What Hirez Discs Have You Purchased Recently?

Me and you are going to get along just fine.

Also just picked up Steely Dan's "Two Against Nature" DVD-A. I've had the concert dvd for a few years which is excellent. One of the best standard DTS concerts out there. 


Oh, welcome to the forum, Keith!
Edited by gene c - 8/2/2009 at 03:13 am GMT
Edited by gene c - 8/2/2009 at 03:14 am GMT

I nearly picked this up a couple of weeks ago and decided to pass.  Remembered your comment, and grabbed it when I was out tonight.  Listening/watching it now.  Shame it sucks.




Hmm...I may have to check it out.  My exposure to Holst has been pretty limited.

BTW, now that I've listened to Stile Antico Song of Songs, I highly recommend it.  It isn't for everyone, but if you think you might like it, I'd encourage you to pick it up.

All right.  Now give a fellow member some props.  It's outrageously good, isn't it, David? 

Now I'm already on record as a big Krall fan.  Are you?  Isn't the audio great?  How about those Rooftop sessions?!?

Just got back from vacation and my copy of the Rickie Lee Jones Pirates SACD was here patiently waiting for me.

Also stumbled upon a new copy of Carly Simon's No Secrets DVD-A just before I left.
It's a spare so it will be on the trading block soon.

I have a couple of her discs and now this Blu-ray.  I couldn't classify my self as a big fan yet.  I've just really started listening to her stuff, but I like it a lot.  So, maybe I'm becoming a big fan.

Watched the Blu-ray again today and I'm liking it more and more.  I was able to turn it up louder and it really opened up.  The rooftop sessions are nice because you see these great musicians in a relaxed setting.  I especially enjoyed "Cheek to Cheek."

I have the Diana Krall Rio Blu-ray and two live Diana Krall DVD-V's, the Paris and Montreal performances.  The two DVD-V's have a better song selection in my opinion and I prefer her performances on the DVD-V's, which of course has nothing to do with the quality of the Blu-ray which is excellent.

Chris

this is the customer service reply from concord:

I have three titles on back order, guess I know why nothing has been happening with the orders.

Chris

Would you folks have any thoughts (on the artists, producer, or label) on this recording which is due for a Blu-ray release this Tuesday? 

It's only 40 minutes of music...and apparently features two pianos.

Boston, first album. Really great

Really?

I've read mixed reviews on this one.
I can get one locally, maybe  I should take a leap of faith and try it.

Is Boston an SACD or DVD-A?

SACD. Sounds fantastic to me.

b&w 805s, McIntosh MC252, straightwire interconnects

Hmmm...  What's wrong w/ MC's dome?  Maybe we just need it shown in candlelight in 1080i/p Hi-Def glory on BD?    Given his music style, I do wonder though what kinds of imagery, etc. would be on a DVD of his.  I'd be especially curious if he's put out DVDs for certain albums like his OT trilogy.

BTW, a belated welcome to the forum, Keith.  Haven't gotten around to dropping by since the new layout change to the site -- not that I'm all that active over here in this subforum.

Yeah, it would be nice to see hirez audio take off on BD as well.  So far, I like what little I've seen and heard (except for my mistaken choice to pick up the Mariah Carey BD even though it was relatively cheap ).  Yes, they are all performance/concert titles (for me anyway) so far, but maybe that's to be expected for the most part considering the format and its age at this point.  Certainly, I'm glad to see that operas are being so well presented on the format (at least in the few titles I've bought).  Too bad though they won't be able to go back to old, great performances of such for similar quality presentation.

Since I last posted over here, I picked up the 2006 Madrid production of La Boheme on BBC/Opus Arte, the 2008 Covent Garden production of Bizet's Carmen on Decca, and the 2005 Madrid production of Barber of Seville on Decca/Opus Arte.  Looking forward to pick up some more like the 2003 Covent Garden production of Mozart's Die Zauberflote (ie. The Magic Flute) on BBC/Opus Arte.

And of course, it's great that my 11-yo daughter has also started developing an appreciation for opera now, not just teenie-bopping titles like Mamma Mia and High School Musical.  

_Man_
 

Thankfully, Surround Records and producer Alexander Jero appear to not yet be repeating on BD what surprised and disappointed a few people on HD DVD:  they released some image music program titles that at first glance looked like concert performances.  This pretty-pictures-set-to-Vivaldi disc even had a picture of a performing orchestra on the cover.  Check the Amazon customer reviews for the mixed reception those titles received.

That Gershwin disc appears to be part of their newer efforts.  I've had their Mahler 2 BD on my Wish List for a few weeks.  I think reading a "pro" review first is a good idea.

