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Living Stereo SACD's are a comin

While at work today (My office is located at a mastering studio) a big box arrived. I watched as the studio manager unpacked it. It contained a treasure the likes of which I have never seen. Dozens of ORIGINAL master tapes from the original LIVING STEREO recordings. I held in my hands THE Master tapes from the Living Stereo Reiner/Chicago Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra and Ravel Daphnis. These weren’t the safeties, they are THE Masters. As you can probably tell I am in awe.

BMG (I think it’s BMG) has decided to release SACD versions of these recordings. It will be new DSD mastering (not redoing the existing PCM masters). How they are done will depend on the master tapes. I am pretty sure that they will not be 5.1

I have nothing to do with this project. I just happen to be there. You can bet your ass I will sit in on some of the sessions and get to listen to the master tapes. Damn sometimes it’s good to be me.

I just thought that some of the classical music lovers would like to know that SACD’s of these great classic recordings are in the works.
hispeedbusa
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,680 posts
 
They are excellent. However, not all are 3channel because not all the master tapes were made in 3channel. Also, there are MCH releases that have 2channel-only tracks on the MCH portion and so-labelled 2channel-only releases with bonus MCH (3channel) tracks.

Full details in my November column in Stereophile.

Kal
tfkaudio
591 posts
 
Ditto on excellent. I've listened to the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra disc and the Chopin Ballades/Scherzos by Rubinstein. The Bartok Concerto is ridiculously good. It is in 2 channel, by the way. Also on that disc is "Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta" which is in 3 channel. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much. I should note that my center channel speaker is nowhere near the quality of my left and right. That may have had something to do with it. The dynamics on the Rubinstein Chopin disc are astounding. This one also is in 3 channel. There were a couple of "funny" spots in that recording that made me look up at my speakers. I don't know if it was my system, or the recording. I'll post again when I figure it out. I also have the Tchaikovsky 6th Symphony, which I'll get to very soon. Then I'll have to wait for Tower to get a new shipment.

Tom
tfkaudio
591 posts
 
I figured out that the "funny" spots can be attributed to my crappy center channel speaker.
Buyers be warned. The three-channel recordings will tax your center channel.
Now I want to upgrade my CC. Does it ever end? (I know the answer. Sigh)

Don't miss these recordings.

Tom
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,680 posts
 
If they 'tax' your center channel, it was sub-par anyway. For music, you need a real speaker, not what is merely adequate for movies.

Kal
sogood51
2,157 posts
 
Everyone seems pleased at AA with these also, guess I'll have to get off a buck or two and check them out! I've just taken my Apogee Centaur miner out for another of those CENTER-NO CENTER tests...guess I'll be putting it back in to listen to the 3-channel on these.

Dave
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