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


Listing of Reviews by Artist and Title:



AIX Allstar Band -Moonlight Acoustica / USAFChief



Alison Krauss - Forget About It / Sound of Mind



Allman Brothers - Eat A Peach / Bill Mac



Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Keystone 3 / Bill Mac



Art Pepper - Gettin' Together / Bill Mac



Beck - Guero and Sea Change DVD-A / grubadub


 


Bonnie Raitt - Nick of Time DVD-A /grubadub



Bryan Ferry - Boys And Girls / Bill Mac



Carole King The Carnegie Hall Concert (Live) / SoundofMind



Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out-SACD / Bill Mac



Burton, Corea, Metheny, Haynes & Holland - Like Minds-SACD / Bill Mac



Depeche Mode - Speak & Spell SACD / Venomous



Di Meola/McLaughlin/DeLucia - Friday Night in San Francisco / Bill Mac



Dire Straits - Dire Straits-SACD / voigtskins



Donald Fagen - Morph The Cat / Bill Mac



Donald Fagen - Nightfly Trilogy / SoundofMind



Doug Macloud - Whose Truth, Whose Lies / Djoel



Eagles - Hotel California-DVD-A / grubadub



Eagles - Hotel California-SACD / voigtskins



Eleanor McEvoy - Early Hours / Djoel



Elton John - (Self Titled), Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across The Water / Jonc123



Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics DVD-A / Djoel



Fleetwood Mac - Rumours-SACD / voigtskins



Foreigner - 4-SACD / mikejedi123



Gene Harris, Scott Hamilton - At Last / Djoel



Gene Harris - The Gene Harris Trio Plus One / voigtskins



James Taylor - JT, Dad Loves His Work and Flag / SoundofMind



Laurence Juber - Guitar Noir / USAFChief



Mark Knopfler - Sailing To Philadelphia / Bill Mac



Miles Davis - Miles Smiles / Bill Mac



Monty Alexander - My America / Pet Motel SACD



Monty Alexander and Earnest Ranglin - Rocksteady / Pet Motel



Nick Drake - Treasury / Bill Mac



Patricia Barber - Cafe' Blue / Bill Mac



Peter Gabriel - Security / Bill Mac



Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here SACD / voigtskins



Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed / Bill Mac



Santana - Caravanserai / Bill Mac



Shaft - Soundtrack / grubadub



Spyro Gyra - Good To Go Go / Pet Motel



Stan Getz Quartet - Pure Getz / Bill Mac



Steely Dan - Aja / Bill Mac



Steely Dan - Gaucho, Everything Must Go, Two Against Nature / Sound of Mind



Willie Nelson - Stardust / Djoel



I wanted to add this post to guide those that are not sure where to find SACDs at decent prices.



I have been buying CDs and SACDs from importcds for a few years now. I've been happy with their service, inventory and pricing. The great thing about the importcds site is you can search for SACDs by genre and price. I was just looking at their site and it is great as you can select SACD, genre and price (low to high). Below is a link to their site showing the great selection of SACDs in the Jazz genre. It should be helpful to those that are not sure where to buy SACDs at decent pricing.



http://www.importcds.com/Music/SACD/Jazz




Here is a link for Rock/Pop not as many SACDs as Jazz but some good prices on a few MOFI SACDs.



http://www.importcds.com/Music/SACD/RockPop



List of some low cost SACD/DVD-As.


I will try to keep this updated but prices and availability will change. The sa-cd.net links have links to Amazon with pricing. If anyone comes across a bargain please post and I'll add it to this list.



Allman Brothers - Eat A Peach



Burton, Corea, Metheny, Haynes and Holland - Like Minds



Chick Corea - Rendezvous In New York



Diana Krall - Girl In The Other Room



Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms



Donald Fagen - Morph The Cat DVD-A



Donald Fagen - Nightfly Trilogy (great box set for Dan' or Fagen fans)



Eric Clapton - 461 Ocean Blvd.



