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Sound Quality/Music Reviews and Comments on SACD/DVD-A - Page 2

post #31 of 436
8/24/11 at 7:01am
Thread Starter 
Artist/Title Info: Donald Fagen - Morph The Cat

Format: DVD-A Advanced Resolution 96/24

Genre: Pop/Rock

Label: Reprise 093624997627 (CD/DVD-A)

I always enjoyed Morph The Cat but on DVD-A in Hi-Rez surround its so much more enjoyable. The surround layer is excellent being done by Eliot Scheiner who is a lengendary engineer. I believe he has done the surround mixes for all of the Steely Dan MCH releases. The 5.1 mix won a grammy in 2007. The SQ of MTC is excellent with heavy use of the surrounds and the sub also gets a good workout as well. If you are a Steely Dan fan this is a must have to own on DVD-A.

This DVD-A is still available and is reasonably priced. Most listings for the two disc MTC show it as a CD/DVD (special) set. But this set does in fact include the DVD-A. A good option if you are looking for all of Fagen's releases in surround is The Nightfly Trilogy. The box set includes The Nightfly, Kamakiriad and Morph The Cat on MVI and CD. The surround mixes of The Nightfly and Kamakiriad are in DD/DTS lossy with Morph The Cat being in DTS 96/24. There is also a CD of extra tracks not included on these three releases.

Rating (scale 1 - 10) Music 8.5 - SQ 9.5

Stereo layer Sound Quality: Not Rated

System Info:
Source: Oppo 83SE
Pre/pro: Onkyo 886 - MCH SACD/DVD-A (using the MCH analog input)
Preamp: Parasound 2100 - 2CH SACD/DVD-A
Amplification: Boston Acoustics A7200 (Sherwood A-965 clone)
FR/FL: Salk SongTowers
Center: Salk Song Center
Surrounds: Definitive Technology BP2x
Surround location: On the ceiling (behind the MLP and slightly outside FR/FL speakers)
Sub: Rythmik F12SE (Anti-Mode 8033C sub EQ)

Room: 17' W (which is open on one side), 14' D with 9' high ceilings. No room treatments as of yet.

Bill
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post #32 of 436
8/24/11 at 7:30am
hey bill - i just listened to morph the cat last nite

you're right about the sound quality. it's top shelf for sure. i like it a little more than nightfly. i think the sq is a little better. it sounds "thicker" to me. that's probably why i listen to morph more often. security joan cracks me up
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post #33 of 436
8/24/11 at 8:57am
I believe Elliot Scheiner mixed a few Porcupine Tree DVD-As as well.
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post #34 of 436
8/24/11 at 6:57pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by grubadub View Post

hey bill - i just listened to morph the cat last nite

you're right about the sound quality. it's top shelf for sure. i like it a little more than nightfly. i think the sq is a little better. it sounds "thicker" to me. that's probably why i listen to morph more often. security joan cracks me up

The differences in SQ between The Nightfly and Morph The Cat are most likely due to the fact that MTC is a more recent recording. The Nightfly was recorded in 1982 and MTC was recorded in 2006. I just looked that up and I had forgotten how long ago that The Nightfly was released. Thats almost 30 years ago.

Bill
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post #35 of 436
8/24/11 at 7:00pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by holt7153 View Post

I believe Elliot Scheiner mixed a few Porcupine Tree DVD-As as well.

I keep seeing mention of DVD-As from Porcupine Tree. I will have to try one but I'm not sure if the music will be to my liking. Any comparisons to any groups that are similar?

Bill
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post #36 of 436
8/24/11 at 7:14pm
Thread Starter 
Jeff (pepar) and I had talked about merging his Tech thread and this thread together. I thought it was a great idea especially the way that Jeff had it mapped out. But unfortunately the two threads can not be merged without the posts from this thread falling to the last pages of the Tech thread. This is due to the fact that this thread was started much later and the posts would go by the date when the threads were merged.

So I would prefer to keep the threads seperate. I think both threads are excellent with Jeff's focusing on the technical aspect of SACD/DVD-As and this one more focused on the music content quality (SQ as well) of SACD/DVD-As.

