SACDs

[CatBlu]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

Well the writing is pretty much on the wall. I love SACD, but it's very much a niche product.

With Blu-ray audio becoming more prevalent I wonder if I should rethink my setup.

Currently I listen to SACD's through a dedicated stereo amp. In the future I was planning on having in-wall speakers for movies and a dedicated pair of speakers for music.

But with Blu-ray audio it'd go through the in-walls. Question....is it possible to get music on Blu-ray that's in DTS-HD and in Stereo? Or will stereo options always be just DD?

Personally I prefer my music in stereo and it would suck if I'm forced into 5.1...

Your receiver should be able to decode the signal to stereo. Then send this to your two channel amp via zone 2 and it should work - in theroy at least.
I think that the setting will be equipment sensitive and may take a bit of tweaking.

As the powers that be are still creating SACD's we still have some time!

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

Well the writing is pretty much on the wall. I love SACD, but it's very much a niche product.

With Blu-ray audio becoming more prevalent I wonder if I should rethink my setup.

SACD has been a niche product since it was first released. If anything, you are picking a weird time to give up on SACD. The format is healthier than it has been in several years. Analogue Productions in the U.S. has been continuing to release excellent SACDs like the Nat King Cole issues. We are finally getting Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here on SACD, and there are rumors other Pink Floyd albums are coming to SACD. That does not even count all the announced SACDs from Japan (over 60 in all) that are coming, like previously unreleased Rolling Stones' albums on SACD and others.

[Gremal]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

Currently I listen to SACD's through a dedicated stereo amp. In the future I was planning on having in-wall speakers for movies and a dedicated pair of speakers for music. But with Blu-ray audio it'd go through the in-walls. Question....is it possible to get music on Blu-ray that's in DTS-HD and in Stereo? Or will stereo options always be just DD? Personally I prefer my music in stereo and it would suck if I'm forced into 5.1...

Do you have room for separate audio and video systems? That would be ideal. You'll never get good imaging and stereophonics with in-wall speakers. What I did, and what I recommend for anyone who needs to integrate their audio and video systems, is to start with optimizing the two-channel L/R performance and build the rest of your system around it.

[ZoetMB]

SACD is dead for all practical purposes, especially in the U.S. But I did buy the OPPO BDP-83 so I could listen to the SACDs I already have.

I can understand not wanting the receiver to re-channel 2-channel material into 5.1, but music mixed for 5.1, even DVD 5.1, sounds spectacular on a good system. SACD 5.1 would sound even better and of course, Blu-ray would sound even better. Some of the best recorded sound I ever heard was at the AES (Audio Engineering Society) show a few years ago where Adam loudspeakers featured Classe playback equipment and played back 5.1 tracks from Eric Clapton and others. I spent a lot of time in that booth because it sounded so good.

[Travis]

Sure this question has been asked: 5.1 track or 2.0, which to you pick?

I go for stereo except for Dark Side of the Moon, also for many concert BDs, I pick the 2 ch track.

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by Travis

Sure this question has been asked: 5.1 track or 2.0, which to you pick?

I go for stereo except for Dark Side of the Moon, also for many concert BDs, I pick the 2 ch track.

Stereo most of the time, though some 5.1 mixes are phenomenal. While not the best surround mix, I prefer the 5.1 mix on the Oasis SACD to the stereo mix.

[ManUtd]

Originally Posted by Travis

Sure this question has been asked: 5.1 track or 2.0, which to you pick?

I go for stereo except for Dark Side of the Moon, also for many concert BDs, I pick the 2 ch track.

I'm primarily a MCH guy but I always sample the 2CH tracks for all SACDs.

