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SACD Purchase


garymd

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On 11/19/2003 10:11:32 AM HeavyDistortion wrote:

"BTW - I checked my Mars Hotel CD we discussed and it is the 1989 silver version."

Gary,

If it's the silver MFSL disc, it's definitely the one to have, and you don't see them around too often.

Ed Hurdle

HeavyDistortion

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Ed,

That's the one. When I first got my scott, I was amazed at all the percussion in the jam on "Unbroken Chain" I'd never heard before. I bought it about 5 years ago. Were any others made in '89 that you know of?

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"Were any others made in '89 that you know of?"

Gary,

Are you asking about other MFSL silver CDs? If so, there were a number of them available, and the other available MFSL titles are shown inside the booklets on many of these CDs. Check out the "Mars Hotel" booklet and see if they list any of them. Some of the original MFSL silver CDs that I have and love are:

Spirit - "12 Dreams Of Dr. Sardonicus"

Humble Pie - "Rock On"

Loggins & Messina - "Sittin' In"

Joe Walsh - "Barnstorm"

Procol Harum - "Home"

Procol Harum - "A Salty Dog"

Others that I do not own, but have heard, and was impressed by, are:

Al Stewart - "Year Of The Cat"

The Youngbloods - "Elephant Mountain"

Alan Parsons Project - "I, Robot"

Procol Harum - "Live /The Edmondton Symphony Orchestra"

Procol Harum - "Broken Barricades"

Joe Cocker - "Mad Dogs & Englishmen"

Rick Wakeman - "Journey To The Center Of The Earth"

Booker T. & MG's - "McLemore Avenue"

Quincy Jones - "Smackwater Jack"

There are also some jazz and classical titles that were released on MFSL silver CDs, but I'm not aware of all of the titles. I can say that every one the discs that are listed above have excellent sonics.

Ed Hurdle

HeavyDistortion

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I can see where this could become an expensive habit. I went out at lunch and bought:

Steely Dan, Gaucho

Santana, Abraxas

Dave Breubeck, Time Out

I wanted a lot more. The really good jazz titles are close to $30 or more. These were between $16-$19 each. Ouch. I like the $.50 lps more and more.

Is it worth hooking this up to my HT? I currently keep everything seperate (niles switchbox to direct the cornwalls between recievers). I guess I could use the scott for my fronts and have the SACD player as 5.1 or 2-channel with one hook-up?

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On 11/19/2003 1:50:28 PM garymd wrote:

Is it worth hooking this up to my HT? I currently keep everything seperate (niles switchbox to direct the cornwalls between recievers). I guess I could use the scott for my fronts and have the SACD player as 5.1 or 2-channel with one hook-up?----------------

Gary,

I've tried many ways and many times to integrate my 2 channel and HT systems. Not to mention the fact that most 5.1 channel music sounds strange to me (anyone remember "Quadraphonic" 8-track?). I still have a few DTS music discs and simply can't get used to instruments and voices coming at me from 360º. I've never been to a live music venue yet where I'm surrounded by performers. Heck, even when The Captain came out in the audience to play, the sound still came from the stage.

Chris

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I agree with keeping the HT and stereo audio systems separate. No band plays in 5.1 that I know of. I've used "surround sound" and various DSP environments to simulate a concert hall and stadium (I.E. echo) with success. But 2 CH. is what I enjoy most when listening to music.

I have a Sony HT in a box, a decent system. And there are some nice perceptions hearing 5.1 music. But to me, it doesn't mix with the Klipsch live band sound, as well as 2 Ch. Now I am speaking about music, not TV or movies.

For movies and TV, I definitely prefer the HT system and all its wonderful configurability. In fact, with all my Klipsch speakers, I could probably have a kick a$$ HT. I might have to try it sometime.

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There is more to multi channel, or any recording for that matter, than re-creating a band on stage. A band in a studio *never* is set up like a band on stage. *Never.* May I repeat that? Never. So the aim in home listening is not to represent reality, or you'd have musicians playing their parts in isolation booths, sometimes overdubbing months or even years later. They are placed in the mix by engineers, who can put them anywhere on a left-right continuum that they so choose.

So when Pete Townshend, for example, wants a new Tommy mix in multi channel, he can mix it any way he so desires as being the best presentation of the work he created. There is no original band-on-stage to represent. He loves the new multi channel mix and says it's the way the band always wanted Tommy to be heard.

Plus, the vast majority of surround channels on releases so far are for ambience. And there is ambience on everything you've ever heard live except for outdoor shows in a field.

P.S. Very few bands play live in stereo, either.

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I agree with your defintions. However, not that the aim of music listening is to not represent reality at times. My favorite music is live music, live recordings. That's why I stated the above. To me, 2 Ch stereo + Klipsch works best right now for music like that. So I do want to recreate the reality of what was seen and heard at a show.

However, I do agree there's a time and place for the 5.1 sound. I love multichannel sound. I didn't mean to give the wrong impression. I'm sure Pink Floyd would be awesome in 5.1. Now there's an example of me wanting to purposely not receate reality. Let's have the cash register sounds and bells come from sneaky places.

I guess I'm saying my preferences for certain types of music are on specific types of systems, and that it is not all inclusive.

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Mark1101,

As you mentioned, with all your equipment, you should give MCH music a tryout. You don't have to lay out a penny. "The Dark Side of the Moon" is a good one for experiencing an aggressive mix.