Bill
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post #37 of 436
8/24/11 at 7:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Mac View Post

Jeff (pepar) and I had talked about merging his Tech thread and this thread together. I thought it was a great idea especially the way that Jeff had it mapped out. But unfortunately the two threads can not be merged without the posts from this thread falling to the last pages of the Tech thread. This is due to the fact that this thread was started much later and the posts would go by the date when the threads were merged.

So I would prefer to keep the threads seperate. I think both threads are excellent with Jeff's focusing on the technical aspect of SACD/DVD-As and this one more focused on the music content quality (SQ as well) of SACD/DVD-As.

Bill

Very good decision. We all will benefit more keeping these two threads separate. Both of these threads are long over due and will greatly benefit the AVS community. Keep up to good work bill and Jeff
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post #38 of 436
8/24/11 at 7:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Mac View Post

Jeff (pepar) and I had talked about merging his Tech thread and this thread together. I thought it was a great idea especially the way that Jeff had it mapped out. But unfortunately the two threads can not be merged without the posts from this thread falling to the last pages of the Tech thread. This is due to the fact that this thread was started much later and the posts would go by the date when the threads were merged.

So I would prefer to keep the threads seperate. I think both threads are excellent with Jeff's focusing on the technical aspect of SACD/DVD-As and this one more focused on the music content quality (SQ as well) of SACD/DVD-As.

Bill


Great decision, and I like there will two different threads concentrating on slightly different aspects. Love it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by brockwilt View Post

Very good decision. We all will benefit more keeping these two threads separate. Both of these threads are long over due and will greatly benefit the AVS community. Keep up to good work bill and Jeff


Very well said.


Dan
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post #39 of 436
8/24/11 at 8:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Mac View Post

I keep seeing mention of DVD-As from Porcupine Tree. I will have to try one but I'm not sure if the music will be to my liking. Any comparisons to any groups that are similar?

Bill

Bill-sent you a PM about this...
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post #40 of 436
8/24/11 at 8:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by holt7153 View Post

Bill-sent you a PM about this...

Thanks.

Bill
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post #41 of 436
8/24/11 at 8:51pm
Thread Starter 
I listened to Santana's Caravanserai JSACD at some seriously high volumes earlier today. I will post a review of this tomorrow. But I hope the upcoming MOFI version of this SACD comes out soon. When it does if it is close in SQ to the JSACD then it is a must own if you are a Santana fan. This is a 2CH only SACD but the SQ is amazing when compared to the RBCD.

Bill
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post #42 of 436
8/25/11 at 11:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Mac View Post

I keep seeing mention of DVD-As from Porcupine Tree. I will have to try one but I'm not sure if the music will be to my liking. Any comparisons to any groups that are similar?

Bill

And if you end up liking Porcupine Tree then you should give Steven Wilson solo DAD-A "Insurgentes" a try ........
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post #43 of 436
8/25/11 at 11:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 007james View Post

And if you end up liking Porcupine Tree then you should give Steven Wilson solo DAD-A "Insurgentes" a try ........

Which (if any) PT release does Insurgentes sound like, or is it totally different?
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post #44 of 436
8/25/11 at 2:05pm
eagles - hotel california (dvd-audio)


wayne and garth used to say "we're not worthy, we're not worthy!" i feel the same way reviewing hotel california . but, what the hay..... if someone else wants to review it as well, that's AOK with me.

wow, if there was a hi-rez mch hall of fame for classic rock, this disc would certainly be a first ballot entry. i won't say much about the musical content as i'm sure everyone is very familiar with it. this record has quite a bit of nostalgic value for me. it always reminds me of hanging out with my cousins in the summertime. one of the things we spent a lot of time on was listening to albums and this was a very popular one with us. we even re-wrote the words to hotel california . ok, enough with trip down memory lane. i think the sound quality is really great on this disc. nice and punchy, very clean and the surround mix is very tasteful..... never out of place. just right for this recording. when the first background vocals come in on pretty maids all in a row, ahhh.......it's pure magic. another magic moment for me are the vocals on last resort. don henley sounds great of course and imo it's an example of a flawless vocal mix.

