SACD vs. Redbook and other formats


There have been several discussions about the quality of SACD vs. Redbook and other formats. I had the thought that it would be interesting to start a list of specific SACDs that are being used as the basis for comments.

One question that I have is if people are comparing the Redbook and SACD layers on a hybrid disk. It seems that this would be a more fair comparision than using different disks that were produced at different times.

I have CDs that sound as good as my SACDs, but I have yet to find a hybrid disk where the Redbook is superior to the SACD layer.

If you're talking about different recordings with different producers it's an apples and oranges discussion to some extent. I've found the SACD recording quality to be of more consistent quality, but some of my best are Redbook CDs.

A few weeks ago I burned some songs to a disk for my father-in-law that came from my Apple Lossless files. The songs that came from a Redbook sounded excellent, but the ones that were burned from the Redbook layer of a hybrid SACD sounded terrible. I finally put the SACD on to verify the comparison and it wasn't close. The SACD was Hello Mr. Paganini by Feng Ning. Based on this unintended comparison, the Redbook layer is no match on that recording.

SACDs that are reproductions of previous Redbook CDs have mixed results depending on where in the process the SACDs come from.

Give us your comparison/opinion along with the specific recordings that support it.
mceljo
The quality will depend on a number of factors. First the quality of the performance, then the quality of the original recording, and finally whether it is a Redbook CD or a SACD. In many cases the hybrid SACD's use the CD layer from a previous release, and the SACD layer from a more recent conversion. Depending on the care with which the conversions were made from the original analog tapes makes a big difference. That is why the SACD of Kind of Blue is disappointing compared to the CD, while the Reiner/Chicago Symphony SACD of Scherazade is absolutely awesome. When the original masters were PCM at 44.1K for CD, the SACD version is unlikely to be able to improve on the CD. Just my thoughts based on listening to half dozen hybrid SACD's on my Sony 5400 through a CJ Premier 14, Levinson 331 and Thiel 3.6's connected via Kimber cables.
"HQCD is another that I just became aware of. Kudos to Japanese technology!"

The HQCD titled Kent Poon Presents - Audiophile Jazz Prologue III has outstanding audio quality.
"That is why the SACD of Kind of Blue is disappointing compared to the CD."

The Columbia KoB SACD is sure a disappointment compared to the vinyl (any 33 RPM pressing).

Some might say "well, duh", but I have SACDs that are *much* closer to vinyl (and my vinyl setup is worth quite a bit more than my digital).