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I love SACD and DVD-Audio, but wow, I've been buying a lot of CDs lately! (1 Viewer)

KeithH

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Many of you know by now that I love SACD and DVD-Audio, but I am certainly doing my part to ensure that the CD lives a long time. In the past month, I have bought four SACDs and one DVD-Audio disc, but 19 CDs! What is wrong with me? Admittedly, I have not bought all the CDs at full price in stores. Columbia House and BMG enable you to get CDs real cheap. Those clubs are partially responsible. The 19 CDs I bought don't even count 15 free CDs I'm waiting for from Columbia House for joining again (at their invitation). Anyway, I have been spending a good bit of time lately in the low-rez world, as I have a lot of new CDs to listen to. :D Any other hi-rezzers find themselves buying a lot of CDs lately?
NP: The Isley Brothers Greatest Hits, Volume 1 CD (new remastered disc from Epic/Legacy, only $9.99 at Best Buy!)
 

Lin Park

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Jan 31, 1999
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I hear ya brother. I too have been drawn back to music through DVD-A (no SACD yet :frowning: ) but find myself buying more and more CD's instead because the stuff I want isn't out on the hi-rez formats yet. "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!" :D
Lin
 

KeithH

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Lin said:
"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"
Yup, me too. The other day, one of my colleagues had to go to Best Buy for something for his home PC, so I tagged along over our lunch hour. We looked at various CDs, and I told him that every time I walk into one of those stores, I find 20 new CDs to add to my wantlist. Everywhere I turn, there are new releases or new remastered discs that catch my eye. It's ridiculous. I keep a list of wants in a small notebook so I can keep track of everything. Aside from all the new releases that I want, I am a sucker for remastered CDs. More often than not, the remastered discs sound significantly better than the original versions, but at the end of the day, I am still spending a lot of money re-buying CDs. Oh well. It's only money. :)
 

Michael_T

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Oct 25, 2001
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I will always keep buying CDs as long as they produce them. Just this week alone I bought the entire re-mastered catalog of Peter Gabriel releases, as well as the new album from Warren Zevon, the EELs, Corey Harris.

My downfall lately has been the resurgance of vinyl in my life. Since I purchased a new MMF-5 I have been purchasing new vinyl as well as SACD, DVD-Audio and CD. The past few weeks I picked up the new Neil Young on vinyl, I got a few of the new CCR remasters by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray, and all the Zeppelin issues on Classic records, not to mention all the Hendrix vinyl I can find on the Experience Hendrix label.

Let me tell you - the Classic Records reissues (which I now have all the Zeppelin, CSN, Townshend/Lane - "Rough Mix") - are some of the best I have heard. I would hazard to guess that these pressings would beat any hi-rez format on the planet in terms of definitive sound quality.
 

KeithH

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Michael said:
My downfall lately has been the resurgance of vinyl in my life. Since I purchased a new MMF-5
That will probably be me when I buy an MMF-5. In some respects, I am putting off buying a turntable because I am quite certain that after doing so, I would spend loads of cash on LPs in addition to what I already spend on the digital formats. That would be the end for me. :) There is a lot of vinyl I want to buy, but I am holding off while I have my $200 Sony turntable. At some point, I will take a ride up to Audiolab in Fairless Hills, PA (outside of Philly). They advertise the MMF-5 for $450, plus they are a well-regarded dealer. I must resist the urge, though I realize that resistance is futile. :)
As for CDs, besides being a sucker for remastered discs, as I have said before, I am just the kind of person Sony Music loves. The vast majority of the 67 SACDs I own are Sony Music titles. For every one of those SACDs, I have the CD version as well. I use the CDs in the car and at the office and to occasionally do a comparison between the two formats at home. Yes, Sony has reeled me in. :)
 

Evan S

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I buy the music I want in the format I can find it on...which is more likely to be CD than SACD..that's for sure. When I know a title is going to be released on SACD (Like the new Alison Krauss and Union Station release "New Favorite") I will wait for that, but when that's not the case, it doesn't stop me from buying the low rez version.
I bought my SACD player in December and so far have only 5 titles...due to the dearth of available things that I want. I really wish the format would expand at a rate slightly faster than it presently is. I worry about the hi-rez formats.:frowning:
 