one of things i like so much about the eagles is that they're such great singers. they actually have four different band members singing lead vocal on hotel california. other than the fab four, i can't think of another band with that distinction. i'm sure there is, but i can't think of one.

sound quality/sonics - 9

surround mix - 9.5
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post #45 of 436
8/25/11 at 2:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by grubadub View Post

eagles - hotel california (dvd-audio)


wayne and garth used to say "we're not worthy, we're not worthy!" i feel the same way reviewing hotel california . but, what the hay..... if someone else wants to review it as well, that's AOK with me.

wow, if there was a hi-rez mch hall of fame for classic rock, this disc would certainly be a first ballot entry. i won't say much about the musical content as i'm sure everyone is very familiar with it. this record has quite a bit of nostalgic value for me. it always reminds me of hanging out with my cousins in the summertime. one of the things we spent a lot of time on was listening to albums and this was a very popular one with us. we even re-wrote the words to hotel california . ok, enough with trip down memory lane. i think the sound quality is really great on this disc. nice and punchy, very clean and the surround mix is very tasteful..... never out of place. just right for this recording. when the first background vocals come in on pretty maids all in a row, ahhh.......it's pure magic. another magic moment for me are the vocals on last resort. don henley sounds great of course and imo it's an example of a flawless vocal mix.

one of things i like so much about the eagles is that they're such great singers. they actually have four different band members singing lead vocal on hotel california. other than the fab four, i can't think of another band with that distinction. i'm sure there is, but i can't think of one.

sound quality/sonics - 9

surround mix - 9.5

grub,

Excellent review, very well done! I agree with your thoughts as this album was big the year I got out of high school. I'll place it with the other reviews.

Bill
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post #46 of 436
8/25/11 at 4:11pm
Thread Starter 
Artist/Title Info: Santana - Caravanserai 1972

Format: Single Layer SACD

Genre: Pop/Rock

Label: Sony/Japan - SRGS4524 1998

I have been a fan of Santana for many years but did not have Caravanserai in my CD collection till about 3-4 years ago. I heard Song Of The Wind on XM radio and went out and bought the CD right away. This is Santana's fourth album and the music shifts from rock to more jazz like instrumentals. All but three of the ten songs are instrumentals. This is the last album to feature Neil Schon and Gregg Rolie with both leaving to start Journey.

Once I started collecting SACDs Caravanserai was mentioned many times as being a reference level SACD. I looked for quite awhile till I could find an "affordable" mint copy. The SQ of the SACD is greatly improved over that of the RBCD. I can say without a doubt that it was money well spent!

I had some time yesterday to sit down and listen with the volume cranked. The SQ of this SACD is superb for a recording from 1972. Of course with any Santana album the guitar work is incredible. But what really impressed me was the rhythm section with the drums, percussion and bass having incredible resolution. The separation and air around all of these instruments is excellent. Even at lower volumes the SQ is outstanding. Of course my favorite track is still Song Of The Wind which is an instrumental that builds and builds with guitar solos that are a Santana trademark.

With the JSACD long OOP the good news is that MOFI will be releasing a version of Caravanserai on SACD. The release has been delayed a number of times and hopefully it will be released soon. If the MOFI SACD has the SQ close to that of the JSACD then it will be well worth having in ones collection.

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/971

Rating (scale 1 - 10) Music 9 - SQ 9.5

System Info:
Source: Oppo 83SE
Pre/pro: Onkyo 886 - MCH SACD/DVD-A (using the MCH analog input)
Preamp: Parasound 2100 - 2CH SACD/DVD-A
Amplification: Boston Acoustics A7200 (Sherwood A-965 clone)
FR/FL: Salk SongTowers
Center: Salk Song Center
Surrounds: Definitive Technology BP2x
Surround location: On the ceiling (behind the MLP and slightly outside FR/FL speakers)
Sub: Rythmik F12SE (Anti-Mode 8033C sub EQ)

Room: 17' W (which is open on one side), 14' D with 9' high ceilings. No room treatments as of yet.

