SACD newbie

[Matt Lan]

A little bashful, I have never heard SACD format.



My collection (maybe a thousand?) is all standard CD format.

I've recently upgraded my system, and although late to the party, would like to tread gently into SACD waters. I don't mind re-buying "keeper" titles that I already have if the sound is truly significantly improved. A few albums I don't mind buying again:

The Who: Tommy, Quadrophenia, Who's Next
Elton John: Goodbye YBR, Tumbleweed Connection, Madman, Honky Chateau
Queen: the sound on their regulas CD's sucks a**
Jimi Hendrix: Electric Ladyland is a treasure, but horribly rendered on CD
Dire Straights, Pink Floyd etc.

Other favourite artists for example: Mark Knopfler, Dylan, Zeppelin, Allison Krauss, YES, Ray Lamontagne, Tom Petty, and others in that vein.

If you were starting from scratch, where would you begin? Which SACD's are truly exceptional, if not cost effective?

Any other "pop" SACD's that are definitive must-haves? Heck, a good version of Graceland would fill the bill. Rock, Blues, Country, Jazz - all suggestions welcome.

If you have ideas on where to buy, that would be appreciated too.

Best,

Matt

[Washline]

Dark Side of the Moon is one of the best. As far as The Who, I've heard good things about the SHM SACD version of Quad. All of the Elton John on SACD are good but I prefer GYBR on DVD-Audio. I don't think Hendrix, Dire Straits, Zeppelin, etc are on SACD. I've really enjoyed the Japanese SACD versions of Miles Davis. The American versions, not so much.

[rscotth]

Almost all dire straits are on SHM SACD. Brothers in arms is also a regular SACD. I really like the MoFi SACD. They do a superb job with many titles, available from AS or MD.

[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!

[jdandy]

Matt.......Here's a few SACD recommendations that I like.

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto - Midnight Sugar

Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company

Fourplay - Energy

Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms

Diana Krall - Girl in the Other Room

Ola Gjeilo - Stone Rose

[Still-One]

If you can find and want to pay a premium try Alison Krauss and Union Station - Live. It is out of print and goes from $150 - $250.

[Dom_P]

I just started collecting SACDs myself.

I find these exceptional :

Eagles Hotel California

Dark Side of the Moon

Marvin Gaye What's going on

On the jazz side:

Midnight Sugar

Brubeck Quartet - Time Out

[Masterlu]

Let's not forget Classical



Amazon.com: Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture etc. / Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops (Multichannel Hybrid SACD): Music

[Masterlu]

SRV -SACD



Amazon.com: In Step: Music

[doggiehowser]

Hard to find some of them now but Depeche Mode had some remasters done in 2008 of all their old albums. Awesome stuff. And in multichannel too.

Stevie Wonder is out on SHM SACD

Steely Dan, Olivia Newton John, Foreigner.

Donald Fagen

Hugh Masakela