Demo CD/SACD/DVD-A

[zumbo]

<font color='#000000'>If someone were to come over to your house to check out your system, what would be your first choice out of your selection of music for the best sound quality?</font>

 

[frkuhn]

<font color='#000000'>Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon SACD.

AMAZING sound and a very well known work, so people can really have an idea of the improvement. Also, has all of those multi-channel gimmicks, but done with very good taste.</font>

 

[Rob Babcock]

<font color='#8D38C9'>A few DVD-A's I'd choose:

Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
REM, Automatic for the People
Zephyr, Voices Unbound
Beck, Sea Change
Donald Fagen, The Nightfly
Steely Dan, 2 Against Nature/Everything Must Go

SACDs:

Norah Jones, Come Away With Me
Pink Floyd, DSotM
Alison Kraus + Union Station, Live
Nickel Creek, This Side
Joe Satriani, Strange Beautiful Music</font>

 

[jeffsg4mac]

<font color='#000000'>Norah Jones-SACD
Steely Dan Gaucho- DVD A
Joe Satriani-SACD
Queen the game-DTS 96/24 and DVD A
Linda Rhondstat Whats new-DVD A</font>

 

[Guest]

<font color='#000000'>My favorites are anything I have on Mapleshade/Wildchild, especially A La Carte Brass and Percussion. They are redbook CD but are superbly recorded. The sound far better than any SACD I have including many of those mentioned here. Maybe my SACD setup needs more optimizing as I've only had it a month, but most of the SACD stuff is old source material. &nbsp;I also would use Blue Man Group Audio (DVD-A) to show off bass and 5 channel mix</font>

 

[A. Vivaldi]

<font color='#000000'>Berlioz / Symphonie Fantastique by Charles Munch and the BSO on JVC XRCD (JMCXR-0001)</font>

 

[Shinerman]

<font color='#000000'>I have mentioned this before in other threads so I may sound like a broken record but, the Blue Man Group is one of the best DVD-A recordings I have heard. &nbsp; If you want to impress the neighbors, this is it. &nbsp; Huge bass, sound flying all over the place, really cool sounds, lots of drums and rhythm. &nbsp; It will give your system and your ears a workout. &nbsp;One thing, this is not a sit back and fade away kind of music like Dark Side of the Moon. &nbsp;It's in your face and fun. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Shinerman</font>

 

[Guest]

<font color='#000000'>Hi,

Just bought my first Dvd-audio/sacd player and I have a question. I only play 2-channel in my home and wants to buy some good dvd-audio discs. Is the Steely-Dan album &quot;Gaucho&quot; a real DVD-audio recording or a DTS recording? Can someone explain the difference?

Thanks in advance,

Johannes</font>

 

[zumbo]

<font color='#000000'>I believe the DTS disc would need a dvd player or receiver that would decode the signal. The dvd-audio/sacd disc would need to utilize the multi-channel outputs of your player. Both are for multi-channel!</font>

 

[Guest]

<font color='#000000'>Cardigans: Long gone before daylight (SACD)</font>

 

[MerlinMacuser]

<font color='#000000'>I needed to convince my wife that we had spent our money wisely on the new Yamaha DVD S-2300K2 and RX-V2400 so I played Great Gig in the Sky from Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. First in the old redbook cd (~circa 1985?), then the redbook layer of the SACD hybrid (2003), then the SACD layer in 2 channel and finally the same song in SACD Multi-channel. She reports that she was able to get &quot;visuals&quot; from this song without any pharaceutical enhancements (except a glass of Merlot).

Next we auditioned it for our best female friend. Sitting in the dark between my beautiful wife and my &quot;other wife&quot; (an actress, model, psychologist and massage therapist) we listened first to Moonage Daydream from Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, then to the first cut from Kind of Blue by Miles Davis then Great Gig in the Sky twice...then the whole DSOTM album. Wow! I too got &quot;visuals&quot; that evening.:love: (Imagination is a wonderful thing.)

I joked with them that one of the buttons on the system is set to automatically remove women's clothing...I just am not sure which one it is.

I just bought Miles' In a Silent Way which used to bring me great success in the dorm room days. I wonder what it'll do for me in SACD?</font>

 

[stiletto pat]

<font color='#000000'>Gee Merlin, I was able to congure up great visuals just reading your posting.... &nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp; I too am just starting to buy new media for my universal player, which I do not as of yet have - it's on order. &nbsp;Once I couldn't get my dealer to sell me a 2300 MkII, I went back to the Denon 2900. &nbsp;Of course, still waiting for that....

