Open and New Favorite SACD (1 Viewer)

[Dan Joy]

I received my AKUS New Favorite SACD and Cowboy Junkies Open SACD. I was pleasantly surprised. Having quite a bit of CJ at home, I listened to most of it this last week. I love CJ, but their bass rhythm section can sound muddled at times IMHO. The open 2 channel sacd layer separated the bass and drums for me. Margo's voice is lush. And the cymbals are wonderful. I have not listened to the CD layer on the sacd(I probably never will now ), but this is a big step up from redbook on my 222ES.
On New Favorite I have a little different opinion I dare say. Upon first hearing AK's voice on a burned cd, I thought at times she was quite nasal :frowning: (yes some might enjoy that). I thought the sacd might clear that up a bit, Boy I was wrong! The nasalness(is there such a word) is amplified for me (especially on The Lucky One and Let Me Touch You for a While). This seems proportionate to my DA5ES volume level. Dan Tyminski's voice on the other hand sounds way better on the sacd vs. redbook. Now granted, I only have about 12 sacds so I am quite new at this. The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn is sensational at any volume
Overall I am quite pleased with these sacds and will continue to sit back, pop a cold one, dim the lights, and listen

 

[KeithH]

Dan, thanks for posting your impressions. Your observations with the Krauss SACD are interesting. Did you get it from J&R for $14.99? How did that shake out in the end? I am still looking to get the Krauss SACD, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. There is so much music to buy!
You said:

Now granted, I only have about 12 sacds so I am quite new at this.

Yes, you are obviously still learning, young grasshopper. You must realize that SACD always beats CD. Keep saying that to yourself. Over and over again. Soon you will see the error in your ways. "The nasalness is amplified." Honestly.
Seriously though, I seem to remember that an owner of the New Favorite SACD posted here awhile back that it sounded like something went wrong in the recording of the first couple of tracks. The person said that it seemed like Krauss was too close to the microphone or something like that. I will try to find that post and provide the link.

 

[KeithH]

Dan, I found it. Read Joe Cole's comments in the following thread:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=84749
Note that he found issues with Krauss's vocals on the SACD that he did not hear on the CD. Perhaps his observations are related to yours.

 

[Rachael B]

Dan, she just has a rather nasal singing style. Have you listened to Alison in 5.1 yet? I really like the mix. I had it on last night. I have the Cowboy Junkies disc too and it's a winner too. You have good taste in less filling music...

 

[KeithH]

O.K. It's stupid question time. What type of music do the Cowboy Junkies play? Country? Bluegrass? Neither? Both? I have heard of them, but I do not know their music. :frowning:
Rachael, so the 5.1 mix on New Favorite rates right up there with the 5.1 mix on Head Hunters, huh? Seriously, how are the rears used on the 5.1 mix on New Favorite? Hopefully they are used primarily, if not exclusively, for ambience.

 

[Marty M]

What type of music do the Cowboy Junkies play?

I have their first CD and I would categorize them as a Folk/Rock band based on this CD. I haven't heard anything else from them so I am not sure I can base their style on just this one CD.

I still fondly remember Alison Krauss' very early days. I saw her and her brother Victor perform for the Middle School they attended with my daughter. Their strings teacher let Alison and Victor perform together and implied that the Bluegrass tune they were going to perform was just part a phase they were going through and they (Alison & Victor) would go back to performing serious music after this. I wonder if Alison went back to see that teacher after she left Middle School?

 

[KeithH]

Marty, thanks for the input. Folk/rock sounds interesting.

 

[Rachael B]

Ambience Keith! The Cowboy Junkies do easy going country-western-rock. The singer, Margo Timmins, she seems to thrive on slow ballads. Their first album, TRINITY SESSIONS, might be a good starting point. It has some originals, some country standards (WALKING AFTER MIDNIGHT, I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY) and they give their treatment to Lou Reed's SWEET JANE. It's a slow wailing album I fell in love with on first listen. I can't tell you a single song title off of their SACD OPEN without going and looking but I like it. You should try them out. Best wishes Weedhopper!

 

[John Tillman]

Although I've heard an occasional song from them over the years, I've only recently picked up the Trinity Sessions which is quite mellow yet stunning. Maybe I'm just a sucker for female vocals . I'm now going to have to pick up the Junkie's SACD, or the SACD of the Junkies or... damn i'm addicted. Gotta cop me some hi-rez.

 

[KeithH]

Rachael, thanks for the info. regarding the New Favorite 5.1 mix and the Cowboy Junkies. They sound like a good group. I might have to pick up one of their CDs. What's another disc or two on a wantlist a million titles long?

 

[Michael_T]

I heard the Trinity Sessions at a friends house (he has the Classic Records 45rpm pressing) and I fell in love with the music and ambiance they create. My friend, who also had a Simply Vinyl pressing of the Trinity Sessions was kind enough to give it to me since he now had the 45rpm pressing.

I was smitten. The minute "Open" became available I was there. I wouldn't really classify it as country-western-rock though. More rock with a very "cool" touch. The cut "Dragging Hooks" from "OPEN" is a killer track - that oozes with style and intensity. I turn off all the lights and crank "Draggin Hooks" on SACD and my hair stands on end.

I was so taken by Cowboy Junkies, I got a few more CDs, plus they just released a great DVD called "OPEN ROAD" - which is live, actually 3 different live video segments (all about 1 hour or so) that are stunning. In addition, the DVD comes packaged with a live CD that is equally as good.

