Fantasy K2's coming out on 9/28

[Big Al]

Dave Brubeck Quartet Jazz at the College of the Pacific ~ FTB-3223-2 ~ $14.98

Vince Guaraldi Trio A Boy Named Charlie Brown ~ FTB-8430-2 ~ $14.98

Joe Pass Blues for Fred ~ PATB-2310-931-2 ~ $14.98

Miles Davis Collectors' Items ~ PRTB-7044-2 ~ $14.98

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers Ugetsu ~ RITB-9464-2 ~ $14.98

Coleman Hawkins ~ The Hawk Flies High ~ RITB-233-2 ~ $14.98

Street date 9/28/04

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I'm particularly psyched about the Blakey. The current OJC issue of this sounds horrible to these ears, and I've been hoping this would get the upgrade. The title track is nothing if it can't come exploding outta the speakers!

Also looking forward to the Hawk disc, too. I've never heard that one, but the lineup looks nice!

[Claude]

Good news. But why does Fantasy continue to have two series of audiophile reissues, K2 CDs and hybrid SACDs?

[sal]

Good news. But why does Fantasy continue to have two series of audiophile reissues, K2 CDs and hybrid SACDs?

From the ones I've heard, on a basic, non-SACD player, the K2's sound much better. They are probably keeping the K2s around for those of us without SACD. Not that the SACD hybrids don't sound good (Dolphy's "Out There" sounds great), but they are not quite as good as the K2s on a basic player.

[Leeway]

Are the prices the same for K2 or SACD versions?

[Claude]

The K2s are remastered by JVC and the SACDs by Fantasy, that is the main difference apart from the format. The list price of the K2s is $15, the SACDs $20.

But as the SACDs are hybrids and play on every CD player, there would be no reason to continue the K2 line. It is particularly strange that some titles get reissued on SACD only a year after the K2 release.

I've heard some SACDs that are better than the K2 version (Art Pepper + 11), others are worse (Monk & Trane). It's a remastering issue, it's not possible to generalize on this.

[DrJ]

I'm with Claude. The decent thing to do would be to issue only hybrids with BOTH layers in the best possible remastering (K2 or otherwise - I don't care as long as it sounds as good as it can with the present technology). But alas, Fantasy seem to be trying to milk the cow dry by repackaging the same classic stuff as many ways as possible.

[Leeway]

Are the K2 and SACD processes compatible? i.e, can they be combined on a hybrid disc?

I've read enough about hybrid SACDs, but it's not clear to me yet what are the qualities of the "regular" layer (20 bit? 24 bit? something else?).

[wolff]

This makes sense if JVC is licensing the titles from Fantasy/Concord, as Analogue Productions did for their SACD series and is doing for their vinyl series.

Edited September 7, 2004 by wolff

[tatifan]

Are the K2 and SACD processes compatible? i.e, can they be combined on a hybrid disc?

I've read enough about hybrid SACDs, but it's not clear to me yet what are the qualities of the "regular" layer (20 bit? 24 bit? something else?).

There's no reason the K2 transfer would sound different as the cd layer on an SACD hybrid. The reason they DO sound different is that they are from different remasterings. Whether the K2 is mastered at some stage in 24 bit or whatever, it's still down-rezed to the same red book cd standard as the SACD's cd layer.

[robviti]

Good news. But why does Fantasy continue to have two series of audiophile reissues, K2 CDs and hybrid SACDs?

i'm afraid it's my fault. i'm not the least bit interested in sacds. i told fantasy i wanted them to continue releasing digitial k2 remasters.i think they sound very good indeed. mea culpa. B-)

[J.A.W.]

Good news. But why does Fantasy continue to have two series of audiophile reissues, K2 CDs and hybrid SACDs?

i'm afraid it's my fault. i'm not the least bit interested in sacds. i told fantasy i wanted them to continue releasing digitial k2 remasters.i think they sound very good indeed. mea culpa. B-)

[Quincy]

This is good news as I was concerned about the Miles box traveling alone through the post. It looks like Brubeck & Hawkins will hold his hand on the long journey. Oh...and Blakey too, though I guess he'll have to hold onto something else.

I've started looking forward to these releases more than the RVGs (not that I still don't look forward to those.)

[Bluerein]

The only form of criticism on the recent Fantasy SACD's is the fact they use the same old program order as the regular OJC cd which means the alternate take is before or just after the issued take and not at the end of the cd as we're used to nowadays. This makes no sense at all since this is a new remastering and could have beer easily corrected.

Cheers,

Reinier

PS don't know if this is the same with the K2 remastered cd's but I doubt it since they are the Japanese masters and they don't do this.