2. digital
  3. 985876542

Fly in the SACD Ointment?

Yesterday, I almost got tears in my eyes going through the new audiophile format bin at Tower Records in New York. Spotting some old favourites in the SACD section, I was blissfully imagining throwing my CD player out my 17th story window and sitting down at a new system enjoying the best of analog AND digital. Then, it hit me -- even in the good old days, when I when I wouldn't dream of listening until I had Nitty Grittied my records, carefully cleaned the stylus, adjusted VTA, switched off the phone and dimmed the lights -- A LOT OF RECORDS STILL SOUNDED PRETTY BAD. Not nearly as bad (or as often) as a bad CD, but still pretty bad and ultimately unsatisfying which is what lead to my neurosis with this hobby and a never ending quest for great recordings in addition to great gear. So I am wondering -- maybe a $5000 SACD player and a new collection of software at $25 each is just going to take me back to bad analogue?!?!? Or is Sheffield Labs going to painstakingly remaster every title in the SACD catalogue? Has anyone thought about this or is there some magic to SACD that makes it all worthwhile, nonetheless. Maybe bad "analogue" without background noise and with greater dynamic range is still pretty special, but I really don't want to listen to Mannheim Steamroller in any format. Thanks for your thoughts.
cwlondon
hedgehog's avatar
hedgehog
183 posts
 
IMO, we have yet to exhaust the sound quality available in the current format...check out Mighty Sam McClain or Ernie Watts on JVC's most excellent xrcd format! There is no subsitute for top-notch recording, mastering & manufacturing, regardless of format!
hedgehog's avatar
hedgehog
183 posts
 
Oh, I forgot to add the best part...NO new/special gear required to take advantage of xrcd!
tommart
72 posts
 
Hedgehog, When do you upgrade. CD will not last forever. No format ever does.

Why continue to build a library that's nearing the end of its popularity? Do you have any 8-tracks?

BTW, you can buy two Sam McClain SACDs which also play on CD. I own one. I would like to compare the quality of the CD layer against an xrcd.

In my opinion, it's better to move to the new format early rather than continue to buy CDs that you will not be pleased with after you move to hi-rez--be it SACD or DVD-A.
Y
mvwinef973
6 posts
 
Won't it all come down to the recording label and how meticulous they are in recording the music? I'm willing to trash (or trade-in) all of my 80's CDs except three: Michael Hedges Aerial Boundaries (Windham Hill), Genesis Trick of the Tail, and Dire Straits Brothers in Arms (one of the first DDD discs). Those still give me goose bumps. when I listen to them.
Some labels will be like Telarc or the old Windham Hill catalog and just have great sound, no matter what the format.
hedgehog's avatar
hedgehog
183 posts
 
You are correct, Mvwine...it will still boil down to the artists' and/or labels' commitment to the whole process, from recording to manufacture...regardless of the format. Very few labels have even taken advantage of the HDCD possibilities, so I wonder when/if any serious commitment will be made to SACD and/or DVD-A.

Tommart, you propose an interesting experiment...xrcd vs. SACD vs. well-recorded/mastered digital (Telarc). Sam McClain is available in all 3 "formats". Since you have a SACD player, how about you conduct the experiment and let us know the results. Check out Ernie Watts' "Classic Moods" on xrcd!
More to discover