&nbsp;
Anyway, I've purchased SACD of Norah Jones &quot;Come Away with Me&quot;, Pink Floyd &quot;Dark Side of the Moon&quot;, Peter Gabriel &quot;Shaking the Tree&quot;, and the DVD-A of Fleetwood Mac &quot;Rumors&quot;. &nbsp;I have recently been buying a lot of DVD Video Concerts, and have quite a few good ones, but I'm running out of good new choices, so the pure music will be my concentration for awhile. &nbsp;Once I get the Denon and calibrate the system, then I'll start trying these new discs out and I'll let you know as well. &nbsp;Unfortunately, although studying the Denon Remote photos and my B&amp;K remote manual, I don't see any buttons that automatically undress your female guests - a most unfortunate oversight....

Pat</font>

 

[Guest]

<font color='#000000'>Stilletto Pat, We seem to have similar equipment as well as similar feelings about radio. I too have B&amp;K: Ref 30 pre and 7250 amp pushing Vandersteen 3A signatures and two Vandy subs. I've had a Denon 2900 for about six weeks and have been very happy so far. My only complaint is the usual crappy Denon manual which seems to be written by someone with English as a second language. The Audioholics review of the 2900 has a link to a Denon USA set of papers which explain things much more clearly.
So far I have mostly heard SACD but the Blue Man Group DVD-A of Audio is excellent in 5 channel. DSOTM is also good in 5 channel and well worth it. Tommy also sounds great but I prefer to hear it in 2 channel as I like the imaging better. I've heard a few old Miles/Coltrane jazz recordings and an old Leo Kottke SACD of 6 and 12 string guitar but these aren't much better than good vinyl or CDs probably due to the source material. An SACD of Bernstein/NY Philharmonic doing Copeland from 1960 was pretty good. E. Power Biggs doing all the Bach organ toccattas was very unusual and powerful. It was recorded as a quadrophonic record in the seventies at a Cathedral in Freiburg where four organs at different locations in the cathedral can be played from one central location. The delay time in the cathedral was six seconds front to back. It's a very different kind of surround.
I need to try some modern recordings as these seem to benefit most from the technology. I'll try Nora Jones soon. What else is good SACD or DVD-A that is not a reissue?</font>

 

[MerlinMacuser]

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stiletto pat : <font color='#000000'>Gee Merlin, I was able to congure up great visuals just reading your posting....    

 
Unfortunately, although studying the Denon Remote photos and my B&amp;K remote manual, I don't see any buttons that automatically undress your female guests - a most unfortunate oversight....

Pat</font>

<font color='#000000'>Hi, Pat Glad you liked it.

I'm still waiting for the new chips for the Yamaha to arrive...

I heard the Norah Jones tune Come Away with Me on an SACD sampler that came with a December (?) Rolling Stone magazine. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. Her voice is pleasant enough, don't get me wrong, but it didn't knock me out. My jazz female vocalist tastes run more toward Anita Baker, Basia, Cassandra Wilson and Randy Crawford.

I have been scouring local shops for SACDs and not finding a lot to buy so I've been checking Barnes&amp; Noble and Borders/Amazon web sites. It is interesting that some SACDs are becoming hard to find. Saxaphone Colossus by Sonny Rollins is on back order. I was unable to find Oasis' ...Morning Glory online but did find it at BestBuy after seeing it a month ago then not when I was ready to buy it 2 weeks ago. It must have been misfiled or a return since there was no other evidence of re-stocking the SACD section.

Recent additions to the collection include the Sonny Rollins classic Way Out West and Miles Davis's In a Silent Way.

I am waiting for Fleetwood Mac Rumors to come out on SACD although I have seen the DVD-A for sale. I may be waiting a long time though...

Other material I would LOVE to be able to buy on SACD which I would use to audition my system would be Hendrix's second album Axis Bold as Love, Spooky Two by Spooky Tooth, First Step by the (Small) Faces (with that early example of phase shifting that impressed Hendrix: Around the Plynth), and Threshold of a Dream by Moody Blues. I'd like to hear Gabriel's stuff (especially So) in multichannel. Also, where is Dire Strait's Brothers In Arms? That was one of the best albums of the eighties!

My Jazz wishlist includes Enigmatic Ocean by Jean Luc Ponty, Karma by Pharoh Sanders, Casino by Al DiMeola, and Stone Flute by Herbie Mann.

I am worried about the slow pace of release of material in this format. I don't consider Train to be in the same league as say Eric Clapton, Dire Straits or even Steely Dan. I think the market of baby boomers who love music has got to be bigger than Gen-X plus.

I was excited to read that Pete Townsend is personally taking charge of remastering the Who's back catalogue until I remembered that HE&quot;S DEAF! Still, the idea of Quadrophenia in multichannel is exciting.

