Recording: On SACD, the clarity, dynamics, bass and imaging is really good. The only shortcoming is that strings sound a tad too thin, and therefore not perfect. I can say that this is a mighty fine SACD recording. The CD layer sounds slightly worse than SACD, in a manner that is consistent with other hybrid SACDs I have. Still an top-notch CD recording.

Value: Two discs for only $23, that is mid-range price for CD. For SACD this is a real bargain. Even if is just CD, it is still recommendable for its excellent music, performance and recording quality. For hybrid SACD, it is a must-buy for people interested in Baroque music.

 

[markl]

Big thumbs up on both of these. I was lucky enough to win This Time (their 1999 album) from MusicDirect's monthly freebie contest. Knowing it was coming, I ordered Good Morning Aztlan, (2002 album), also available on Mobile Fidelity SACD.

Sound quality on both of these is just fantastic! This Time, is a Mitchell Froom/Tchad Blake production, with Pete Thomas of the Attractions on drums. It has that typical heavily treated, but still hi-fi Froom/Blake sound, maybe a little "cold" but very crisp and clear. If you like modern recording and mixing techniques, you'll enjoy their work here. Music is very good throughout, maybe 3 stand-out tracks, the rest is very enjoyable. Can't argue with sound quality!

Good Morning is produced by John Leckie of all people, one of my favorite producers he's done a ton of great/classic albums. It has a slightly warmer more intimate sound. Musically a little more consistent, a bit more soulful. If I had to pick one, I'd choose this one.

Couple of reference quality discs for this type of music, IMO.

 

[Welly Wu]

I just got Rachel Podger - Antonio Vivaldi: La Stravaganza 12 Violin Concertos on Hybrid SA-CD. It is supreme. It is divine. The timbral accuracy, the tonal richness, the sound is to die for. If I had to be bereft of all my music but one album, then this would be it forever.

 

[dolifant]

Igor leading the Colombia Symphony Orchestra in Rite of Spring and The Firebird Suite. This is a Sony Classical albumn from the vaults. Performances are from the 1960's and the recording is excellent. I do not have the corresponding CD to compare, and this is one of their early single layer Stereo products.

The sound is superb, It is the reason I have a quality system. The R-10s are brutal if the recording is poor. This one shines. With Stravisky's full orchestration you get to hear the timbral accuracy in all its glory from all the diffrerent instruments. The accuracy and speed of your system is also nicely interrogated. This must be the way Stravinsky wanted it to sound. He was in charge!

I wish it were Hybrid, but still what a great albumn. It helps to love the music. Rite of Spring may be somewhat challenging, but the Firebird is not really. Actually pretty in many spots.

 

[soundboy]

This title is now out of print, although you may still be able to find a copy floating around. Personally, I am not a John Denver fan, although I am quite familiar with his hits. However, this recent purchase really pulled me into his music. On this SACD, JD gave an excellent performance that was both emotional and uplifting. Great backing from his band, including guitarist James Burton. The sound quality is very good, with production being done by Bob Irwin and Vic Anesini. Highly recommended!

 

[bkelly]

I can't believe I am the first one to review "Sketches Of Spain", one of the all-time great Miles Davis recordings and an absolute jazz classic.

This recording has been a personal favorite of mine since the day I bought my first copy out of the cut-out bin in a local record store. Surprisingly "Sketches" was not an overwhelming success when it first came out despite the enthusiastic pre-release press regarding the recording and the jazz listeners overwhelmingly favorable view of other Gil Evans/Miles Davis collaborations.

When it finally was released many hard core jazz fans rejected it as "non-jazz" and even Rodrigo, the Spanish composer who wrote the Concerto hated it and claimed that no American jazz musician could possibly understand the Spanish origins and nature of the original work.

I always wondered what his attitude was after he got his first royalty check but I never saw anymore from him in print about this issue.

I no longer have the original recording and even if I did I am sure that I wore it out. I do have a later digitally remastered LP, several CD recordings including an XRCD and the new SACD. By far the best is the SACD in my opinion. The biggest difference is that the SACD is plainly more dynamic. The other recording have always had a soft, veiled over all sound to them. I don't know exactly how this recording was done and even though I have seen pictures make it look like it was recorded "studio live" Miles's trumpet has always sounded like it was recorded in an isolation both. It has a different ambience and a different overall character to it than the rst of the recording. A part of that is Miles moody overall sound to begin with but something about the original recording just doesn't sound right to me. Not bad or anything like that but not nearly as exciting as I think it should have been. With the sparse orchestration and the stand alone percussion parts this record should have been a sonic dream come true but it never was more than very, very good. That is, until this SACD.

