What Are the Best-Sounding SACDs and DVD-Audio Discs?
Yesterday, I got an email from Stephen who has belatedly discovered the superior audio quality of SACDs (Super Audio CDs) and DVD-Audio, two formats that were supposed to update the standard compact disc. After all, that technology dates back to the 70s.
I have a few SACDs around the house but I don’t have a SACD player. I have, however, heard a few discs on high-end stereos. They sound amazing.
Stephen wondered if I had a top ten list of must-have SACDs. I don’t, obviously, but I was wondering if anyone would like to contribute to a list. Leave your suggestions in the comment section.
Dnt care for the format cause what people forget is that you're now listening to the album in 5.1 which is not how they intended it to be listened to!! It was mixed for 2 channel stereo and now some other engineer has made it 6….but I digress.
LA woman by The Doors was pretty well done. And the SACD version of Dark Side is cool cause of the moving sounds in on the run and the change sounds in Money are awesome too.
I second Dark Side of the Moon, simply amazing sound. And the Flaming Lips discs are cool for their surround sound
The SACD/DVD-Audio reissue of NIN's the Downward Spiral is amazing. It was redone by Trent, so the mixing is done with very high standards, and it shows.
Many albums have been recorded specifically for surround sound including the Quadrophonic albums from the '70's like Dark Side Of The Moon which was originally played in surround live.
Others from that era include Deep Purple and Elton John, all sound great on SACD surround. Pentatone have re-released on SACD many classical Quadrophonic recordings under the RQR banner.
Now there are thousands of classical and Jazz titles available recorded in surround. Classical is particularly good in surround as it reproduces the ambience of the recording venue, church, concert hall, small chamber etc in a way that stereo can't.
The best quality recordings are those recorded and mastered in Direct Stream Digital. So anything from the following classical labels sound wonderful in 5.1 surround. Pentatone, Telarc, Chandos, Praga, LSO Live, Channel Classics, Sony.
I would start with these…
1. Mozart Clarinet Concertos Sir Neville Marriner Pentatone
2. Miles Davis Kind of Blue -Sony
3. Volodos in Vienna – Sony
4. Dvorak 8&9 Fischer – Channel Classics
5. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
6. Jimmy Cobb- Jazz in the Key of Blue
7. Peter Gabriel -Up
8. Tierney Sutton -Something Cool -Telarc
9. Vaughan Wiilliams Symphony no. 5 Tallis Fantasia -Telarc
10. Albeniz Iberia vol 1 and 2 Yoram Ish Hurwitz -Turtle