I suggest anyone into rock/folk music get some Cowboy Junkies music, you won't be disappointed.

 

[Rachael B]

Michael, the Cowboy Junkies are hard to catergorize. There's just enough steel guitar for me to want to hyphenate country on to the list of discriptions. I quess folk belongs there in the hyphenation list too! I'll buy that for a dollar.
Keith, one of the reasons they're probly not better known is because they don't conviently fit into some category, I suppose? I first heard them on WUTK, the U. of Tennessee's student station, maybe 6 or 7 years ago...? I love that station! They'll play any and everything. Best wishes Sagebrushopper!

 

[KeithH]

The more I read, the more intrigued I am by the Cowboy Junkies. I wonder where their CDs are found at Best Buy. Hmmm...I shall have to do some hunting and gathering.

 

[Dan Joy]

Wow, make a post, disappear, come back, where do I begin.
Trinity Sessions is a cult like oozing album in which Margo's succulent voice traps you for hours. The bass is incredible and to think it was recorded live in a church. Michael, Margo's brother and Peters brother(all band mates) eerily mixes mysterious riffs with a catholic upbringing that always has you second guessing the lyrics. Black eyed man was a switch into folk/country that has melodies you just can't rid yourself of. Pale sun makes country go eerie! Lay it down is the precursor to Open with intense mesmerizing bass riffs and electric mandolins that continue on Open. If you are not a CJ fan, Open is Dark and continuous, but once you keep listening and read lyrics, it grabs you and won't let go! Lay it Down and Open to me are one continuous album. Any way, thats my impression of CJ in a nut shell.

Yes, you are obviously still learning, young grasshopper. You must realize that SACD always beats CD. Keep saying that to yourself. Over and over again. Soon you will see the error in your ways

Not sure I agree with that statement in regards to the 2 channel Boston SACD

 

[KeithH]

Dan, I appreciate your insight regarding the Cowboy Junkies. They sound like a really great band.
Now that you mention it, I do recall your mentioning that you ordered the Krauss SACD from rounder.com. Glad you had a good experience there. I am also glad to hear that the 5.1 mix has ambience in the surround channels. Rounder really has its act together with SACD.
You said:

Not sure I agree with that statement in regards to the 2 channel Boston SACD

Yeah, the Boston SACD is not one of the better-sounding SACDs out there. I feel it beats my MasterSound gold CD, but the difference is hardly night and day. I started a thread here recently about the sound quality of stereo tracks on original stereo SACDs and on multi-channel re-issues. As you probably know, Sony has taken some original stereo SACDs and re-released them with multi-channel tracks. I have read comments from people saying that in some cases, the stereo tracks on the multi-channel discs are better than on the original stereo discs. In some cases, the stereo tracks were remixed for the multi-channel discs (Toto IV, for example). As a result, I am hopeful that the Boston album will be re-released in multi-channel with a better stereo track. Perhaps there is room for improvement. Of course, it depends on the quality of the master tape.

 

[KeithH]

Dan, actually I am greedy. Although I would love to see Boston Boston re-released on a multi-channel SACD with an improved stereo track, it would be nice if Sony gave us a remastered CD. When I was in the UK on business last year, I picked up the UK CD of Boston. It is a remastered version, and it has Sony's SBM logo on the back cover (Super Bit Mapping). I assume this disc sounds the same as the MasterSound gold CD, which also has the SBM logo on the packaging. Although I have the gold CD, I haven't compared the it to the UK CD. In any event, the UK CD beats the US CD, though it is not as good as the SACD. The SACD is not leaps and bounds better than either CD, so hopefully there is room for improvement on SACD that we will see someday.
By the way, one nice thing about the UK CD is that it doesn't have the times listed for the songs on the back cover like the US CD does. So, the UK CD packaging doesn't say "2:60" for "Rock & Roll Band". That's an improvement. Also, the photo of the band on the back cover of the jewel case and on the back of the booklet is of much better quality on the UK CD than on the US CD. Oh well. Hopefully we will see a remastered CD in the US one day.

 

[Dan Joy]

Keith,
Just a note, the jewel cases for the Rounder SACDs were the strongest most fortified cases I have seen. Plenty of SACD verbage that also states will play in ANY cd player(ABKO ARE YOU HEARING ME )!

Dan, actually I am greedy. Although I would love to see Boston Boston re-released on a multi-channel SACD with an improved stereo track, it would be nice if Sony gave us a remastered CD

On one hand I would like to see a multichannel, or even a better 2 channel for that matter. On the other hand, I don't think I will buy a fourth copy of one of my most played cds
Go Irish!

 

[Marty M]

Keith,

I think you will enjoy Trinity Sessions. If you aren't sure, you might see if they have it available at your local library. This CD came out about 10 years ago, I think.

 

[KeithH]

Dan said about Boston Boston:

On one hand I would like to see a multichannel, or even a better 2 channel for that matter. On the other hand, I don't think I will buy a fourth copy of one of my most played cds

I know I would! Boston was the first CD I ever bought. That was back in 1987. Since then, I have picked up the MasterSound gold CD, the UK CD, and the SACD. In addition, I have the album on a pre-recorded minidisc, cassette, and at least one version on vinyl.
Marty,
Thanks. Perhaps Trinity Sessions is a good place to start.