SACDs

[Pondosinatra]

Ok.....so haven't been able to listen to my SACD's for awhile now (moved into a new house).

This past weekend I hooked up my Pioneer SACD player to my newly acquired stereo amp and fired up a bunch of discs.

I was most excited to listen to the two Rush releases as well as Trompe le Monde from The Pixies that I recently bought.

Well, sadly I noticed a pattern. My MoFi discs all sounded fairly crappy -as in I might as well have been listening to CD's. But my non MoFi discs all sounded amazing - I tried various ones - Depeche Mode, Fleetwood Mac, Goldfrappe, various Jazz etc. And they were all bright and immersive and 'in your face'. But the MoFi ones were all subdued and underwhelming.

Is it just me???

[mspar009]

[/QUOTE]But the MoFi ones were all subdued and underwhelming.

Is it just me???[/QUOTE]

MOFI is known as being "subdued" ... Maybe with rock releases it is less desirable - I'm just getting into SACD after years away; but if you read the comparisons/reviews on SA-CD.com or .net, you will see that many are in agreement with you.

[Johnny Vinyl]

I wouldn't call the MFSL discs crappy, but there is no question that their mastering (IMO) for both digital and analog media have sounded somewhat "veiled" in many cases. There are many who like that sound, so perhaps it's only a question of preference and not so much quality. JMHO.

[FreddieFerric]

Originally Posted by Johnny Vinyl

I wouldn't call the MFSL discs crappy, but there is no question that their mastering (IMO) for both digital and analog media have sounded somewhat "veiled" in many cases. There are many who like that sound, so perhaps it's only a question of preference and not so much quality. JMHO.

I own two MOFI SACD'S, The Beach Boys Pet Sounds and Santana's Caravaserai. In both cases the sound is exceptional. So I don't understand the criticism as a generalization. Maybe with particular titles, but I don't subscribe to the theory that it's a general problem.

[Johnny Vinyl]

Originally Posted by BluRayFred

I own two MOFI SACD'S, The Beach Boys Pet Sounds and Santana's Caravaserai. In both cases the sound is exceptional. So I don't understand the criticism as a generalization. Maybe with particular titles, but I don't subscribe to the theory that it's a general problem.

I agree and I should clarify a little. I said "have sounded somewhat veiled", meaning in years gone by. The Keb'Mo' disc, the PF-WYWH discs are both outstanding and not veiled at all.

[Josh]

MoFi has always striven to get back to the "original masters" which are commonly very flat. It could also be your new amp that you're not used to.

[mspar009]

Listening to Sinatra's Point of No Return from MOFI...brilliant in every way; I own an original pressing of this album on LP and I must say the SACD is every bit as good.

[anthonyls]

I just received and listened to Supertramp's SACD of "BIA" and it kicks the BD-A's **s! So much better sounding than the BD-A. The SACD sounds sooooooo good. I highly doubt it could sound any better.

[FreddieFerric]

Originally Posted by anthonyls

I just received and listened to Supertramp's SACD of "BIA" and it kicks the BD-A's **s! So much better sounding than the BD-A. The SACD sounds sooooooo good. I highly doubt it could sound any better.

What SACD version? I just got the Single Layer SHM Japanese Universal pressing.

[anthonyls]

Originally Posted by BluRayFred

What SACD version? I just got the Single Layer SHM Japanese Universal pressing.

Yep, that one. This new SHM-SACD from Japan kicks butt. So smooth and full sounding... with the highs, mids, and lows are sounding exactly right... all the way through.

[Mahatma]

Got the SACD of Blade runner today.Gonna test fly it tonight

[FreddieFerric]

Let us know how that goes Mahatma.

Was digging through some CD's last night and ran across the MOFI SACD of The Band Cahoots. I had forgotten I had it. That one is also a very good quality pressing.

[Mahatma]

Originally Posted by BluRayFred

Let us know how that goes Mahatma.

Was digging through some CD's last night and ran across the MOFI SACD of The Band Cahoots. I had forgotten I had it. That one is also a very good quality pressing.

I think my system is not good enough for SACD,or the quality is not good enough for a more detailed listening.Suspect the former...

[Aquel]

Decided to buy some of the SACD versions of the Depeche Mode albums. Whilst the regular CD + DVD editions I have are good I hoped to improve the quality by going for the SACD.

I do think Songs of Faith and Devotion had better separation in the SACD than on the DTS 5.1 mix, so I went ahead and also bought Violator and Some Great Reward. Looking forward to hearing those, especially Violator as I have seen some very positive reviews about it

[FreddieFerric]

Originally Posted by Mahatma

I think my system is not good enough for SACD,or the quality is not good enough for a more detailed listening.Suspect the former...

I wouldn't say that Mahatma. From looking at your system I think you would get a very enjoyable musical experience from the SACD format. I'm not familiar with some of your gear though, does any of your disc spinners support SACD?

[Jerrin]

Originally Posted by Aquel

Decided to buy some of the SACD versions of the Depeche Mode albums. Whilst the regular CD + DVD editions I have are good I hoped to improve the quality by going for the SACD.

I do think Songs of Faith and Devotion had better separation in the SACD than on the DTS 5.1 mix, so I went ahead and also bought Violator and Some Great Reward. Looking forward to hearing those, especially Violator as I have seen some very positive reviews about it

Violator sounds incredible on surround SACD. I'm a big fan of this album and it really sounds fantastic. Good buy.

[Mahatma]

Originally Posted by BluRayFred

I wouldn't say that Mahatma. From looking at your system I think you would get a very enjoyable musical experience from the SACD format. I'm not familiar with some of your gear though, does any of your disc spinners support SACD?

What I meant was that I didn't notice much (if any) difference from the regular CD.Maybe it's an age thing

I have the top of the line DVD player from denon before blu-ray came out which I use as cd player.It takes sacd/dvd audio.It plays cd's uber-nicely on my rig,but maybe the sacd bit has not been prioritized on that player...

But that being said,it is a very nice soundtrack indeed.

[Aquel]

Originally Posted by Jerrin

Violator sounds incredible on surround SACD. I'm a big fan of this album and it really sounds fantastic. Good buy.

Good to hear, it wasn't cheap so I do hope the improvement is audible

[Strilo]

I want Violator on SACD more than any other title. Just not willing to pay those insane prices...

[Aquel]

Originally Posted by Strilo

I want Violator on SACD more than any other title. Just not willing to pay those insane prices...

The advantage of only liking a few bands enough to actually buy their albums: You can then spend more on an album .

Most of the albums are at expensive, but Violator, Construction Time Again and Black Celebration are the worst. I got this one at €75, which is a bit cheaper than usual (usually it is €90-€100) but I still wouldn't call it a bargain.