SHM Universal Japan SACDs

The best of these discs will test the limits of your system. I do not have first hand knowledge of “master tape” sound quality but I would venture to say that these discs come very close to capturing their fundamental nature. The focus of SHM-SACD discs is a very open and luxurious midrange but depending on source material, the extremes of the audio spectrum can be supremely reproduced as well. Rather than sounding edgy as many other audiophile CD’s do, these discs take you on an aural voyage of discovery as you finally experience the inner depths of the original recording.

I have collected quite a few of these now:

10cc – The Original Soundtrack
Beethoven – Symphony No. 9
Black Sabbath – Paranoid
Blind Faith – Blind Faith
Caravan – In the Land of the Grey & Pink
Eric Clapton – 461 Ocean Boulevard
Cream – Wheels of Fire
Dire Straits – Dire Straits
Dire Straits – Love Over Gold
Elton John – Elton John
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Fairport Convention – Liege & Lief
Gentle Giant – Octopus
Getz/Gilberto – Stan Gets & Joao Gilberto
Steely Dan – Aja
Steely Dan – Gaucho
Stevie Wonder – Innervisions
Stevie Wonder – Songs in the Key of Life
The Moody Blues – Every Good Boy Deserves Favor
The Police – Synchronicity
The Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
The Who – Who’s Next
Traffic – John Barleycorn Must Die
Wishbone Ash – Argus

Taken as a whole, these pricey discs are difficult to balance. They are as varied as musical expression is. How can one compare an incongruity such as Beethoven’s 9th to Black Sabbath – Paranoid? Source material is the key and if faithful reproduction is the ultimate goal,a majority of these discs get an A++++ in my book.

MikeC

This is the first I have heard of these-would like to try the Aja-Steely Dan-does anyone know if these are surround or 2 channel and the best place to locate-I saw some on amazon---thanks

Mjcovher,
Source material is always key, isn't it? I've always assumed Cream's Wheels of Fire was recorded poorly in the studio and live so there will never be a good copy of it. (Judging by my cassette copy anyway - it's bad even for a cassette.)
So is Wheels of Fire on SACD good? I wouldn't expect it to sound any better than the CD if the source is compromised by age and lack of quality.

where is the best place and price to shop for them
thanks
Al

www.cdjapan.co.jp