SACD newbie

[j3brow]

Originally Posted by audioguy3107

Hi Matt, I think you'll really enjoy SACDs....I was in the same boat as you were a few years ago until I bought my Ayre SACD/DVD-A player and I've never looked back. One thing to keep in mind is that for the most part SACDs are a huge upgrade from their redbook counterparts, but you can still have mastering issues etc, just because its an SACD doesn't mean it'll be representative of the format. That being said, here's some recommendations for you:

MFSL Stevie Ray Vaughan discs....awesome. All of his studio albums are available.

Elton John discs most are available...watch out for Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, there are some negative reviews out there. Captain Fantastic is one of my better sounding discs.

Dire Straits......all the studio albums up until Brothers In Arms are SHM SACDs from Japan and can range up to $59.99, if you love the band, they're worth it. If not, then no. Love Over Gold and self titled are the 2 best.

Billy Joel....most studio albums are out there from Sony (out of print) or MFSL....all sound great

Pink Floyd....DSOTM and Wish you Were Here....no brainers...fantastic

Aerosmith Toys In The Attic...out of print, but if you can find a used copy, it's great.

Bob Dylan titles are available from Columbia and recently MFSL....The MFSL discs I've heard so far are better and warmer than the Columbia discs, maybe not quite as detailed but a little harsher. MFSL Blood On The Tracks is stellar.

Mark Knopfler: Shangri-La...reference quality sound. No brainer.

Queen: Available on the expensive SHM SACDs....sound quality not up to par with all the above.....I'd try one disc maybe before I'd buy all of them to see what you think.

The Doors: coming soon.....check out Acoustic Sounds.....I assume they may use the same mastering as the DVD Audio set, we'll see soon.

The Who: I have the SHM SACD (expensive) of Who's Next. Reference quality, couldn't believe how great it sounded. No brainer. Tommy is good too (standard SACD, not expensive SHM)

That's a quick rundown.......if you're into any classical or jazz, then number of titles goes up in a hurry......Diana Krall, Holly Cole, Getz/Gilberto, Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, Coltrane and many others. If you have any questions on any specific disc, post and we'll try to answer!

+1

I concur with EVERYTHING above.
I have the SACD's discussed above and they are exceptional. Cream of the crop.
I would add Rolling Stones, Cream, and Black Sabbath SHM-SACDs. I also just listened to Nickel Creek 'This Side' SACD, if you like this kind of music, it is wonderfully recorded talented young musicians.
Alison Krauss Union Station 'New Favorite' SACD is also amazing
Nat King Cole 'Love is the Thing', 'the very thought of you' and 'after midnight' are ESSENTIAL. I had never ever even listened to NKC before these re-issues. Amazing music.
I too will be ordering the Elvis SACDs even though the DCC needledrop '24K hits' I have is already amazing, some say the SACD is even better.
MFSL SACDs, just scored Dylan 'Blood on the Tracks' and Allman brothers band S/T. Simply killer on both accounts. Can't wait for 'Eat a Peach' and 'Brothers and Sisters'.

[Evans224]

This may be a stupid question, but are you listening to SACD's on a two channel rig?

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by Evans224

This may be a stupid question, but are you listening to SACD's on a two channel rig?

Not stupid at all, yes predominately on two channel.

[Matt Lan]

First 6 SACD's ordered from Music Direct:

- Captain Fantastic (Island)
- Tumbleweed connection (Island)
- Close to the Edge (Audio Fidelity)
- Tea for the Tillerman (Analogue)
- Wish you were here (Analogue)
- Freewheelin Bob Dylan (Mobile Fidelity)

High hopes indeed...

I may satisfy my hankering for some good ol' "Who" with the 14 LP box set...

Now all I need is a turntable!!!

Hmmm... will be lurking in the vinyl forum to see what's involved.

Best,

Matt

[BlueFox]

Originally Posted by Evans224

This may be a stupid question, but are you listening to SACD's on a two channel rig?

99% of the time. My SACD player, Sony XA-5400ES, has a switch on the back to allow it to only play in two-channel mode. Sometimes I will use the HT system for multi-channel SACD.

[Matt Lan]

I will be playing my new SACDs 2 channel through an Oppo-95 (for now).

I assume no special setup is required?

Best,

Matt

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by Matt Lane

I will be playing my new SACDs 2 channel through an Oppo-95 (for now).

I assume no special setup is required?

Best,

Matt

Nope, insert & play.

[Portugal]

Browsing Amazon for SACD and sorting by release date gave me the impression that today SACD releases are mainly (almost only) classical music.

[doggiehowser]

Portugal

Try going to cdjapan.co.jp

They will send it by courier overseas.

[bart]

Originally Posted by doggiehowser

Portugal

Try going to cdjapan.co.jp

They will send it by courier overseas.

And it works well!