Bill
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post #47 of 436
8/25/11 at 5:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Mac View Post

I keep seeing mention of DVD-As from Porcupine Tree. I will have to try one but I'm not sure if the music will be to my liking. Any comparisons to any groups that are similar?

Bill

They are unique, but if you put some Floyd with Yes and added some Tool with a sprinkle of "dark mood" you may end up with something close...they are a modern twist of progressive rock with a commitment to well recorded music. One of my favorite new finds (1st listen a yr ago, have 5 of their discs now). My favorite may be deadwing...I also like lightbulb sun a lot as well. Stupid Dream is readily available and where I started.
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post #48 of 436
8/25/11 at 8:17pm
Thread Starter 
Artist/Title Info: Di Meola/McLaughlin/DeLucia: Friday Night in San Francisco 1980

Format: Single Layer SACD

Genre: Pop/Rock

Label: Columbia CS 65168

I had never heard this album before buying the SACD and really did not know what to expect. To quote a line from a sa-cd.net review of this album the music is "flamengo music and Latin/Spanish tunes with a jazzy influence". I would say that covers the style of music in this excellent acoustic guitar instrumental album. The first three songs are a duet of each in different pairings. The last two tracks have all three playing together with the fourth track live and the fifth in the studio.

Not being familair with this type of music I found it very engaging. The three play acoustic guitars that border on insane as to the speed and tempo they can play. It is a very dynamic sounding SACD as the loud passages are a bit surprising for an acoustic only performance. With four tracks being live you can hear how the audience is really involved in the performance. I enjoyed listening to this and I'm very glad I added it to my collection. The SACD is OOP and it is a little pricey but I was fortunate to buy it at a reasonable cost.

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/663

Rating (scale 1 - 10) Music 8.5 - SQ 8.5

System Info:
Source: Oppo 83SE
Pre/pro: Onkyo 886 - MCH SACD/DVD-A (using the MCH analog input)
Preamp: Parasound 2100 - 2CH SACD/DVD-A
Amplification: Boston Acoustics A7200 (Sherwood A-965 clone)
FR/FL: Salk SongTowers
Center: Salk Song Center
Surrounds: Definitive Technology BP2x
Surround location: On the ceiling (behind the MLP and slightly outside FR/FL speakers)
Sub: Rythmik F12SE (Anti-Mode 8033C sub EQ)

Room: 17' W (which is open on one side), 14' D with 9' high ceilings. No room treatments as of yet.

Bill
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post #49 of 436
8/25/11 at 8:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by USAFChief View Post

They are unique, but if you put some Floyd with Yes and added some Tool with a sprinkle of "dark mood" you may end up with something close...they are a modern twist of progressive rock with a commitment to well recorded music. One of my favorite new finds (1st listen a yr ago, have 5 of their discs now). My favorite may be deadwing...I also like lightbulb sun a lot as well. Stupid Dream is readily available and where I started.

Martin,

Thanks for your thoughts on Porcupine Tree. I looked for some of their DVD-As but they are fairly high priced. I think I'll try a few RBCDs first and then go from there.

Bill
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post #50 of 436
8/26/11 at 12:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Mac View Post

Martin,

Thanks for your thoughts on Porcupine Tree. I looked for some of their DVD-As but they are fairly high priced. I think I'll try a few RBCDs first and then go from there.

