Best Place to Buy SACD and Which SACD's Do You Recommend

[1KW]

I am looking to increase my SACD collection but I am not sure what is the best place to purchase them. $45 for a disk on sites like exclusive disk seem excessive which is more than double what the redbook disk cost on Amazon or at local book stores or best buy. Another option is downloading from HD tracks but then I am stuck using my hard drive as the source and I have no back up if my HD crashes unless I keep multiple back ups which is a pain. When I have the original CD or SACD this is my ultimate back up. I have also seen on another thread that XRCD rivals SACD, but many of the XRCD have titles I am not familiar with and I could use some recommendations. David

[Still-One]

There are a lot of places to buy, Amazon is usually pretty good.

If you want a list of all SACD's try here: http://www.sa-cd.net/

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by 2uberoller

I am looking to increase my SACD collection but I am not sure what is the best place to purchase them. $45 for a disk on sites like exclusive disk seem excessive which is more than double what the redbook disk cost on Amazon or at local book stores or best buy. Another option is downloading from HD tracks but then I am stuck using my hard drive as the source and I have no back up if my HD crashes unless I keep multiple back ups which is a pain. When I have the original CD or SACD this is my ultimate back up. I have also seen on another thread that XRCD rivals SACD, but many of the XRCD have titles I am not familiar with and I could use some recommendations. David

XRCD doesn't just rival SACD, it often crushes it and not because of the media but because of the care of mastering and using analog master tapes to do the transfer. Some SACDs are great too but often there is little to be gained.

[Dj_AmTraX]

www.musicdirect.com is another good place, but they are pricey. I'd go for used because it helps the recycling process, but I shouldn't speak because I haven't bought a SACD in over two years.

[David]

For rock you can get many of the Rolling Stones albums and some Dylan.

Here are a few classical recommendations for both performance and sound with some comments:

Bartok: Concerto For Orchestra: Reiner/Chicago
Beethoven, Cello Sonatas Wispelwey (This might have the best recorded sound I have ever heard.)
Brahms-Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77: Hahn, Marriner/Accademy of St Martin in the Fields
Brahms, Symphony No 4, Walter/Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue/An American in Paris, Bernstein/New York Philharmonic (Indispensable)
Handel, Arias-Theodora; La Lucrezia; Serse, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson/Bicket/Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightment (Singing of incredible delicacy)
Mahler, Symphony no 3, Chailly/Royal Concertgebow (One of the best Mahler 3 recordings in any format)
Mahler, Symphony No 5, Termirkanov /St Petersberg
Mahler, Symphony No 5, Nott/ Bamberger Symphony Orchestra
Mendelssohn, Piano Trios, Fischer (violin), Gilad (piano), Müller-Schott (cello)
Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 Swensen (violin & conductor)/Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Prokofiev, Symphony no 5, Jurowsky/Russian National Orchestra
Schubert, String Quintet in C Major, D. 956, Op. 163, Prazak Quartet (plus Marc Coppey cello) SACD
Strauss:Also Sprach Zarathustra/ Ein Heldenleben , Reiner/Chicago Symphony Orchestra

[f1 fan]

Originally Posted by 2uberoller

I am looking to increase my SACD collection but I am not sure what is the best place to purchase them. $45 for a disk on sites like exclusive disk seem excessive which is more than double what the redbook disk cost on Amazon or at local book stores or best buy. Another option is downloading from HD tracks but then I am stuck using my hard drive as the source and I have no back up if my HD crashes unless I keep multiple back ups which is a pain. When I have the original CD or SACD this is my ultimate back up. I have also seen on another thread that XRCD rivals SACD, but many of the XRCD have titles I am not familiar with and I could use some recommendations. David

Acoustic Sounds www.acousticsounds.com

Music Direct www.amusicdirect.com

[1KW]

Thanks everyone, this is very helpful.

[80B]

A few other titles that come top-of-mind:

Beethoven's symphonies by Karajan/Berliner Philharmonic from DG
Midnight Sugar by Tsuyoshi Yamamoto trio
Avalon - Roxy Music - very cool in 5.1 - this layer contains an extra track
Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
Dark Side of the Moon - Pink Floyd

I think all the previous posts have the best places to buy.

[jetblack]

Here are the sites Ivan suggested to me awhile back. A couple have already been mentioned. These will give you an idea of what SACD's are on the market.

http://store.acousticsounds.com/

http://www.elusivedisc.com/products.asp?dept=907

http://headsup.com/index.html

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

[Tonepub]

I've got a few doubles on a couple of Bob Dylan titles and Rolling Stones... Drop me a PM and I'll be happy to sell em to you for $10 each.

I've found quite a bit of SACD out on Ebay, often pretty cheap.