Speaking of my man Gustav, after a money's-too-tight-to-mention reprieve, I recently moved forward with my own Mahler cycle by getting the Philharmonia/Zander/Telarc 3rd Symphony on SACD.  I haven't even done my dedicated, sit down, put-the-BlackBerry-out-of-arm's-reach surround listening yet and I'm already more impressed with the sonics and performance compared to my L.A. Phil/Salonen/Sony CD.  And then there's the delicious lecture CD to listen to.  I was all geeked up about getting some of the SFSO/Tilson Thomas Mahler SACDs, but I've decided to get all six of the Zander/Telarc releases (4 SACDs, 2 CDs) available eventually.

The Boston SACD was done a few years before the latest remaster. 
A DJ friend of mine who is a major Boston fan, and also a audiophile (better system than mine, I have to admit), put together some blind A/B tests for me using the original CD issue, the SACD, and the remaster.  His wife had done a blind A/B on these for him earlier.

We basically rated four factors; soundstage, overall sound quality, vocals, and transients.
To make a long story short, the remaster placed first, the original issue placed second, and the SACD placed dead last for both of us.  He stated that he believes the SACD was done using a second or third generation tape, not the original master.  I suspect he's right.

 

 
Did you hold up a record store Danny? That's a fine haul!

Hi Rachael,

Since my work computer doesn't me to see what I've posted, I will go by my memory....

The Sony SACD Sampler, George Thorogood, CCR, Mary Mary & Vivian Green SACDs all came from ebay.

"Dances With Wolves" soundtrack was found as an used SACD for $5.98, same with the Natalie Merchant DVD-A.

Living Presence SACD came from yourmusic.com

Can't remember what else I have posted.  Have to update once I get home.

 
Edited by Danny Tse - 9/1/09 at 2:19am

FWIW, as of this typing, I'm not seeing the Dances With Wolves artwork in your second-to-last post, Danny, although you refer to it above.  (I sold my SACD in favor of the remastered 2004 CD that includes previously unreleased material, including "Fire Dance.")

Terrible news (thanks again, Danny, for posting this elsewhere):

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090901/ENT03/308120005/Erich+Kunzel+dies+at+74

I mention it here because Kunzel's untimely death motivated me last night to order a copy of the Cincinnati Pops' The Big Picture SA-CD (I sold my DTS CD a while back in anticipation of eventually getting the SA-CD).

Me neither (FWIW).

Almost all my music is from the Internet. I save my money...

Since we have a zero tolerance policy for any type of pirated material, I am going to assume that you mean iTunes, Amazon, etc, none of which at 256k even approaches high resolution. 

Just got Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" SACD from JazzLoft.com.  When it showed up as "discontinued" on AMZ I figured it was time to get a copy before it was too late.

Craig_Ehr, is that hybrid stereo? i also tried to find a SACD copy but the marketplace/used is on sale for ridiculous price ='(.

Kind of Blue was released in the US as stereo single layer and then as stereo and multi-channel SACD only.  I'm not sure but it may have been released in Japan as a hybrid.  I have both the US releases.

 No..."Kind of Blue" is not a hybrid, but it is stereo/multichannel.  Looks like JazzLoft.com just sold out too (which may explain the high prices on Amazon...people are scrambling for a copy now).  I guess I pulled the trigger at the right moment.

Too bad SA-CD.net's listings and links for Kind Of Blue are fakakta:  They're showing a m.c. SA-CD only Stateside (?) disc (but the current Amazon.com link goes to a disc labeled "Import"--I think that's just wrong; the CD Universe link goes to the correct m.c. SA-CD only) and two hybrid m.c. discs (neither of which lists U.S. Amazon as a buying option in their pulldown menus, although both list Amazon Japan).

Lots of choices for this album. Partly due to the SA-CD's price, I'd resigned myself to eventually getting the DualDisc because, although thanks to Sony it's not high rez, the video content sounds tasty (the 25-minute "Made in Heaven: The Story of KIND OF BLUE," "a documentary about the legendary recording, featuring a wide array of musicians and fans") (from the Amazon description).  I like that kind of music production docu vid content, especially since it doesn't appear that is available elsewhere on rentable DVD (?).  And the Dual is available for ~$4 used and ~$14 new.

But now I see--again, thanks to Sony--that a Legacy Edition was released earlier this year featuring "the complete studio sessions on 2 CDs, including false starts, alternate takes and a 17-minute 1960 live version of "So What.""

Hmmmm.

 A couple of new SACD not listed at sa-cd.net