Gene Harris / Scott Hamilton Quintet - At Last



John Coltrane - A Love Supreme



Junior Wells - Come On In This House



Mark Knopfler - Shangri-La



Nick Drake - Treasury



Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon



Rebecca Pidgeon - Retrospective



Stan Getz/Joao Gilberto - Getz Gilberto



Steely Dan - Gaucho

Title Info: Allman Brothers - Eat A Peach


Format: Hybrid MCH SACD - DSD


Genre: Pop/Rock


Label: Mercury/Polydor B0002439-36


I have to say right up front that this is one of my all time favorite bands so my thoughts might be a little biased . This album starts off with Ain't Wastin' Time No More and right away I find that the SQ is very good with a big improvement in resolution over the RBCD. The clarity of the cymbals with the vocals well placed in the center channel. Les Brers In A Minor starts off with a very clear presence from the cymbals with some ambiance coming at you from the surrounds. Melissa has Gregg playing acoustic guitar to go with Dickey's haunting lead. Mountain Jam is one of my all time favorite instrumentals where the band just lets it all hang out. Of special note in this jam is the bass playing by Berry Oakley especially his solo. One Way Out and Trouble No More are excellent live tracks that were part of the Fillmore East concerts (as was Mountain Jam). Excellent live tracks that show the intensity that ABB brings to their live performances. The last three tracks are Stand Back, Blue Sky and Little Martha. Stand Back was the last studio recording that Duane made with vocals added by Gregg after his death. Blue Sky is one of the first ABB tracks with Dickey on vocals. Little Martha is just Duane and Dickey playing acoustic guitars. This is the only song solely written by Duane after waking from a dream that he had where he was playing with Jimi Hendrix. This track sounds excellent with added use of the surrounds.


I think this is a great sounding MCH SACD but certainly not reference quality. But thats fine with me as the music is what matters to me especially with this album. Personally I would rather listen to SACD/DVD-A that is a 7 in SQ but has excellent music. To me the Eat A Peach SACD is vast improvement over the RBCD but of course thats not a fair comparison when listening to the MCH layer. All the tracks including the live ones benefit from the added resolution of SACD. The surrounds are more used for ambiance without a real strong presence (Little Martha excluded). The sub fills in nicely showcasing Berry Oakley's bass playing but not to excess. I find that I hear parts of this album that I had not in many years of listening to it.

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/1911


Rating (scale 1 - 10) SQ of the Disc - 8 Music - 9.5


Stereo layer Sound Quality: Not Rated


System Info:

Source: Oppo 83SE

Pre/pro: Onkyo 886 - used when listening to MCH SACD/DVD-As (using the MCH analog input)

Preamp: Parasound 2100 - used when listening to 2CH SACD/DVD-As

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

Artist/Title Info: Peter Gabriel - Security


Format: SACD - DSD


Genre: Pop/Rock


Label: Geffen 493623 1982


This is Peter Gabriels fourth album and one my favorites especially on SACD. Security is a 2CH SACD with no MCH layer. The only PG SACD that is MCH is Up which is also outstanding on SACD. Those not familiar with Security will probably know the track Shock The Monkey which is the best known song on this album. To avoid further track by track reviews I will say that the SQ of the entire SACD is excellent. I would rate it as reference quality for a 2CH SACD. I have been listening as I type this with Wallflower now playing. The dynamic range is outstanding with PG's vocals front and center. Precussion which is a large part of PG's music is also excellent as well. The width and the depth of the soundstage is also very good.


I would say that the SACD is a huge improvement in overall SQ when compared to the RBCD. Due to PG's SACDs being OOP they are quite hard to come by at affordable prices. I was fortunate to get a copy of the SACD at an excellent price from a fellow AVS member. I highly recommend Security if you can find the SACD at an affordable price.