[PanaPlasma]

2010-2011 shm-sacd stereo releases:

30-06-2010
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed
The Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East
Steely Dan - Aja
The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
Eric Clapton - 461 Boulevard
The Police - Synchronicity
Derek & the Dominos - Layla and other Assorted Love Songs


25-08-2010
Blind Faith - Blind Faith
10cc - The Original Soundtrack
Dire Straits - Dire Straits
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Kiss - Destroyer
The Who - Who's Next


27-10-2010
Rainbow - Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
Wishbone Ash - Argus
Cream - Wheels of Fire
The Police - Outlandos D'Amour
Asia - Asia


24-11-2010
Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die
Steely Dan - Gaucho
Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton - S/T
Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink
Free - Fire and Water


15-12-2010
The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
Fairport Convention - Liege & Lief
The Style Council - Cafe Bleu
Gentle Giant - Octopus
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Whitesnake - Come An' Get It


23-02-2011
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
The Who - My Generation
The Rolling Stones - Big Hits volume 1 (High Tide and Green Grass)
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bayou Country


30-03-2011
The Rolling Stones - Big Hits volume 2 (Through the Past. Darkly)
B.B. King - Live at the Regal
Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself


27-04-2011
Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
The Rolling Stones - Their Satanic Majesties Request

[Travis]

^ Nice List!

I want:
Eric Clapton - 461 Boulevard
The Police - Synchronicity
Dire Straits - Dire Straits
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bayou Country

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by Travis

^ Nice List!

I want:
Eric Clapton - 461 Boulevard
The Police - Synchronicity
Dire Straits - Dire Straits
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bayou Country

The Dire Straits S/T SACD is brilliant and not available on SACD elsewhere, but as for some of the others:

Clapton's 461 is $14 new on Amazon and includes a great multi-channel mix to boot.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00064X282

Elton's Brick Road is $28 new in Amazon marketplace, or $18 used, has both stereo and multi-channel and a bonus DVD.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000E64TQ/

The Police - Synchronicity is new for $39 or used - like new for $29 stereo only
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000E64TQ/

All of these discs receive high recommendations at sa-cd.net so I don't see the point in blowing twice the money. Just my $0.02 of course, your mileage may vary.

[Gremal]

I agree. The SHM-SACD series is great for titles that have never come out on SACD before, like Aja and the upcoming Royal Scam, if you can justify the cost. But I wouldn't buy any that were previously released on SACD and currently available. By the way, the list above has been out for many months and there are now newer SHM-SACD titles not listed above. So it's no longer relevant. I'd rather see a list of all AP's Blue Note SACDs.

[Stereo24192]

Originally Posted by Pondosinatra

Well the writing is pretty much on the wall. I love SACD, but it's very much a niche product.

With Blu-ray audio becoming more prevalent I wonder if I should rethink my setup.

Currently I listen to SACD's through a dedicated stereo amp. In the future I was planning on having in-wall speakers for movies and a dedicated pair of speakers for music.

But with Blu-ray audio it'd go through the in-walls. Question....is it possible to get music on Blu-ray that's in DTS-HD and in Stereo? Or will stereo options always be just DD?

Personally I prefer my music in stereo and it would suck if I'm forced into 5.1...

I have yet to encounter a music Blu-ray (concert or BD-Audio) that doesn't have a lossless stereo or PCM stereo track. My setup is purely two channel and I play, with equally great results, SACD, CD and Blu-ray on my Oppo bdp83 Nuforce.

[Sigma6]

Originally Posted by Stereo24192

I have yet to encounter a music Blu-ray (concert or BD-Audio) that doesn't have a lossless stereo or PCM stereo track. My setup is purely two channel and I play, with equally great results, SACD, CD and Blu-ray on my Oppo bdp83 Nuforce.

I know the Last Waltz doesn't have a stereo track which I found disappointing.

[Pondosinatra]

Originally Posted by PanaPlasma

2010-2011 shm-sacd stereo releases:

30-06-2010
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
The Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed
The Allman Brothers Band - At Fillmore East
Steely Dan - Aja
The Moody Blues - Every Good Boy Deserves Favour
Eric Clapton - 461 Boulevard
The Police - Synchronicity
Derek & the Dominos - Layla and other Assorted Love Songs


25-08-2010
Blind Faith - Blind Faith
10cc - The Original Soundtrack
Dire Straits - Dire Straits
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Kiss - Destroyer
The Who - Who's Next


27-10-2010
Rainbow - Long Live Rock 'n' Roll
Wishbone Ash - Argus
Cream - Wheels of Fire
The Police - Outlandos D'Amour
Asia - Asia


