Quality CD Recordings?

[JasonR]

Well, I am working on a turntable and don't plan on SACD. So, I have a feeling I am like a lot of other people that only own a CD player. I would like to see a good resource for CD recordings, maybe this should be it!

[Opips2]

Are you serious?

I know, lot of people do not care about hi-fi cd music. There just want to listen that all. that's enough!

Why not MP3 track sample for each $1 just like I-pod download.

[JasonR]

Good first post in the thread!

Yes, I am serious. A lot of people use CD for their primary listening, I know seems crazy. This thread probably applies to 95% of this board, it is what it is.

You cannot tell me every artist you love is putting out SACDs or LPs...

[rded]

Jason, are you looking for well recorded CD albums and genres or a company/studio that puts out great sounding CDs?

[Johnny Vinyl]

Jason,

Good thread! I'd be interested to know this as well. And can someone explain what exactly the Redbook standard is? And why is it not employed by all CD's?

John

[btf1980]

Originally Posted by John72953

Jason,

Good thread! I'd be interested to know this as well. And can someone explain what exactly the Redbook standard is? And why is it not employed by all CD's?

John

Every CD that has DA (digital audio) is considered red book. There are a few exceptions like Dual Discs, but for the most part it is red book. It's a color standard designated to CDs to help differentiate them. For instance, a PC Software CD is not a music cd, so it is not red book. It's considered yellow book. There is a whole gamut of designations like beige book for photo discs, orange book for cd-r/cd-rw and scarlett book for SACD. There are many more for sure.

Basically, audio CDs have a sampling rate of 16/44.1hz. That's the designation. It's a bottleneck imo.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Thanks btf!

So, if I'm understanding this correctly....the vast majority (exceptions noted) are considered to employ the Redbook Standard, which is 16/44hz.

Another question though...what about those remasters from Mofi? Are they still considered Redbook?

John

[btf1980]

Originally Posted by John72953

Thanks btf!

So, if I'm understanding this correctly....the vast majority (exceptions noted) are considered to employ the Redbook Standard, which is 16/44hz.

Another question though...what about those remasters from Mofi? Are they still considered Redbook?

John

Yes, they are all redbook CDs. Even the remasters by Mofi, gold discs etc. All CD layers have the same sampling rate. Some might sound better than other discs, but it's only because many of the engineers who remastered the discs did so either from the master tapes, or are simple very good engineers i.e. Steve Hoffman, Kevin Gray, Bernie Grundman etc. It's the same with any format, some lps sound better than others, some blu-ray titles look and sound better than others etc. Same thing here.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Thx for the education my friend!

John

[FreddieFerric]

Some CD players offer upsampling to 24/96. I think Marantz has a few budget players that claim to do that. I have no personal knowledge that it improves the sound, but most of the reviews that I've read indicate it does.

For a particular title, try Steely Dan's Two Against Nature CD. I found that to be a pretty impressive recording. Of course, if you're not a fan of the Dan, then nevermind.

[Opips2]

you see hybird cd for SACD. Who doesn't have a special CD-players and can use a car's stereo cd.

The SACD sampling rate is 2822.4 kHz large wave and multi-layer but disc capacity is 7.95 gb!

SACD is better audio than CD and Vinyl Record.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by Opips2

Are you serious?

I know, lot of people do not care about hi-fi cd music. There just want to listen that all. that's enough!

Why not MP3 track sample for each $1 just like I-pod download.

Here is the difference between the 128 Kbps download of the new DMB song "Funny The Way It Is" compared with an EAC rip of the same track from the CD.



The .mp3 is obviously on the top, with far more clipping than the CD.

[JasonR]

Originally Posted by rded

Jason, are you looking for well recorded CD albums and genres or a company/studio that puts out great sounding CDs?

I am looking for well recorded specific albums, preferably in the rock genre.

[rded]

Originally Posted by JasonR

I am looking for well recorded specific albums, preferably in the rock genre.

That's what I thought! Here are a few Albums of mine that I feel that sounds pretty good.

Def Leppard 2 CDs(greatest hits not Vault) hysteria and 2 steps behind sound fantastic.
I have a Queen greatest hits(HDCD Japanese version)- Under pressure, Radio Gaga and I want to break free are my reference tracks. Sadly Bohemian rhapsody was not as good.
Radiohead(greatest hits)-High and dry and iron lung are just mind blowing.
Cars Gold CD- Drive sounds better than the Bumble scene in transformers where he tries to get shia to drive Megan home.
Goo Goo Dolls Greatest hits vol1(japanese edition)-All tracks sound great but Iris is my fav.
Mofi editions of the Pixies are way better than regular versions. I'll let you know about other Cds of mine as I am in the process of listening to all my albums since I got the new speakers.
Sadly my favorite bands, NIrvana and guns and roses just don't sound spectacular. I also have the remastered pearl Jam Ten album and it was minimally better than the old pressing.

