I have yet to find one that really stands out. What would you pick if you could only decide on one album? I’ve heard the Brothers in Arms SACD is a must own
16/44 flac
The 2022 MFSL SACD of Michael Jackson’s Thriller sounds awesome.
MFSL, SACD, MQA or other format
Mastering is more important than format, and for older albums/songs, the best version is often an old-ass CD/LP pressing.
For example, the remastered version of Mariya Takeuchi’s Variety is horribly compressed, and the 1980s CD/LP pressings sound night-and-day better.
For me it depends, it comes down to the mastering. And sometimes the older versions sound better.
That particular album is an upsample from a 48khz master so I disagree
I REALLY enjoy “This Is The Moody Blues” UHQCD MQA. I hear details on this copy that I’ve never heard before. My only complaint is that it’s really bright. Knowing that the Quad Reel to Reels come with Dolby, I’m suspicious that one would need a Dolby box to hear it correctly.
Another really great MQA recording is “Live and Let Die”, Paul McCartney MQA.
The Elton John and Pink Floyd releases on SACD are also a must have.
Finally, the MFSL A Day At The Races on CD is one of my favorite CDs.
Led Zeppelin and Queen MQA are not that great IMHO. The hi-res PCM releases of the Yes catalogue are also outstanding, but only on DVD-A or Blu Ray.
Lol, all of this was recorded decades ago on analog magnetic tape.
The DSD remastering of the Depeche Mode catalog (up to the early ‘00s I think) that was done for the SACD reissues sounds amazing… I couldn’t imagine better.
That said, you don’t need to actually seek it out in DSD format. The CD downconversions also sound incredible, and those are the ones that are now available on streaming services (if you’re playing the actual albums, not a compilation). So most of their catalog now sounds awesome even on Spotify 320kbps.
No idea on must-owns.
I did, however, buy the Brothers in Arms SACD to hear what people say about the format, and because i already had the universal disc player. I should say I’ve never heard the original version.
The disc has the best studio album sound of just about anything i own (records, CDs, DVDs, and blurays). The sound quality is up there with bluray, but i only have concerts on bluray (no studio albums).
My kit is an Oppo UDP-205, VPI Classic turntable with Hana SL moving coil cartridge, Mobile Fidelity StudioPhono preamp, Marantz PM5003 integrated amp, and Focal Chorus 807V speakers.
Cheers!
There is no one-size-fits all answer because it all depends on the specific release. Sometimes, the plain-jane original release sounds best.
I thoroughly enjoy Karl Bohm’s version of Mozart clarinet concert on SACD : it is SO fluid and blooming, so f€&@%n mellifluous. Also Ali Akbar Khan’s Indian architexture on water lily records SACD. Got most of Coltrane on UHHQCD MQA: sounds so much more real and emotive: best version up until now: almost analog. Same relaxed sound as SACD. After this you can’t listen to those horrible pcm’s anymore.
SACDs are technically better than red books but with a good recording I hear little difference. I have a fairly transparent system. I recently purchased DGs Beethoven new complete set, many of the recordings are out of this world, I own SACDs of some of the identical albums, my wife and I A/B tested and we picked the red books more than the SACDs. Now take multi channel (which I have a system for and enjoy) and it’s an entirely different conversation.
That’s interesting…I guess better mastering could be a factor or perhaps better DA converting for red book. Are the SACD’s DSD? I find SACD that are still based on pcm mastering inferior to dsd mastering:
“DSD uses delta-sigma modulation a form of pulse-density modulation encoding, a technique to represent audio signals in digital format, a sequence of single-bit values at a sampling rate of 2.8224 MHz. This is 64 times the CD audio sampling rate of 44.1 kHz, but with 1-bit samples instead of 16-bit samples.”
…that’s a big difference…
The Roxy Music “Avalon” SACD has a superb surround mix and a wonderful bonus track "Always Unknowing.
MP3 320
Warren Zevon’s Excitable Boy sacd is a great listen. A major step up from the other versions I’ve heard. Honorable mentions to Hotel California and David Crosby’s If Only I Could Remember My Name
Gaucho 5.1 sacd is mind blowing
Hiromi Spiral sacd is a spiritual experience
I love my Brothers in Arms SACD, definitely a must own.
I would also recommend The Eagles’ Hotel California along with Donald Fagan’s Nightfly. [Both SACD]
Wish You Were Here on CBS Mastersound. Diana Krall SACD
I buy a lot of SACDs and it’s mostly to buy audiophile releases. Buy the masters not the format. Pretty much everything by MFSL is good. Buy an album from them you love. For me their nevermind is VERY good and better than the original. The guitar tone is so good. Their pixies albums and Weezer album is very good.
I have six versions of miles davis sketches of Spain. One SACD version which is more or less a straight transfers from the master tapes is the absolute worst version of the album you can buy and another SACD is the best. I also have the version from the 90s that is almost as good.