Steely Dan's Discography Gets (SACD) Overhaul

[Jodi]

Originally Posted by RageATL

Me too, but the question is, how much more AQ can Analogue Productions eek out of one of the best produced albums of all time. If you refer back to some of my previous posts, you'll see that it was really tough for me to discern (and ultimately not being able to justify the upgrade cost to others in good faith) a difference between the semi-recent 1999 remasters and these SACDs.

Here's just one sample of what to expect from the Analogue Productions SACD of Steely Dan's "Aja", mastered by Bernie Grundman. I just received my copy today, but haven't had time to listen yet.

First, this is dead quiet. I know that’s more typical of LP descriptions but seriously this thing is black.
But it’s also very alive, without being lively. Not at all bright, no glare. You can crank this up to your system limits and never feel like it falls apart. That means no compression - you can also turn it way down and not lose anything. But who does that with this album?
The soundstage is wide and deep, but not too tall. It wraps around maybe 160° in my room, which is 14.5’ wide. Strong and correct center image.
Steve Gadd & Wayne Shorter tearing up on Aja is stunning, the force of Gadd’s drums strong but not overpowering the music. And that sax, “learn to play the saxophone” indeed.
Cymbal strikes, every percussive bit, even the police whistle are all present & perfectly clear.
The backup vocals are not just there, they are an apparent part of the music.
And that’s the real deal here - this was a serious studio effort for its time, and you can hear it loud & clear. Every part played had a purpose and you can clearly hear it. Not a cheesy 1970s rock record, but a perfectly constructed piece of rock art.
There is nothing wrong here - accurate abundant bass, flawless midrange. The dynamic range that shiny discs should be famous for and that records can’t touch.
I own over 450 SACDs and I’ll go ahead and say it - this may be the best rock disc I own.