1. The Rhythm Of The Heat

2. San Jacinto

3. I Have The Touch

4. The Family And The Fishing Net

5. Shock The Monkey

6. Lay Your Hands On Me

7. Wallflower

8. Kiss Of Life

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/856


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


System Info:

Source: Oppo 83SE

Pre/pro: Onkyo 886 - MCH SACD/DVD-As (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

Artist/Title Info: Steely Dan - Aja


Format: SHM-SACD - DSD


Genre: Pop/Rock


Label: Universal Japan UIGY-9026


Aja is Steely Dan's best selling album to date released in 1977. It is easily one of my favorite 'Dan albums. I ordered this SHM-SACD with great anticipation even with the cost being close to $60.00. Once it arrived I couldn't wait to play it and kick back with the volume cranked. Unfortunately as I listened to each track I was somewhat disappointed in the SQ. I did extensive comparisons to the 1999 remastered RBCD and found that I preferred the RBCD. What I found was the soundstage was wider (less congested) and the treble has slightly more clarity than the SHM-SACD. The SHM-SACD does have the added resolution being an SACD but not that much more of an improvement over the RBCD. I was ready to sell the SHM-SACD and stick with the RBCD but I decided to hold on to it.


In my opinion unless you really need to have Aja on SACD I would pass on the SHM-SACD and get a copy on RBCD. I have read that the rare Steve Hoffman mastered Aja RBCD is the definitive digital copy to have. I have yet to hear this version but I would like to grab a copy if I ever find one.



1. Black Cow

2. Aja

3. Deacon Blues

4. Peg

5. Home At Last

6. I Got The News

7. Josie

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/6499


Rating (scale 1 - 10) Music - 9.5 SQ - 7


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



Quote:
Originally Posted by holt7153 /forum/post/20852957


Good stuff, Bill--keep 'em coming

Click to expand...

Steve,


Thanks . Although I'll keep my day job as I'd starve if I made a run at being a music reviewer . Please join in with some thoughts from your SACD/DVD-A collection. I would appreciate some reviews from others as well so I can empty out my wallet .


Bill



Quote:
Originally Posted by holt7153 /forum/post/20853115


I'm collecting some thoughts for a review of Eric Johnson/Ah Via Musicom and need to give it another listen. It's one of my favorite redbooks but a DVD-A review is a little complicated. Hopefully later this week.

Click to expand...

Steve,


That sounds like a great DVD-A to review, I'll look forward to that one.

Quote:
Originally Posted by grubadub /forum/post/20853276


good thread bill. i'll post some in the near future. i have the eat a peach sacd. it's kind of a weird disc with half of it being live and half of it being studio but i agree with you about the sound quality - not the very best but very good. sometimes i just pop in to listen to melissa and little martha just to get a taste.

Click to expand...

Thanks grub . Thats sounds good as it will be good to get different prespectives of the many SACD/DVD-A titles out there.

Title Info: Bryan Ferry: Boys And Girls


Format: Hybrid MCH SACD - DSD


Genre: Pop/Rock


Label: EMI 24386688323 (2005)


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


MCH layer Sound Quality (Transparency, Detail and Dynamics) is outstanding. As soon as Boys And Girls started it reminded me very much of Avalon. The music, sound quality and the seamless blend with the surrounds is excellent. I did not have this title on RBCD so the songs were all new to me besides Slave To Love. I enjoyed all the tracks especially the title track which is the last one on the disc. I found the title track Boys To Girls to be mesmerizing as I just kicked back in the 'ole Laz-Boy with a big smile on my face . I wish there were more MCH SACDs available with this quality of room filling transparent sound.

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/2730


Stereo layer Sound Quality: Not Rated


System Info:

Source: Oppo 83SE

Pre/pro: Onkyo 886 for MCH SACD/DVD-A (using the MCH analog input)

Preamp: Parasound 2100 for 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

Artist/Title Info: Nick Drake - Treasury


Format: Hybrid MCH SACD - DSD


Genre: Pop/Rock


Label: Island 0249867969


I had never heard of Nick Drake till I saw mention of his SACD Treasury. He was an English singer/song writer that did not have much commercial success till long after he had passed. I bought the Treasury SACD due to the positive reviews and its very low price. I was pleasantly surprised by the very good SQ and music although fairly laidback at times. His vocals are very subdued and at times hard to hear. His voice reminds me of Donovan and his music for some reason reminds me of Neil Young. The MCH layer is very good with some tracks using strings and horns. Several of my favorite tracks are River Man, Hazey Jane I and Poor Boy. I really enjoyed sitting down earlier today to listen to the entire SACD straight through.