Oh, they don't have that button on the Denon...only the Yamaha...it's a two button combo....Pause, then Push Play and voila!</font>

 

[stiletto pat]

<font color='#000000'>Dan, I just had the chance to listen to the Denon 2900 at a friends house, and while thoroughly enjoying myself listening to my new SACD copy of DSOTM, I was getting very depressed looking at one of the manuals for the 2900. &nbsp;I absolutely have to agree with you - what a poor effort on their part - you would think they have no budget for technical or practical support. &nbsp;

&nbsp; However, I've got to say that the new mix of Dark Side is phenominal - the saxes just walk right out the very front of the soundstage and assault you, in a very good kind of way!! &nbsp;Thrilling - can't wait to get my 2900 and hook it up to the B&amp;K and Paradigms, as well as the HSU Sub. &nbsp;I like your suggestions, and was even amused to hear you mention E. Power Biggs - what an organist - haven't listeded to that type of material in ages - but in retrospect, it could be very interesting with the HSU Sub.... TN-1220.

Merlin, I have to agree with your assessment of Norah Jones - I'm just not particularly impressed, with Norah's performance or the mix, but my wife and daughters love her, so it was a purchase to protect and justify my other media purchases. &nbsp;Now, on the other hand, the Fleetwood Mac DVD-A is also superlative. &nbsp;Everything is so crisp and clear, and the surround mix is wonderful. &nbsp;I highly recommend it, although I'm not quite sure that the female clothing removal button on your remote will be clearly manifested from that selection.....

&nbsp; I do like most of your choices, and may purchase many of the sames discs, once I finally get my system complete, set up and calibrated. &nbsp;Quadrophenia in surround - that will be a dream come true..... &nbsp;In the meantime, I just keep stopping by my friends house in a neighboring city.

Pat

</font>

 

[stiletto pat]

New SACD / DVD-A Music acquisitions

Hate to have to reply to my own last reply, but must comment on a couple of new disks I have recentely acquired.

1. Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, SACD. Interesting remix, great sound quality, nice DVD historical disk. This is probably his best all around album, and worth picking up.

2. Donald Fagan, The Nightfly, DVD-A. Clean, crisp, but it didn't hold my interest, probably due to a dull remix, if any.

3. Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Brain Salad Surgery, DVD-A. Again, clean, crisp, nicely done, but not really as exciting as I would have expected from ELP.

4. Yes, Fragile, DVD-A. Wow, is all I can say. From a rather demure recording, this remix is remarkable, crisp, bright and powerful. I was incredibly impressed. A definite must, if you're a Yes fan.

5. David Sanborn, his newest - I forget the title, on SACD. Very nice jazz, smooth, well recorded with very good dynamics.

6. The Who, Tommy, DVD-A. Very nice mix, very nice sound. It's the bloody Who, what else needs to be said. Marvelous.

That's all for now, but I'll try and keep the group updated on both good and bad purchases - we all need to spend our money wisely.

Enjoy great music, life's too short to listen to drivel...

Pat

 

[zipper]

I'd really like to see "Crime of the Century" & "Even in the Quietest Moments" be produced in one of these formats. I'll bet "Wish you were Here" would be be stellar also.

 

[stiletto pat]

Great Recordings

Zipper,

I too would love to see "Crime of the Century" released on DVD-A or SACD. I bought the original album back in '74, and bought the Mobile Fidelity UHQR Vinyl in the early 80s, which still sounds great. But on DVD-A, whew....

By the way, I forgot to mention that I picked up E. Power Biggs - a concert organist, on SACD - it's a remastered recording of his quad recording of pipe organs in a Munich cathedral. Excellent classical album of Bach's Tocattas, and a great subwoofer test disk.

Pat

 

[rgriffin25]

I agree that it is very hard to find SACDs at a local store. I recently placed an order at acousticsounds.com and had it in less than 48hours. They have a great selection of all music formats!

www.acousticsounds.com

Hope this Helps,

 

[Hawkeye]

Recently picked up the new Alan Parsons cd, "A Valid Path". Its his first release in about 5 years and marks a radical change in music styles compared to his previous dozen albums. In order to appeal to a younger, core audience, he has delved into the electronica genre collaborating with such artists as Uberzone, Crystal Method, Nortec Collective, Shpongle, and others. Also appearing on the cd are the voices of Orson Welles and John Cleese (of Monty Python), as well as red hot guitar licks from Pink Floyd's David Gilmour on the opening track.

This is one of those cds that each time you listen to it you'll pick out something new, something you didn't notice before. But I guess you'd expect that from Mr. Parsons, one of the most highly respected recording engineers in the last 35 years or so. He's worked with the Beatles, and was the man behind the controls during the recording of Pink Floyd's classic album, "Dark Side of the Moon," which earned him one of his eleven Grammy award nominations.


Although I'm not sure I'll ever be a full-fledged electronica fan, this cd will definately make me sit up and take notice. And the best part is that although this is just a two-channel mix, (amazing as it sounds), the 5.1 channel DVD-A mix should be out sometime this year. That may be the one disc you have to add to your collection to REALLY show off your surround system.