[zicmubleu]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

Here is the difference between the 128 Kbps download of the new DMB song "Funny The Way It Is" compared with an EAC rip of the same track from the CD.

The .mp3 is obviously on the top, with far more clipping than the CD.

So is what JasonR looking for is a recording that has no red in it which I assume is marked whenever the sound level exceded recording capability? It would be interesting to see a DMB CD that met that criteria so I could listen to it and understand this concept a little better. Thanks dobyblue.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by rded

Sadly my favorite bands, NIrvana and guns and roses just don't sound spectacular. I also have the remastered pearl Jam Ten album and it was minimally better than the old pressing.

I would say that the new GNR album is a fantastic example of how well CD can sound. There is no dynamic range compression and no clipping.

Bob Ludwig talks about it on his mastering company's website - http://www.gatewaymastering.com/gate...udnessWars.asp

I have listened to the album through about 4 times now and I'm very impressed with the songwriting. I think it's better than at least half of the material in the Use Your Illusion sessions.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by zicmubleu

So is what JasonR looking for is a recording that has no red in it which I assume is marked whenever the sound level exceded recording capability? It would be interesting to see a DMB CD that met that criteria so I could listen to it and understand this concept a little better. Thanks dobyblue.

Well small amounts of clipping aren't going to be very detrimental to the sound. The dynamics of the performance I find are more important, but there is no reason why both clipping and drc cannot be avoided...as the GNR CD shows.

DMB's Everday CD doesn't have any clipping, but there is a substantial amount of dynamic range compression so it's quite tiresome to listen to not to mention boring. Under The Table and Dreaming has much better dynamics and very little in the way of clipping.

[JasonR]

Originally Posted by rded

That's what I thought! Here are a few Albums of mine that I feel that sounds pretty good.

Def Leppard 2 CDs(greatest hits not Vault) hysteria and 2 steps behind sound fantastic.
I have a Queen greatest hits(HDCD Japanese version)- Under pressure, Radio Gaga and I want to break free are my reference tracks. Sadly Bohemian rhapsody was not as good.
Radiohead(greatest hits)-High and dry and iron lung are just mind blowing.
Cars Gold CD- Drive sounds better than the Bumble scene in transformers where he tries to get shia to drive Megan home.
Goo Goo Dolls Greatest hits vol1(japanese edition)-All tracks sound great but Iris is my fav.
Mofi editions of the Pixies are way better than regular versions. I'll let you know about other Cds of mine as I am in the process of listening to all my albums since I got the new speakers.
Sadly my favorite bands, NIrvana and guns and roses just don't sound spectacular. I also have the remastered pearl Jam Ten album and it was minimally better than the old pressing.

Thanks! I am getting very close to owning my first seperates, so I want some good test material. I will have to pickup Radiohead's greatest hits, they are one of my favorite bands! The Pixies and Queen have caught my eye out of that list as well.

[rded]

Originally Posted by zicmubleu

So is what JasonR looking for is a recording that has no red in it which I assume is marked whenever the sound level exceded recording capability? It would be interesting to see a DMB CD that met that criteria so I could listen to it and understand this concept a little better. Thanks dobyblue.

I actually have DMB's the best of what's around and thought Crash into me and Crush just sounds fantastic, just didn'y tell jason bout it as it may not have been what he was looking for in the Rock genre.

[QUOTE=dobyblue;2010545]I would say that the new GNR album is a fantastic example of how well CD can sound. There is no dynamic range compression and no clipping.Dobyblue,
You're right about the new GNR album. Sadly the content stinks! Hopefully they'll remaster all GNR albums like that.

Originally Posted by JasonR

Thank! I am getting very close to owning my first seperates, so I want some good test material. I will have to pickup Radiohead's greatest hits, they are one of my favorite bands! The Pixies and Queen have caught my eye out of that list as well.

Unfortunately, I could not find that queen CD of mine anywhere. It had the Queen rock Motreal cover but it was actually the greatest hits 1 and 2 collection.

With my experiece thus far on Japanese releases, be it CD or LPs, they just sound better than the US/UK editions. Infact my velvet revolver Libertad is just nice

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by rded

You're right about the new GNR album. Sadly the content stinks! Hopefully they'll remaster all GNR albums like that.

I would take it over either of the Illusion CD's with little debate at all. I think the songs are pretty consistently great on the new album. The verses of "Better" (track 3) are totally awesome. I pretty much enjoy every track except for perhaps "Sorry" which I think is a bit slow. It's 15 years too late, but I think the songs are fantastic on it.

I believe I have the MOFI release of Appetite which isn't bad for CD's, but I'd like to find an original Geffen vinyl pressing.

With DMB I hardly ever listen to studio material (except for when it's new like the new album of course) because it's usually so much better in a live setting and as there are legal tapes to torrent of just about 80% of the 1,500+ shows DMB have played it's easy to never stop hearing new versions.