I'll tell ya, though, even with a solo performer, like on "Another Side of Bob Dylan," 5 channels yields a more convincing presentation than mono or stereo.

P.S. Right now I listen to TV and DVD through my TV speakers, and I don't mind because I so seldom watch anything.

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On 11/19/2003 4:20:29 PM paulparrot wrote:

There is more to multi channel, or any recording for that matter, than re-creating a band on stage. A band in a studio *never* is set up like a band on stage. *Never.* May I repeat that? Never. So the aim in home listening is not to represent reality, or you'd have musicians playing their parts in isolation booths, sometimes overdubbing months or even years later. They are placed in the mix by engineers, who can put them anywhere on a left-right continuum that they so choose.

"never"?, pretty strong statement. What about live recording?

So when Pete Townshend, for example, wants a new Tommy mix in multi channel, he can mix it any way he so desires as being the best presentation of the work he created. There is no original band-on-stage to represent. He loves the new multi channel mix and says it's the way the band always wanted Tommy to be heard.

I hear Pete Townsend
is
in to a lot of "new mix" material.
2.gif

Plus, the vast majority of surround channels on releases so far are for ambience. And there is ambience on everything you've ever heard live except for outdoor shows in a field.

Great, just what I'm looking for. Fake ambience. Just like the new symPHONY hall in Seattle.

P.S. Very few bands play live in stereo, either.

No kidding.

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Seriously though, I think multi channel can be very cool. It's just not my favorite way to listen to music. In fact, the absolute best soundstaging/imaging I've ever heard was put out by some very old laquer 78's (mono, no less) of Hawaiian Slack Key music at Dan Meinwald's (EAR USA rep.) house on some old vintage tube gear. It was AMAZING! BTW, I saw The Who do a live staging of "Tommy" at Maples Pavilion (Stanford Univ.) in about 1976 I believe. Absolutely no surround sound there at all. Plenty of ambience though, and none of it faked.

Chris

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Dave Bruebeck's Time Out. So far this is the best SACD I've heard. Maybe because it's the only jazz SACD I've heard so far and the original is great also. Beats Gaucho, hands down. I haven't listened to Santana yet but the night's still young. "Take Five" blew me away and I've heard it a thousand times.

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For what it's worth, here's the TAS list..

The Best in New-Format Software - SACD

All titles multichannel unless otherwise noted

Bach: The Four Great Toccatas and Fugues. Biggs, organ. Sony 87983

Patricia Barber: Modern Cool. Mobile Fidelity Hybrid Stereo 2003

Beck: Sea Change. Geffen 0694935372

Big Brother and the Holding Company: Cheap Thrills. Legacy 65784

John Coltrane: Soultrane. Mobile Fidelity 2020

Sam Cook: All the ABKCO Remastered Collection Hybrid Stereo titles

Dvorak: Symphonies 8 & 9 (Fischer). Philips 470 617

Exceptional Masterpieces. Combattimento Consort. Bona Nova 10011

Bill Evans: Waltz for Debby. Analogue Productions Hybrid Stereo 9399

Alison Krauss: Now that I've Found You. Rounder Hybrid Stereo 0325

Love & Lament (Cappella Figuralis). Channel Classics 17002

Natalie MacMaster: In My Hands. Rounder Hybrid Stereo 7025

Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (Tilson Thomas). SFS Media 0002

Music of Turina and Debussy (Lopez-Cobos). Telarc 60574

Art Pepper: Meets the Rhythm Section. Analogue Productions Hybrid Stereo 7532

The Police: Outlandos d'Amour. A&M Single-layer Stereo 493 602

Poulenc: Concerto for Organ. Linn Records CKD 180

Rainbow Body. Barber. Copland. Theofanidis. Telarc 60596

The Rolling Stones: All 20 ABKCO studio records and collections. Hybrid Stereo

Rossini: Famous Overtures (Marriner). PentaTone 5186 106

Saint-Saens/Tchaikovsky/Bruch: Cello Works. Channel

Stravinsky/Brahms: Violin Concertos (Hahn). Sony 89649

Vaughan Williams: A Sea Symphony. Telarc 60588

Had considered trying out the SCD-555ES based on Larry Greenhill's review.

Purchased a used SCD-777ES instead after a 3rd audition that was

longer than a weekend, no wonder it took so long to warm up.

It will remain in the 'ON' position indefinitely..

scd_inside1.jpg

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When looking at titles at Tower Record today, I was kicking myself for having just purchsed some of the available titles. Seemed a waste to buy them again, especially at $20. I just purchased "Bluetrain" on lp for $11 the other day but I wasn't upset about that one but a few others I should have checked to see if hybrids were available.

Anyone thinking of buying an SACD player in the future should check for hybrid versions before buying a particular CD. Seems about 50% of SACDs are hybrids.

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Lordy Gary Neuman! How about resizing that beast to a 700 width? I am running a 21" at 1280x1024 and that makes problems.

If you use Earthlink, you have your own space to the tune of about 70MB or so (10mb per screen name).

Drop me a mail. That's a pretty short list...

kh

ps- I set up live recordings in the studio JUST LIKE ON stage plenty of times but only if goind with a live recording setup with the two mics. And if you are doing a duet or quartet, there are PLENTY of times they are setup like onstage. More often than not, however, they arent but to say never is false. There is far more a chance of this happening with a simple live room pickup.

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