Super High Material

SHM cd's are sounding brighter with less bottom and less 3D,also instruments are sounding little thinner.You can hear that these versions are not as good as most very old nonmaster cd's.First impression is wow but when you listen to them on very highend system you are finding out the opposite.They are louder,so you have to adjust the other older cd¨s accordingly.The voices are not as human as they should be.On lower end systems could be benefiting from these negative features though.

Another source is Amazon Japan. Always go for FedEx if possible, much cheaper than EMS.

Where did you get yours?

I bought about 5 or 6 titles. Allman Bros. Fillmore East, Steely Dan Aja, Derek & Dominoes Layla, Who Who's Next, and possibly a couple more (I can't remember...). In each case, they were the best versions I have ever heard including the current SACD formats. They are very pricey but, if you want to drop some coin, there are no better versions available. The packaging is also second to none. They are supposedly not re-releasing them so get them while you can.

Reasonable sound for reasonable cost?
I think most hi-fi manufacturers should take note!

Bump...I just heard of these and am interested in hearing others' thoughts before I start plunking down Greater-than-Mofi money for these.

Ghostrider,
I've been buying Japanese CDs from these Japanese sources:
www.cdjapan.co.jp
www.mediawars.ne.jp/~mundo/cdjapan/link.html
These companies can supply CDs immediately on release.
Warning:Shipping costs can be very high!
Domestically, CD Universe usually has a nice selection of Japanese CDs.
www.jpophelp.com is a Canadian company that also specializes in Japanese CDs.
Hope this helps.

Rja, where are you getting these discs from?

Just received SHM-CDs of Steely Dan - Aja and John Coltrane - Ballads from Japan today. They are the best sounding versions of each that I have ever heard.

Geoff,
May not be polycarbonate, may have been an assumption on my part.

I am all for better sound if it can be had, reasonably.

TDK (I think it was) introduced high-transparency CD-Rs a few years ago as audiophile grade, not sure if they're still available. Don't recall the material, twasn't polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is not the most transparent material at wavelengths of interest.

~ Cheers

I posted because I thought the idea was interesting but I have no idea whether the claims for enhanced sonics will turn out to be real. We shall see!

I cant say I have heard it but it sounds like another attempt to inject enthusiasm and a higher price for folks willing to pay.