Hi Achilles,
I am a fan of DVD-A discs as well and I agree with your opinion of the Goucho DVD-A disc, it is certainly an exact reproduction of a methodically produced (digital?) recording; actually, I am not certain it was recorded digitally.
Like you, my format of choice was and still is to a degree DVD-A. Given the choice, I would opt for the DVD-A version of a title, although it is rare to find competing high-resolution formats of the same release. While certainly not true of all SACD discs, it seems many are a bit rolled-off on the top and lack the visceral, impactful bass response found in many of the DVD-A titles. I passed on the SACD version of GYBR and purchased the DVD-A version a few years back and in retrospect, I enjoyed the disc very much, taking into account the limitations of my audio system at the time.
Since then my system has changed considerably. The addition of an Ayre Acoustics amplifier, a Krell pre-amp, and a speaker upgrade (from Vandersteen Model 3 to Model 3a Signature) has proven to be a revelation. I was inspired to get serious about the power supplied to my components so I purchased a high quality power conditioner and quality AC cables in addition to well matched interconnects and speaker cables. Someday I would love to get into tubes, at least a tube preamp but that will need to wait for a while.
Knowing so little about your audio set-up, I should not try to give advice but it sounds like you have quality CD players. Could your integrated amplifier and cables be a week link? My Ayre Acoustics amplifier matches well with the Vandersteen speakers and the Krell preamp / Ayre amp combination may accentuate the capabilities of the SACD format, as you speculated.
SHM-SACD discs should be considered in a different category to all other high-resolution formats. The first time I listened to one I initially thought something was wrong with my (new) system; what happened to the high-end shimmer I had come to expect from all digital recordings? The high-end was eerily open and ready to respond when called on by the source material, all without a hint of grain at volume levels that would be painful for the vast majority of formats. Little or no equalization is utilized when mastering these discs! I doubt that there is anything wrong with your hearing; you are just experiencing the lack of high-end sparkle you have come to expect. It is obvious the focus is to reproduce as faithfully as possible the source recording weather it be first second or third generation master, and attention to the midrange is paramount. It is a very analogue sound, like that from dare I say a low generation copy of a master tape or only the highest quality turntables playing MFSL UHQR LP's, and of course, there is no surface noise.
The first disc I heard was Gentle Giant Octopus; that is very unusual music with dynamics to the extreme and vocal or instrumental syncopation at every opportunity. Without the artificial high-end energy found on other digital medium, I was able to increase the volume while maintaining a comfortable listening level; I was even able to communicate verbally with others in the room while hearing deeper into the music than ever before.
Octopus is not one of the better SHM-SACDs but I have heard it in various formats many times through the years but never had I approached the fringes of the recording session and peered over the shoulder of the audio engineer at the mixing desk as I did when listening to this SHM-SACD.
All the best,
MikeC