Bill

$18 + shipping: http://www.ebay.com/itm/PORCUPINE-TR...item2eb744e505
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post #51 of 436
8/26/11 at 11:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by grubadub View Post

eagles - hotel california (dvd-audio)


wayne and garth used to say "we're not worthy, we're not worthy!" i feel the same way reviewing hotel california . but, what the hay..... if someone else wants to review it as well, that's AOK with me.

wow, if there was a hi-rez mch hall of fame for classic rock, this disc would certainly be a first ballot entry. i won't say much about the musical content as i'm sure everyone is very familiar with it. this record has quite a bit of nostalgic value for me. it always reminds me of hanging out with my cousins in the summertime. one of the things we spent a lot of time on was listening to albums and this was a very popular one with us. we even re-wrote the words to hotel california . ok, enough with trip down memory lane. i think the sound quality is really great on this disc. nice and punchy, very clean and the surround mix is very tasteful..... never out of place. just right for this recording. when the first background vocals come in on pretty maids all in a row, ahhh.......it's pure magic. another magic moment for me are the vocals on last resort. don henley sounds great of course and imo it's an example of a flawless vocal mix.

one of things i like so much about the eagles is that they're such great singers. they actually have four different band members singing lead vocal on hotel california. other than the fab four, i can't think of another band with that distinction. i'm sure there is, but i can't think of one.

sound quality/sonics - 9

surround mix - 9.5



You're right on the money, I was like wow...I haven't heard this album sound so great..I feel so lucky to have grab this sacd at such a great price, with so much high quality.

This is a must buy, for any Hi Rez fan. I'm mighty impress buy the mix, and quality etc..



Djoel
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post #52 of 436
8/26/11 at 4:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by holt7153
I believe Elliot Scheiner mixed a few Porcupine Tree DVD-As as well.
Only In Absentia.SW did the rest of them.
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post #53 of 436
8/26/11 at 5:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by netudki View Post
Only In Absentia.SW did the rest of them.
Aah, thanks. Good to know.
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post #54 of 436
8/26/11 at 7:32pm
Thread Starter 
I just ordered three Porcupine Tree DVD-As (Stupid Dream, Lightbulb Sun and In Absentia) on Amazon. Due to the high praise of their music and the SQ of the DVD-As I could not resist. I thought the prices were very good which also pushed me to buy all three.

Lightbulb Sun

Stupid Dream

In Absentia

Bill
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post #55 of 436
8/26/11 at 7:37pm
Isn't inabsentia on back order on amazon?

I loved deadwing on DVD audio. I thought it was better then inabsentia. However I do not own deadwing, it's on loan to me right now
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post #56 of 436
8/26/11 at 7:44pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by brockwilt View Post
Isn't inabsentia on back order on amazon?

I loved deadwing on DVD audio. I thought it was better then inabsentia. However I do not own deadwing, it's on loan to me right now
It shows 1-3 weeks back order on In Absentia with an order sold by Amazon. If it ships thats fine if it doesn't become available then thats fine as well. Just looking at the new and used listings for In Absentia the prices were much higher than $19.09. It shows that its available new from other Amazon vendors so I would imagine the order will be completed.

Bill
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post #57 of 436
8/26/11 at 8:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by brockwilt View Post
Isn't inabsentia on back order on amazon?

I loved deadwing on DVD audio. I thought it was better then inabsentia. However I do not own deadwing, it's on loan to me right now
Tell the person who loaned you Deadwing that your dog ate it and sell it to me . It's the only one I'm missing!!
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post #58 of 436
8/26/11 at 9:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by holt7153

Tell the person who loaned you Deadwing that your dog ate it and sell it to me . It's the only one I'm missing!!
Will do! Just PM me your address. I'm sure the awesome person who loaned me deadwing will never see these posts or forum!
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post #59 of 436
8/27/11 at 6:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by brockwilt View Post

I loved deadwing on DVD audio. I thought it was better then inabsentia.

My preference as well. Arriving Somewhere in hirez surround is just... wow!
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post #60 of 436
8/27/11 at 5:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Mac View Post
I just ordered three Porcupine Tree DVD-As (Stupid Dream, Lightbulb Sun and In Absentia) on Amazon. Due to the high praise of their music and the SQ of the DVD-As I could not resist. I thought the prices were very good which also pushed me to buy all three.

Lightbulb Sun

Stupid Dream

In Absentia

Bill
Great pick-ups Bill. That's a lot of quality 5.1 for the same cost of a single SHM-SACD! Enjoy.
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