Mike Broadman

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Frankly, I think CDs have been getting a bum rap lately. It's still a wonderful format, and by far the premier way I listen to music.
If I have a SACD or DVD-A of something, I also have the CD, so that I am free to listen to the music wherever and how I want. The exception is classical, which I only listen to at home.
I used to listen to classical some, but basically stopped in the last couple of years since I was buying up scores of jazz and obscure rock CDs. With the high-res formats, though, most of the SACDs I get are classical, so I've been listening to a lot more of that. I'm listening to music that I never really paid much attention to: Mahler, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Dvorak. The George Szell series on SACD is great: lots of titles of various classical works. Basically, I'm snatching up every high-res classical release I can get my hands on. The goal is to eventually replace my redbook classical CDs with high-res completely, and have a robust high-res classical collection. I'd love for them to release Prokofiev, Pagannini, Sibelius, and Haydn, which I haven't seen any of.
Other than that, though, it's mostly CDs for me, too. I look at the high-res stuff as just a nice little "extra." They releas a DVD-A of Night At the Opera? Great, I buy it. But I don't plan on seeing more of my favorite music on high-res anytime soon, and don't really mind.
I have over 900-950 CDs, and if I wanted to, I can easily list 900 more that I want. I spend the vast majority of my free cash on them, too, as well as remasters and re-issues and music DVDs and such. It upsets my mother very much. I'm constantly running out of shelf space and re-arranging my CDs.
This is the ultimate drawback of liking such a variety of music- you want to get too much stuff. I sometimes envy peolpe who are into their one or two styles: metal heads, jazzers, etc. My problem is that I like everything. My jazz want list is large enough for me to have something new to get everyday for the rest of my life. But there are also all the classical high-res discs I want, not to mention the rock stuff.
Damnit, why does there have to be so much good music out there?
Right now, by CD buying is focused on the following:
1. King Crimson / Discipline Global Mobile
www.disciplineglobalmobile.com
Crimson has all of their collector's club items up for sale without having to join the club, so I'm snatching them all up. Their record label also has oodles of great music by Crimson members and other musicians, including John Paul Jones and various guitar players. I pretty much plan on getting it all eventually. I recently accepted the fact that Crimson is my favorite group of all time, and am hardcore fanatic.
2. Frank Zappa
I'm missing a few titles from my collection, so am filling in the gaps. I'm totally into the "conceptual continuity" of it and Zappa is ranked almost as high as Crimson in my head.
3. Miles Davis
Having recently developed a taste for his later electric work, I'm buying up pretty much everything he did, except of compilations and such. There is so much!
4. High-res
Mostly classical, but also a few rock things and whatever good jazz I can find.
This alone is an insane amount of music to buy, but it's just a tiny percentage of what I want. For example, a couple of people have posted some sweet recommendations on the HTF Jazz Club thread, and though I've picked up a couple, I plan on checking out a lot more.
It's a very frustrating and enjoyable hobby. :)
NP: Miles Davis, Get Up With It, CD
 

Greg Br

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Count me in, the DVD-A only has increased my cd collection expendetures. It comes down to a greater appreciation of music now that my system is moving from low end to somewhat high end(at least its high for me).
 

KeithH

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Evan said:

I bought my SACD player in December and so far have only 5 titles...due to the dearth of available things that I want. I really wish the format would expand at a rate slightly faster than it presently is. I worry about the hi-rez formats.
I hear you. This is why I always tell people on the fence about SACD not to rule out the purchase of a Sony player because at their price points, each model is an excellent CD player, with SACD thrown in as an incredible bonus. The point is that if there are no SACDs that interest the person, he or she can still get an excellent CD player in one of the Sony SACD players.
 

Jeff Keene

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There sure doesn't seem to be an end to my CD purchases. I have bought 5-6 DVD-A's (though right now I can only listen to the DD track), and am excited about buying SACD's, DVD-A, and DAD's, but I don't see my CD purchases tapering off. There are too many things I want to hear.

I work from home now, and have a wireless connection on my laptop, so I sit and listen and listen (my job is almost 100% e-mail work). And since I memorize music very quickly, I'm always looking for more. I should look into Columbia House, I guess, but most of my moeny goes to Amazon.

NP: Dire Straits - Brothers in Arm XRCD
 

Frank_S

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Michael_T,
My downfall lately has been the resurgance of vinyl in my life. Since I purchased a new MMF-5 I have been purchasing new vinyl as well as SACD, DVD-Audio and CD.
Funny, I have purchased only 2 CD's in the past 6 months, all I buy is vinyl. I've probably bought about 100 albums in the past few months. I also enjoy the "Classic Records" releases, very well done. The Sundazed albums are nice too, and cost less than most other labels. Enjoy your vinyl, more people are catching on. :)
 

DEAN DE FURIA

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Yeah, I've been buying a bunch of vinyl lately too!

I bought all of the Classic Records Led Zeppelin LP's but I find them to be lacking in the low end. Just doesn't have that strong bass. Perhaps I've just been used to listening to Led Zep as a kid with the EQ turned up!

Keith, Go buy that MMF-5, You won't be sorry.
 