I don't know if the difference is just the nature of the SACD medium or if this recording has been re-mastered from the original two-track (I believe it may be both things in play here) but this recording is really a significant improvement and it is the way I always thought this recording probably sounded.

It also sounds bigger and more upfront to me but not an "upfront" that means aggressive or anything like that because it still sounds lazy and real like all great analog recordings but in SACD it just sounds better. Quite a bit better in my opinion.

I hope that gives everybody a good idea of what to expect from this recording and I hope anyone who thinks they might enjoy this music will soon purchase their own copy and enjoy it as much as I do. So far this is the best SACD I have purchased.

 

[Romanee]

"Cantate Domino" - Proprius label - Hybrid SACD - PRSACD 7762.

Performers: Oscar's Motet Choir (Oskar Mottetkor), Torsten Nilsson - conductor, Alf Linder - organ, Marianne Mellnas - soprano (Disc notes do not credit other wonderful performers!)

SUPERB!!!

Original analog audiophile LP was oft-used as a reference to compare high-end audio components. The first conversion to Audio CD was horrendous and lost the lucid, 3D, extended and very dynamic characteristics of the analog pressing. It wrecked the ethereal voices, pipe organ, brass choir and huge (church) performance space.

The SACD has restored all the original wonder (without the analog surface noise, of course). Juicy organ and brass. Palpable air around voices and instruments -- etc, etc. Wide range of music, from Enrico Bossi (Cantate Domino), to Handel (Daughter of Zion), to Irving Berlin (White Christmas). Certainly some quaint tastes, but fun listening, with great engineering, heavenly sound and HUGE soundstage! Buy It.

 

[gorman]

These guys are amazing. Four classical guitars and that's it. In this album they pay homage to their heroes of youth (hence the title).

The recording is pure DSD, as in many titles from Telarc. Quality of recording is top notch. I believe Telarc's are among the best the medium has had to offer so far.

The multichannel version of the disc has the four guys sitting at the four corners of your room, with you in the middle. This is no gimmick, the ambience and soundscape is exceptional. Look for the last track, it is one of the most "surrounding" music example of all surround tracks I've listened to.

The artistic highlight, for me, has to be track 6, Uarakena.

If you don't know them at all, this might be a good starting point, as the repertoire included is varied and entertaining. My girlfriend summed them up quite nicely in one sentence: "It's amazing, these guys manage to reproduce the grandiosity of a piano concert with four guitars!".

 

[Welly Wu]

I just got Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company on Hybrid SA-CD from Coconuts. I was really shocked at how good the DVD-Audio and SA-CD collection is at Coconuts on Route 46 in Totowa in NJ! This is an Enhanced CD as well as a Surround Sound SA-CD. On the cover, it says that this was Ray Charles' last final recording session before he passed on. It's the number 1 duets album on BillBoard and the #1 album too. Featured duets singers include Elton John, Norah Jones, B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Diana Krall, Michael McDonald, Johnny Mathis, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor.

I haven't had the chance to hear it on SA-CD but we've been playing the Red Book CD album at my Barnes & Noble store all throughout late August and this month. I just had to get Ray Charles' last recorded album.

 

[Mikey01]

Norah Jones - Come away with me. No flaws on this SACD. And no cracked spindle holes either. Well presented, spacial, detailed, and acurate. Simply stunning.

 

[kevin gilmore]

Just got all 10 of the rca living stereo sacd's remastered directly
from the 3 channel master tapes from the late 1950's. Listened to
4 so far. Performances are a 5 stars across the board. The best of
the best, Heifetz, Van Cliburn... It is absolutely amazing how good
these remasters are especially on headphones when you can also
hear a truck going by and someone dropping their music.

Must have for all serious classical types.

 

[dolifant]

Thanks for the heads up KG. I have ordered a few of them already, but not the Van Cliburn....what was I thinking. I am also looking forward to the remastered Mercury Living Presence Series. When I get a few of those I'll review.