I would definitely recommend Treasury as the music and the SQ are quite good. The low cost makes this title well worth getting on SACD.


1. Introduction

2. Hazey Jane II

3. River Man

4. Cello Song

5. Hazey Jane I

6. Pink Moon

7. Poor Boy

8. Magic

9. Place To Be

10. Northern Sky

11. Road

12. Fruit Tree

13. Black Eyed Dog

14. Way To Blue

15. From The Morning

16. Plaisir D'Amour


Rating (scale 1 - 10) Music-8 / SQ-8.5

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/2412


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

this post will be a combination review/comparison.


beck - guero (dvd audio)

sound quality/sonics - 8, surround mix - 9.5



beck - sea change (dvd audio)

sound quality/sonics - 9.5, surround mix - 9.5



i find myself listening to the guero disc a lot lately. sea change gets a lot of cyber-ink - for good reason. it sounds awesome. very clear and dynamic with very cool use of the surrounds. very robust use of the .1 channel as well. as great as sea change sounds, i defintely listen to guero more. i'm sure it has a lot to do with the overall tone of the disc. guero is very fun and entertaining. great use of the surrounds. it's an absolute blast to listen to. beck is very innovative and it really shows on guero. he's known for all the varied sounds he uses. but he has some very cool vocal arrangements as well. guero's sonics aren't up to sea change's standards. but the dynamics are great and subwoofer is fantastic. especially on broken drum, farewell ride and emergency exit. if you have a decent sub, you will have a hard time clearing the smile off of your face. there are only a few discs that i play start to finish everytime i listen. this is one of those. highly recommended.



Quote:
Originally Posted by grubadub /forum/post/20855350


this post will be a combination review/comparison.


beck - guero (dvd audio)

sound quality/sonics - 8, surround mix - 9.5



beck - sea change (dvd audio)

sound quality/sonics - 9.5, surround mix - 9.5



i find myself listening to the guero disc a lot lately. sea change gets a lot of cyber-ink - for good reason. it sounds awesome. very clear and dynamic with very cool use of the surrounds. very robust use of the .1 channel as well. as great as sea change sounds, i defintely listen to guero more. i'm sure it has a lot to do with the overall tone of the disc. guero is very fun and entertaining. great use of the surrounds. it's an absolute blast to listen to. beck is very innovative and it really shows on guero. he's known for all the varied sounds he uses. but he has some very cool vocal arrangements as well. guero's sonics aren't up to sea change's standards. but the dynamics are great and subwoofer is fantastic. especially on broken drum, farewell ride and emergency exit. if you have a decent sub, you will have a hard time clearing the smile off of your face. there are only a few discs that i play start to finish everytime i listen. this is one of those. highly recommended.

Click to expand...

grub,


Thanks for the excellent review . I have Sea Change on SACD and now I'll be on the lookout for the Guero DVD-A.


Bill



Quote:
Originally Posted by SoundofMind /forum/post/20856593


Bill, thnx for the detailed Aja review. It is disappointing, to say the least, for us SD fans. As a consolation I will post a review of my SD DVD-A collection. I like the concept of this thread, much more useful info than the "purchases" thread.

Click to expand...

SoM,


It was my pleasure . I thought it would be good to give my thoughts on Aja. The biggest reason being the cost so others would have an idea of what to expect. But as with audio components it always best to personally hear a specific component or piece of music. Some over at the Steve Hoffman forum find the Aja SHM-SACD sounds fine but just as many do not care for it. Its good to have prespective thoughts on both sides.


I only have two SHM-SACDs with the other being Dire Straits S/T album. I feel that Dire Straits is a much better sounding SHM-SACD. I have Who's Next coming as that SHM-SACD is also supposed to have very good SQ. I almost bought Dire Straits Love Over Gold but the reviews over at the SH Forum have been mixed as with Aja. I just think $50.00+ for a single 2CH SACD is a little steep especially if the SQ is questionable.


