Apparently the SACD is terrible from what I'm reading. Does anyone here own the Remastered Thriller Gold edition and the SACD? Any pointers?

This SACD is not "terrible". Its not multi-channel (2 channel only) but it sounds better than the original cd. I have not heard the Remasterted Gold Edition, but I would be suprised if it sounds better than this SACD.

Yardy said it right, ditto to all above...

Double ditto. I think the SACD was [unfairly] maligned early in the days of SACD because it was only 2-channel, thus pissing off some of the multichannel enthusiasts. But if you were to read any recent discussions of the Thriller SACD, I think you'd see that many people appreciate the better audio quality compared to the redbook.

While the difference is not night and day, I do prefer the sound on the SACD. But the MJ remasters really are quite good in their own right. That said, for such a seminal album, and as a hi-res enthusiast myself, I couldn't pass up owning the SACD. I think it's worth buying before it disappears.

^^Yup, what he said. The way things are going every new version will be more concerned with fitting on an I-pod than the resolution.

I have compaired the initial CD release and the SACD and the SACD is vastly superior. I believe it is the same mix but it was mastered directly from the stereo analog master. MJ would not authorize a remix at the time but later spent millions on his own stereo remixes which I have not heard. Short of new multi-channel SACD releases I have no interest.

Richard

I believe the "gold" edition is still just a re-mastered redbook. Is this the one with all the interviews (ie. Vincent Price, Quicny Jones, etc.,...)? If so I own it along with the SACD version. The SACD version is definitely better, and very good in general (I think). I'm still crazy about the track "Pretty Young Thing (PYT)".

"Thriller" and "Off The Wall" features Michael at his best.

This is indeed a 2-channel SACD. Sadly, my amazon shipment came with a cracked case. :(

The 2 channel single layer SACD is as close as any consumer will ever get to the original mastertapes for this album. It's better than any redbook or vinyl version that currently exists. Is it a reference disk compared to many classical SACDs recorded in pure DSD? of course not, but the Thriller SACD is the best version of the album released so far.