KeithH

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Dean, yeah, I probably should buy that MMF-5. Among the first vinyl I probably would buy would be some of those Classic Records Led Zeppeling releases. Then I'd get some classic jazz titles. As I said before, it would be the beginning of the end for me. :)
Meanwhile, my CD purchases continue. This weekend, I found excellent deals on the remastered versions of Rush 2112, Signals, and Permanent Waves ($7.98 each at the Compact Disc World in West Windsor, NJ) and The Very Best of Prince ($9.88 at Wal-Mart). However, I also passed up the newer two-disc Bee Gees greatest hits set and ABBA The Definitive Collection two-disc set ($16.88 each at Sam's Club). I am proud of myself for passing these up, though I still want them. :)
 

Rachael B

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I've hardly bought any CD's, relatively, since I got intrested in SACD. I did buy a couple of Manfredo Fest CD's because I liked his SACD, JUST JOBIM, so very much. I also bought Jump Little Children's new album after seeing them perform downtown during the Dogwood Arts Festival. I have a couple of the Sundazed LP's coming from Elusive Disc which I expect to arrive soon, maybe 2-day.

Keith, I have about the same # of SACD's as you but half of my collection are hybrids from the other labels. Some of my latest SACD's are: Philip Bailey's SOUL ON JAZZ, Los Indios Tabajaras' ALWAYS IN MY HEART, Ana Caram's BLUE BOSSA, Bennie Wallace's MOODSVILLE, Monty Alexander's STIR IT UP * THE MUSIC OF BOB MARLEY, and I have two Patricia Barber titles coming from Elusive Disc.

I've also been having fun with my vinyl to MD project. Now on MD: both Madhouse albums, Automatic Man, and Edgar Winter & The White Trash's RECYCLED. Coming soon to MD: Marc Benno, Johnny Almond Music Machine, The White Animals, Birds Of A Feather, and Root Boy Slim & The Sex Change Band. Listening to old records is fun anyway! Best wishes!
 

Mike Broadman

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Ok, rant time:
All of the SACDs I bought are Sony, because those are the only ones in the stores. My basic plan is to grab up everything I can in Best Buy and Tower Records until I run out of SACDs to buy, then order them from elusivedisc.com. However:
Sony SACDs are not hybrids! :angry:
At first, I figured that hybrid discs are rare and a nice little extra features. Looking through websites, though, it seems that every non-Sony discs is a hybrid. So what's the deal with Sony? Do they just want us to buy the regular CDs, too, to make more money? If so, it's working.
Just like stereo tracks should be included with all high-res discs, so should a CD layer be included on all SACDs.
Of course, who's to stop them from re-releasing hybrids? They've already done it with multi-channel discs. And what next, the super-bit deluxe Extra Pretty edition?
But of course, I will buy it all. :b
NP: Bill Bruford's Earthworks, Footloose and Fancy Free, CD
 

Frank_S

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Dean,

I bought all of the Classic Records Led Zeppelin LP's but I find them to be lacking in the low end. Just doesn't have that strong bass.
I bought II & III and am very impressed with the weight of the presentation on both of these albums. I have owned the domestic pressings and they definitely lacked bass/punch but these Classic re-issues blow them away. Side 2 on Led Zep. III is amazing. Bron-y-ur stomp(?) gives me goose bumps

when I play it, the acoustic guitar track rocks and bass is very prevalent on this track. It is by far the best I have ever heard this album. What turntable/cart. phono stage are you using Dean?
 

KeithH

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Rachael, I've bought a few hybrid SACDs from smaller labels lately. For example, I picked up both Alison Krauss SACDs and an interesting Sony/Groove Note sampler disc from Elusive Disc. Good stuff there.
 

Justin Doring

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As many of you know, I'm a big supporter of SACD, but in the last couple months I've only bought one SACD and about twenty CDs! The labels supporting SACD really need to release more quality titles!
 

Rachael B

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Justin, you must not like jazz and blues. The releases in those catagories have been outstanding. For rock, R & B, and kuntry the releases are lacking, no doubt. The major labels are the ones being silly. They control most of the "popular" music. The small labels are riding the wave of SACD and doing it right. When Universal and Virgin get in high gear on SACD the format could get alot more intresting, maybe? I'm rooting for some Elton John albums myself.

Keith, the competition is droping prices and making Sony look bad for not offering hybrids. You ought to jump on some Telarc titles. Monty Alexander's MONTY MEETS SLY AND ROBBIE is some nice poppy jazz. Junior Wells' COME ON IN THIS HOUSE is very fine blues and R & B IMO. THE VERY TALL BAND by Oscar Peteson, Ray Brown, and Milt Jackon is none of them's best performance but the recording quality is amazing IMO. It's like all DSD. Best wishes cats!
 

Evan S

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Speaking of Jazz on SACD...anyone out there got Terence Blanchard's "Let's Get Lost" or the two disk "Jazz at the Pawnshop" compliation on SACD and provide a review?
 

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