@Inter_Voice: Do you know where to find information and/or purchase the "The Absolute Sound TAS" CDs in the States? I went to Stockfish's main website and its affiliates but cannot find the complete set of all TAS CDs. I think they started it in 2001.
For Rock it's got to be Blue October - 'Foiled'. For clarity, realism and lack of distortion it's the best i've heard. Even better than Rage's debut. The vocals especially are amazingly recorded.
Assuming it's just plain old CD's you want, you might want to try some of JVC's XRCD range which will paly on any CD player. Of all the high quality CD's I've owned from the likes of Mobile Fidelity and Dunhill Compact Classics, XRCD's seem to give the best results to my ears. One of my favourites is Private Dancer by Tina Turner. Unfortunately it's deleted now and not easy to get hold of, but it sounds incredibly detailed and has a great bass.
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms is a well known reference CD (16/44).
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (16/44)
Steely Dan - Gaucho (SACD @ 88.2)
Diana Krall - The Girl in the Other Room (24/96)
Make sure you buy this...
Kelly Joe Phelps - Lead Me On (15 Anniversary Remaster)
... because it's excellent :¬)
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me (16/44)
Steely Dan - Gaucho (SACD @ 88.2)
Diana Krall - The Girl in the Other Room (24/96)
Make sure you buy this...
Kelly Joe Phelps - Lead Me On (15 Anniversary Remaster)
... because it's excellent :¬)
6th.replicant
Well-known member
Elgar's Enigma Variations (Menuhin/RPO)
An excellent recording on SACD, which costs a very reasonable £6 from an Amazon trader.
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
Remastered MoFi/SACD version. Arrived today, can't stop playing it - heaps of detail; heeoooge soundstage; extraordinary separation; spooky dynamic range that has no hint of brightness; the music simply flows in the most wonderfully unforced manner. Benchmark.
brettypete321Yoga6th.replicantMANY THANKSMy sincere thanks to all of you for the useful suggestions. I think I have discovered some very well made recordings through this thread. It is indeed very helpful. Now I need to start collecting these recordings one by one.
Apparently (like many of these things), grabbing the original will get you one of the better masterings...so if you're on a budget you could land a good quality recording without the high cost of some of these newer versions. Horses for courses ultimately, but for me I usually want something that's as near to the original analogue tape which the original CDs usually are.
EDIT: Steven - not sure if I've mentioned it already but in case not, check out the Steve Hoffman Forum. Steve's a mastering engineer who has a bit of a following, but the forum is chock-full of useful threads and it's one of the best resources on the net to find good recordings. Some of the posts can be a bit anal with graphs measuring peak limiting, excessive EQ, etc, etc. but it's worth a read for all that. Certainly got me into finding better quality discs and I've not looked back.
EDIT: Steven - not sure if I've mentioned it already but in case not, check out the Steve Hoffman Forum. Steve's a mastering engineer who has a bit of a following, but the forum is chock-full of useful threads and it's one of the best resources on the net to find good recordings. Some of the posts can be a bit anal with graphs measuring peak limiting, excessive EQ, etc, etc. but it's worth a read for all that. Certainly got me into finding better quality discs and I've not looked back.
For breathtaking dynamics, dynamic contrast and dynamic range try this one: http://www.opus3records.com/artists/blues/19401.htm
I have never been disappointed with their products! Link: http://www.opus3records.com/
To think that some people still beleive that they are listening to Hi-Fi when they put on MP3... yeah right.
Give Eric a chance and see what you think.
I have never been disappointed with their products! Link: http://www.opus3records.com/
To think that some people still beleive that they are listening to Hi-Fi when they put on MP3... yeah right.
Give Eric a chance and see what you think.
the record spot
Thanks a lot for the information.
Shall chek up Steve Hoffman Forum. Sounds promising.
Thanks a lot for the information.
Shall chek up Steve Hoffman Forum. Sounds promising.
proffski said:
It's just that a well mastered recording on MP3 will be a better listen than a poorly done one on SACD (or whatever). All you'll get is overcompressed/over EQ'd/over limited dross and it'll sound like it unfortunately.
anhthao88 said:
You are right, these SACDs are quite difficult to find nowadays. I bought most of them from eBay. I have TAS 2004 to 2009 in my collection. TAS 2005-2008 were made in Germany while TAS 2004 and 2009 were product of some other Company. In my opinion the German made recording is one of the best. I don't have TAS 2003 and 2010 as they are not in SACD format.
The best thing in my collection is the Blu-Ray of Return To Forever Live at Montreaux. It is the only album I have where I can really imagine being there. The low level bass is thunderous and all of the instruments can be clearly heard. At a live performance, you can feel the thump of a drum and bass (acoustic or electric) makes the whole place shake. Hardly any live recordings do this but this is an exception.
I listened to it shortly after my first listen to the Rush Moving Pictures Blu-Ray and it is considerably better.
I listened to it shortly after my first listen to the Rush Moving Pictures Blu-Ray and it is considerably better.
If you don't mind downloading as FLAC and can play them there is a website that sells complete albums up to 192kHz 24-bit music. Most HD music they have is 96/24 though. https://www.hdtracks.com
While they state that they sell within the US only, I have had no trouble downloading albums, they go for between 14 and 18 US$, which is not very expensive.
While they state that they sell within the US only, I have had no trouble downloading albums, they go for between 14 and 18 US$, which is not very expensive.
Agreed on one point, I have no time in any of my collections for badly mastered crud, but neither do I have time for MP3. I once went foolishly for “remastered” CDs assuming that they would have been cleaned up. No, they had been butchered, mangled and compressed to death with oodles of information missing. I must have bought a dozen at once.
I could not bring myself to sell them on so gave them away to friends, acquaintances colleagues and enemies with less demanding systems and hearing.
Give me a good analogue vinyl based system and I have to be dragged away shouting and fighting!
I could not bring myself to sell them on so gave them away to friends, acquaintances colleagues and enemies with less demanding systems and hearing.
Give me a good analogue vinyl based system and I have to be dragged away shouting and fighting!
May I add the following two which I found to be of exceptionally high quality:
Quincy Jones - Gula Matari
Quincy Jones - You've Got It Bad Girl
Quincy Jones - Gula Matari
Quincy Jones - You've Got It Bad Girl
marplesl said:
It'll play the CD layer if you buy a hybrid SACD disc, however, as inter voice says, the Rega is configured to play SACD.
If you need some classical music to reset your ears after all that hard-rock, you can't go wrong with trying, Power Of The Orchestra - Rene Leibowitz, this Hybrid SACD sounded great back in the day, and even better now, thanks to Analogue Productions remastering. It's basically Moussorgsky's Night On Bare Mountain & Pictures At An Exhibition with the RPO. A very easy to get into CD, a bit pop-classical ie Holst - The Planets, some nice peaceful interludes shared with tracks of power and attack 
Give it a try.
Give it a try.I have a couple of Eric Bibb CDs they are well recorded.
Bookers Guitar and Diamond Days if you like Blues music.
Nick
Bookers Guitar and Diamond Days if you like Blues music.
Nick
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