Stones on SACD - Tempting?

maybe they can actually do a good version of Exile On Main Street - but I doubt it. If the Virgin reissue, remastered by Bob Ludwig, still sucks, I'm guessing that the source material is just hopeless. I second the 'silk purse from a cow's ear' comment.

The Rolling Stones hybrid SACD/CD releases at the end of August are The older ABKCO label material, but they got Bob Ludwig to do final mastering (same guy who did great job on Virgin label Stones remasters in mid 90s)The big news is the price........$13.99........thats right, same cost as regular CD! Check Amazon pre-order for prices, other sites may be even lower.

Look in new Stereophile on page 123, Mike Fremer was very impressed with his sample hybrid disc of Rolling Stones,
used while reviewing Accuphase DP85 SACD player.

I don't count myself as a RS fan, but I originally bought 3 remasters. While playing Begger's Banquet in my car (CD layer), I could tell that these were special. I stopped at another store and bought a 4th remaster that day even before I listened to the SACD layer.

I now have 5 discs and plan to buy 4-5 more. They aren't perfect, but they are such an improvement over the previous releases. I've been listening to Stones for two weeks now--in my SACD based HT system, my car, and on my computer.

These discs clearly demonstrate that the CD layer on a SACD disc is superior to a normal CD.

I can speak to the fact that the regular cd layer on these cd/sacd releases are excellent recordings. I have 7 of the releases.

I've purchased a number of the new Stones hybrid /SACD/CD remasters. I have an SACD player on the way, but am listening to them right now on a decent, but not particularly high end, Redbook CD setup (Teac VRDS 20, Monarchy 33 DAC/preamp).

Evenings and weekends, I work as a translator from home, and I usually have music playing. Sometimes I consciously listen to the music, but it doesn't interrupt the flow of work.

Yesterday, listening to the remastered Let It Bleed, and tonight, listening to the remastered Beggars Banquet, I was literally dancing in my seat. The regular CD layer is superb. Everything is both more detailed and warmer, if that's possible. Incredible dynamics. I couldn't stop listening to it. Forgot about my work for more than half an hour.

There is really gold in those old master tapes and it seems to me that DSD got the silver, the gold and the diamonds from the mine!

Can't wait to hear it on the SACD player!

And I'm definitely ordering more of my favorite Stones albums. And I'll be looking out in general for hybrid SACD/CD discs. That's the only way for SACD to really expand.

And Towers is selling the Stones remasters for $15.00 each.

Happy listening all!

Joel.