is it me or sacd.


or is it my marantz sa-14. got dylan's "bringing it all back home" on sacd for christmas. asked for it specially due to rave reviews. couldn't believe the sound or more precisely the lack of - no bass, no foundation it seems to me. on vinyl bought 30 years ago/played on everything from a dual 1009 tt with idler wheel w/dual cartridge (old fart, i know) to present vpi mk2 /sme 5/van den hul ddt (not state of the art i know) - amongst the vinyl rush, rumble, wow & cartridge chatter bob has a throat, lungs, a body, not just adenoids - and the sssibilance is gone. harmonica sings, not screams, spits & sizzles. guitars are not just wires vibrating in emptiness but strings stretched taut over resonant wood boxes. sound emanates from a room, not a void. had same reaction to rolling stones reissues on sacd. ditto for sam cooke at the copa ("most realisric recording of a human voice ever" sez hp in the absolute(?) sound). might be me. my system. or sacd. or is it just the laphroig? (rant's end)
flacre
Hmmmmm Im on a SACD hot streak , but I feel your pain. I have been delighted with recent purchases, Roxy Music Avalon, Pink Floyd DSOM, Bowie Ziggy Stardust, The Who Tommy and Dylan Blood on the Tracks...Surprised by the Dylan, so after reading an article saying if you must own one get Highway 61 Revisited....Bought it and my system that one was disappointing ! It is indeed frustrating !! The 2 Stones I own I like , Get you ya ya 's out and Through the past Darkly. To my ears they sound like what the Stones sounded like when I was a kid playing them on a turntable. Yes its definetly in the remastering, no question, but part of it is what we expect or want it to sound like. Also you can have the same artist where one disc sounds great the other mediocre...Like Avalon, I love it, but I read the other release is only so so , so I stayed away from it.
Worst ever high res disc I have heard "Neil Young Road Rock"
DVDA..thats not a knock on DVDA, I own several that I love , but this particular one sounds like it was recorded from the balcony with a hand held cassette recorder !
Departing from conventional wisdom, I'll go off on a limb by stating that it most likely is the amplifier that is causing this shallow, somewhat shrill, lifeless, and perceived lack of proper weighting of these older recordings.

I do not own any of the above mentioned recording on SACD (I do own some SACD's), but I do own Bob Dylan's Greatest hits on redbook. I also own numerous other older recordings on redbook cd, such as Chicago's Greatest Hits, Grover Washington, Bob James, William Ackerman, Alan Parson's Project, Al Stewart, Herb Alpert, Isley Brothers, Art Garfunkel, cheap greatest hits of the 80's, etc., etc..

On all of my previous amps, these were all pretty flat and lifeless. Some even much worse than that. But now, these and more are rich, full, deep, 3-dementional, articulate, and much more properly weighted.

So much so, that I spend most of my time these days listening only to these older recordings. The cymbals, drum kits, and bass can be outstanding. Still not quite reference level when compared to the best recordings, but the distinction is almost negligible.

Then again, my best recorded cd's (SACD, etc.) don't sound like they used to either.

-IMO
Flacre, You have good ears and obvious experience in recogonizing what is really closer to the real thing. Ahmen to you sir for knowing and having the go-nads to state so ....definately going agaainst the grain. For my nickels worth .... it is not you or your system. Be careful carrying this cross, it probably won't help your popularity. Regards, Jim
I was a little surprised about the comments made about "Bringing It All Back Home" since I have had this SACD of a while and didn't notice this problem. I must admit that I usually listened to it in the truck.

I got the disc out and listened to it again taking notes at the same time.

My observation: both Subterranean Homesick Blues and Outlaw Blues sounded tinny. There was no real bass and even the resonance of the guitar body seemed thin.

She Belongs To Me was better. Instruments had more natural timbres including a bit better bass.

Love Minus Zero sounded very good. Better than any of the tracks up to that point.

On The Road Again through It's All Over Now Baby Blue all sounded good.

I do think as a whole the recording is low on bass, but I wonder how much if it has to do with the mikes, and technology employed on original recording. There isn't anyone playing bass or drums.

I went to the record rack thinking I had a copy of the LP, but somehow I missed that one, so I cannot speak to the LP v SACD comparisons.

I don't think that it is a lot worse than many older recordings.
I didn't take notes, didn't compare to vinyl, but love the Dylan SACD of Bringing it all back home.