SHM SACD's need to be burned in


I recently purchased Aja on a SHM sacd. I have never purchased any single disc at this price,but the chance of aquiring one of my favorite albums on SACD made me go for it.
I was so excited the day it arrived. I warmed up my system for a half an hour and popped it in. WHAT A DISAPOINTMENT!
The bass was bloated and the highs rolled off. It was inferior to my two redbook copies sonically(MFSL ultradisc and 1999 remaster).
I went on various forums to see if others had the same opinion as mine. To my surprise what I gathered was that playing these SHM SACD's about ten times to burn in improves the sound. I didn't beieve it but I had the disc already so .....
I played it on repeat on my cdp for two days straight. I then warmed up my system the same way and expected little change.
Much to my surprise the base tighten up,the highs improved and the soundstage organised itself. If I hadn't heard this for myself I never would have believed it.The mofi wasn't in the ballpark anymore!
Anyone else with a simular experience?

Regards,
montejay

Showing 3 responses by bar81

I have many SHM-SACDS; there is not burn-in or other mystical phenomena associated with their sound.
It really depends on the SHM-SACD. Overall, in my experience, I have been very pleased as the majority are excellent but there are certain titles that stand out on both end of the spectrum - top notch (Who's Next, Wheels of Fire, Paranoid, Aja, Velvet Underground & Nico) and nothing special (generally anything based on old masters - Stones, Police, etc.)

Unfortunately, I haven't really been excited regarding any of the recent December releases and announced upcoming titles (My Generation is the only one I am definitely buying) but it is nice to see that Universal has abandoned its earlier strategy and is now solely focused on new flat transfers for all upcoming SHM-SACDs.