24-11-2010
Traffic - John Barleycorn Must Die
Steely Dan - Gaucho
Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley
John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton - S/T
Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink
Free - Fire and Water


15-12-2010
The Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet
Fairport Convention - Liege & Lief
The Style Council - Cafe Bleu
Gentle Giant - Octopus
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Whitesnake - Come An' Get It


23-02-2011
Stevie Wonder - Songs in the Key of Life
The Who - My Generation
The Rolling Stones - Big Hits volume 1 (High Tide and Green Grass)
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bayou Country


30-03-2011
The Rolling Stones - Big Hits volume 2 (Through the Past. Darkly)
B.B. King - Live at the Regal
Uriah Heep - Look at Yourself


27-04-2011
Stevie Wonder - Talking Book
Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
The Rolling Stones - Their Satanic Majesties Request

^And how many of those were released in the past decade (not on SACD, but came out for the first time)?

[PanaPlasma]

I wouldn't recommened The Police shm-sacd.

But, many other titles sound really good.

There's a difference in sound with some of the "previously released on sacd-titles". The Japanese shm-sacd's are flat transfers.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by PanaPlasma

I wouldn't recommened The Police shm-sacd.

But, many other titles sound really good.

There's a difference in sound with some of the "previously released on sacd-titles". The Japanese shm-sacd's are flat transfers.

Can you provide some links for this?

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by PanaPlasma

I wouldn't recommened The Police shm-sacd.

But, many other titles sound really good.

There's a difference in sound with some of the "previously released on sacd-titles". The Japanese shm-sacd's are flat transfers.

I have never heard a good version of the Police on SACD. The original SACDs were awful for the most part.

[Better in Blu]

Originally Posted by Clark Kent

I have never heard a good version of the Police on SACD. The original SACDs were awful for the most part.

Agree, I recently bought Synchronicity (an album that I love), and was so disappointed by the quality of the sound; muffled vocals et al: compared to all of Elton John's sacd's, the Police are second rate.

[Gremal]

The EJ titles are better recorded. The Police titles will never win any awards for audio engineering. That said, there are songs on several individual Police SACDs (Outlandos, Regatta and Synchronicity) that sound very good. Zenyatta and Ghost in the Machine unfortunately sound like crap, but that is because of the source material and original recording quality.

If you queue up the SACD Synchronicity tracks like Tea in the Sahara and Wrapped Around Your Finger, crank up the volume and are not blown away, blame your rig - not the SACD. I have seen my friends' jaws drop and have drooled myself plenty of times when I play those tracks on my system.

By the way, I have bought most of the versions of Coltrane - My Favorite Things on CD. They were transferred from stereo sources. The SACD uses a mono source and has a much different, more open sound. Likewise, the Aja and Songs in the Key of Life SACDs were not sourced from the transfer that produced either of the domestic CDs. Anyone claiming SHM-SACDs are from a previously produced transfer don't know what they're talking about.

[Better in Blu]

Originally Posted by Gremal

The EJ titles are better recorded. The Police titles will never win any awards for audio engineering. That said, there are songs on several individual Police SACDs (Outlandos, Regatta and Synchronicity) that sound very good. Zenyatta and Ghost in the Machine unfortunately sound like crap, but that is because of the source material and original recording quality.

If you queue up the SACD Synchronicity tracks like Tea in the Sahara and Wrapped Around Your Finger, crank up the volume and are not blown away, blame your rig - not the SACD. I have seen my friends' jaws drop and have drooled myself plenty of times when I play those tracks on my system.

By the way, I have bought most of the versions of Coltrane - My Favorite Things on CD. They were transferred from stereo sources. The SACD uses a mono source and has a much different, more open sound. Likewise, the Aja and Songs in the Key of Life SACDs were not sourced from the transfer that produced either of the domestic CDs. Anyone claiming SHM-SACDs are from a previously produced transfer don't know what they're talking about.

I can understand why jaws would drop when music is played on your setup. I did not mean to imply that all of Synchronicity is disappointing, just that the overall impression is not what I expected.
BTW, do you have a list of favorites in your sacd collection that you would recommend to those of us who are new to the format?
Thanks