EyeSpeech Posted February 24, 2011 Report Posted February 24, 2011 In addition to the fine Analogue Production reissues of select BN and Impulse titles, SHM JSACD imports are now dribbling out. I haven't purchased any of the jazz ones yet. But based on the Steely Dan - Aja release with incredible sound quality, it may be worth splurging on one or two. The problem is they're ridiculously expensive at twice the cost of the AP stuff. The jazz titles of interest to some include (some of these are not yet released): Wes Montgomery - Incredible Jazz Guitar John Coltrane - My Favorite Things John Coltrane - Ballads John Coltrane - A Love Supreme Charles Mingus - Pithecanthropus Erectus John Coltrane - and Johnny Hartman Miles Davis - Cookin' Ornette Coleman - Shape of Jazz to Come Bill Evans Trio - Explorations Jimmy Smith - The Cat Bill Evans - Alone Bill Evans - A Portrait in Jazz Modern Jazz Quartet - Plays Miles Davis - Relaxin' John Coltrane - Giant Steps Sonny Rollins - Way Out West Art Pepper - Meets the Rhythm Section Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus Many of these titles were released on SACD domestically, so it's especially hard to justify. If anyone has heard these, though, I'd be interested in your impressions. A few Diana Kralls as well that I didn't bother including on the list. Quote
Dmitry Posted February 24, 2011 Report Posted February 24, 2011 I've seen them on eBay, but don't have a single title. Quote
Kevin Bresnahan Posted February 24, 2011 Report Posted February 24, 2011 (edited) I have two of the rock titles and though they sound good, they are far too expensive for that incremental improvement in sound. You can't get them for under $50 as far as I know. Edited February 24, 2011 by Kevin Bresnahan Quote
EyeSpeech Posted February 24, 2011 Author Report Posted February 24, 2011 Yep, I also have two rock titles. They sound great and I don't regret the expense although it's just too pricey. It will be difficult to control myself with several upcoming titles that I want, especially Giant Steps and My Favorite Things. Those weren't the world's greatest recordings to begin with but important enough to make any incremental improvement worth the expense, potentially. Quote
monkboughtlunch Posted February 27, 2011 Report Posted February 27, 2011 (edited) The SACD of My Favorite Things is reportedly the MONO mix -- a DSD transfer from the original US mono mixdown tape (not from a Japanese dub tape). The mono mix is not fold-down of the stereo, but instead reportedly a unique mix made from the 8 track multi-tracks back in the day. I've never heard the mono Lp mix so this one intrigues me. Anyone heard the mono album mix before? Comments? Good dynamic range or squashed and compressed? How does it compare to the stereo? I guess the original multitracks were burned in the 1970s fire so this may be the only opportunity to hear the album differently than the stereo mix, via this dedicated unique mono mix. Edited February 27, 2011 by monkboughtlunch Quote
EyeSpeech Posted February 27, 2011 Author Report Posted February 27, 2011 Haven't heard those mixes on any format...but that is indeed promising news. I think I will have to splurge on this import! Quote
mooche Posted February 27, 2011 Report Posted February 27, 2011 Pithecanthropus Erectus on SHM-SACD is also a mono mix. Is it possible that mono sounds better for these two albums? Quote
EyeSpeech Posted February 27, 2011 Author Report Posted February 27, 2011 Sure it's possible depending on the source material. I don't like PE enough to justify the huge price-tag of the JSACD. Quote
EyeSpeech Posted March 11, 2011 Author Report Posted March 11, 2011 Just ordered My Favorite Things. Curiosity got the better of me. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted March 11, 2011 Report Posted March 11, 2011 Pithecanthropus Erectus on SHM-SACD is also a mono mix. Is it possible that mono sounds better for these two albums? Never recorded in stereo AFAIK. The SACD of My Favorite Things is reportedly the MONO mix -- a DSD transfer from the original US mono mixdown tape (not from a Japanese dub tape). The mono mix is not fold-down of the stereo, but instead reportedly a unique mix made from the 8 track multi-tracks back in the day. I've never heard the mono Lp mix so this one intrigues me. Anyone heard the mono album mix before? Comments? Good dynamic range or squashed and compressed? How does it compare to the stereo? I guess the original multitracks were burned in the 1970s fire so this may be the only opportunity to hear the album differently than the stereo mix, via this dedicated unique mono mix. Did Atlantic have 8 track recorders back then? Quote
monkboughtlunch Posted March 12, 2011 Report Posted March 12, 2011 Pithecanthropus Erectus on SHM-SACD is also a mono mix. Is it possible that mono sounds better for these two albums? Never recorded in stereo AFAIK. The SACD of My Favorite Things is reportedly the MONO mix -- a DSD transfer from the original US mono mixdown tape (not from a Japanese dub tape). The mono mix is not fold-down of the stereo, but instead reportedly a unique mix made from the 8 track multi-tracks back in the day. I've never heard the mono Lp mix so this one intrigues me. Anyone heard the mono album mix before? Comments? Good dynamic range or squashed and compressed? How does it compare to the stereo? I guess the original multitracks were burned in the 1970s fire so this may be the only opportunity to hear the album differently than the stereo mix, via this dedicated unique mono mix. Did Atlantic have 8 track recorders back then? http://www.nyrocker.com/blog/tag/tom-dowd/ "In an October 1999 interview for MIX magazine, Dowd noted that “in February of ‘58, the first [Atlantic] session on 8-track was Lavern Baker. Within the next 90 days, I went through Bobby Darin, the Coasters, Charlie Mingus, Ray Charles…I would be sitting in the studio doing the Coasters at 2 o’clock in the afternoon with Mike [stoller] and Jerry [Leiber]. Ahmet would call me up and say, ‘Ten o’clock tonight, we’re going to do Mingus.’ You want culture shock? Go from the Coasters to Charlie Mingus in ten hours!” Dowd designed Atlantic’s first 8-track studio on West 60th Street in 1959 and began recording there the following year." Quote
Late Posted March 20, 2011 Report Posted March 20, 2011 Just ordered My Favorite Things. Curiosity got the better of me. Let us know how it sounds when you get it, and if you have any other versions to A/B it with. Quote
EyeSpeech Posted March 20, 2011 Author Report Posted March 20, 2011 Well you'll never guess what happened within hours of getting the "your order has shipped" notice from CDJapan...the earthquake and tsunami hit. It didn't occur to me to think of my order for several days after watching the news coming out of Japan. Quote
EyeSpeech Posted March 23, 2011 Author Report Posted March 23, 2011 To my surprise the JSACDs arrived today. I thought they would be lost or at least take much longer to arrive. I'm pleased with the My Favorite Things. It could not be more different than the K2 20 bit version. The K2 has a very superficial, wide soundstage with the drums hard left and the sax hard right. The SHM-SACD is mono. The instruments are relaxed with a more realistic quality in terms of the attack/decay. The bass is poor in both versions; that's just the way it was recorded. It's bloated and lacks definition. Tthe more you move toward treble, the better the definition gets--the sax, drums and piano were mic'ed right. When Tyner hits some of those high notes about 3:20 into Everytime We Say Goodbye, it sounds very well recorded indeed. Aside from the bass, the presence on the SACD is impressive. They did a good job on the K2, but this is better. Much of it depends on your preference for hard panning vs mono. Quote
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