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I just heard an SACD for the first time - damn

I just listened to my first ever SACD on my new Marantz SA-7S1. The difference was uncomfortably noticeable, especially going back to listen to a Redbook CD afterwards - the CD sounded pinched and grainy by comparison, like going from a great preamp to a much lesser one. I'm more a smooth and electric jazz listener, so there just aren't many SACD titles for me. Such a damn shame it's not taking off, it's really wonderful stuff!
tinear1

Showing 1 response by eweedhome

eweedhome
227 posts
 
Agree with Narrod that a lot of it has to do with mastering (although I do think the SACD format offers something that CD can't, at least in theory). There are some very fine sounding CDs that have come out in the last, say, 10 years...AND, there are some weak sounding SACDs. Although I'm not a hard-core smooth jazz guy, I use Nelson Rangell's Always as one of my test discs with some regularity, which came out in 1999 and is only available in CD format. Really well-engineered disc, in my judgment.

The down-side of higher end gear is that it makes you more aware of the mistakes in the studio, etc. So it goes...
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