SACD's to avoid due to poor remastering.


I have just purchased and played a copy of a SACD titled "The Ultimate Tony Bennett" CS63570 a Columbia release.. This would have to rank as one of the worst remastering"s I have ever heard. The sibilance is unbearable, the soundstage is congested and instrument tonality unbelievably poor. I dont think I have heard a CD that sounds worse let alone a SACD.
I thought compiling a list of such titles to avoid may be interesting.

Regards

FWIW I have a Playback Designs MPS-5 which to my ears is the most analog sounding digital player to date. This therefore reinforces my criticism of the remastering of the disc.
ecka

Showing 4 responses by macdadtexas

I have that SACD too, and I agree, it sucks. So does Norah Jones "Come Away with Me". The standard CD sounds better to me.
Gandme, I think the Norah Jones SACD sucks, and I am not alone. I didn't know anything about the remastering/recording controversy. I just know on every disc player I have ever had the CD version sounded better. I no longer have a reference level disc player, but it's even more pronounced to me on my current disc player (Oppo BP83), especially if I put the CD output through my Bryston DAC.

I won't even get into comparing the SACD to the vinyl on that recording, which is no contest at all.

I have hundreds of SACD's and DVD-Audio discs like many on Audiogon, and it was a great format. The Elton John SACD's, all of them are truly sublime in both stereo and surround (I never really listen to that anymore), and I spent the last couple of years collecting them as the format died. But, for many reasons, including poorly executed pressings, such as the mentioned Norah Jones, it is going the way of the 8-track and Betamax.
Gandme,

I love SACD, it just didn't make it. I have hundreds of discs that as the technology continues to move forward I am sure I will be able to place easily onto my music server and play the files through my DAC (or one to come). So I'm invested for good, but as the question on this thread was poorly realized SACD transfers, I lended my voice. Below is an article on the crappy, rotten, awful, terrible, and wholly reprehensible Norah Jones disc that no audiophile, especially after reading the attached Stereophile article would ever admit to listening to, so don't even mention owning it.

http://www.stereophile.com/thefifthelement/1104fifth/