I look forward to your reviews on the Steely Dan DVD-As as I was listening to Everything Must Go yesterday. It would be awesome if there was a MCH SACD version of Aja released. Something with the SQ of Gaucho would be very nice . If you find any SACD/DVD-A bargains please post them and I'll add them to the #2 post. I went to buy the Nightfly Trilogy from Bullmoose and they were sold out . I was able to get a mint copy used for about the same price. I waited too long to buy that one but I'm glad you were able to get a copy from them.


Bill

This is a 3 for 1 combo review but I invite anyone who would like to review any of these in more detail to do so.

Artist: Steely Dan

Titles: Gaucho, Everything Must Go, Two Against Nature*

Label/Yr: Giant 2000 (TAN) MCA 2004 (Gaucho) Reprise 2006 (EMG)

Format: DVD-A, 5.1 96/24 (and 2.0 96/24) **

Rating Scale: 1 – 10 Ascending

Recording: 10

Surround Mix: 10

Content: 10 Goucho, others mebbe 9.5

Style: funk/r&b/jazz/rock fusion

Review: Full disclosure: I am a SD fan, and have enjoyed "Aja"*** as one of my RBCD demo discs for many years. That being said, I think any hip MC music enthusiast should give at least one of these 3 DVDA discs a listen on a good MC music system. Each is a finely-crafted masterwork album by top-notch professionals working long and hard on a labor of love. Donald and Walter are involved, no immersed, in every phase of production and are the core of SD. They had the luxury of spending months on an album and even selecting a particular artist for a particular track. The musical style is unmistakably and characteristically SD and, as I said, that ain't exactly hard for me to listen to. On the other hand, my wife will walk right out of the room if I crank up SD. AFAIK all these discs are available at reasonable prices and of these, I'd say Gaucho is my fav, because of the songs themselves. For ex., Hey Nineteen is a great demo selection, but it's hard to resist Babylon Sisters and Time Out of Mind as long as the disc is spinning.


IMO this is how modern music should be done and the result is a state-of-the-art studio MC mix. The lead vocals are from the CC and the main instruments are arrayed across a broad front soundstage with great tonal quality, imaging and detail. Surrounds are used to create precise phantom images along the sides. Back-up vocals, horn section, percussion fills, etc. are arrayed to good effect resulting in a surround mix which is very enjoyable. Speakers simply disappear; it is as though one is standing at the conductor's podium with musicians arrayed slightly more than 180 degrees to the front from L to R. The dynamics are excellent. The kick drum and electric bass set the standard for tight and punchy right up front. ****

NOTE: the 2 channel mix is very fine stereo with excellent SQ but missing the LFE and that delicious bass. (More disclosure: I played electric and acoustic guitar and electric bass professionally for many years).


System Info: 5.2

Player: OPPO BDP83SE (via HDMI)

AVR: Denon A100

Amplification: Emotiva XPA5

L/R: Dali Helicon 400 (9' from each other and MLP)

CC: Dali Helicon c200

Surrounds: Dali Helicon w200-direct firing (ignore the matching pair used as DSX wides for film)

Surround angle from MLP: 105°

Subs: Velodyne DD10 X2

DSP: Audyssey XT32 with Pro calibration ON, mains xover=40Hz

Room: 16’X22’ w/ 8’ walls arching to vaulted 12’ceiling (3500 cu’) family room/HT/Music w/ no formal treatments (see slightly dated pic)


*Two Against Nature is available as a very affordable DVD of a live studio session, which SD fans will enjoy.


**Gaucho is also avail in SACD, also with exc SQ, per Bill's post below


***There is a DVD "Aja" in the series Classic Albums by Eagle Rock which is inexpensive and offers a glimpse into behind-the-scenes production, selection of players, writing, interviews etc., of interest to fans. For me, it's cool to hear 3 different accomplished guitarists' solo takes on the same song. Note it does not include full cuts off the Aja album.


****Please note that I commonly tune the LFE settings for SACD and DVDA as described in this post .