Thread: Newbie Seeking Advices on SACD Music Appreciation

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Post by delerue April 3, 2005 (1 of 12)
I am a late newcomer to the SACD and have begun acquiring new titles to add to my collection. New acquisitions today: Beck's Sea Change, Seabiscuit movie score, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (with the bonus DVD) and ET soundtrack.

I have a "silly" question and would appreciate any guidance: I have a multi-channel setup and am very happy with the surround effects while watching DVDs. However the impact on SACD Surround has never been as pronounced as in video viewing. What am I missing? What should I be listening for in a SACD Surround title?

Thank you in advance for your advices.

Post by DrOctodivx April 3, 2005 (2 of 12)
delerue said:

I am a late newcomer to the SACD and have begun acquiring new titles to add to my collection. New acquisitions today: Beck's Sea Change, Seabiscuit movie score, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (with the bonus DVD) and ET soundtrack.

I have a "silly" question and would appreciate any guidance: I have a multi-channel setup and am very happy with the surround effects while watching DVDs. However the impact on SACD Surround has never been as pronounced as in video viewing. What am I missing? What should I be listening for in a SACD Surround title?

Thank you in advance for your advices.

It really depends on what you are listening to to some degree, most all multichannel sacds add something with the extra channels. In some case this is simply ambience which can greatly enhance the listening experience, though this is subtle if you are looking for something akin to the over the top effects in a movie. In other case the channels are used for experimental placement of voices and instruments - these should be clear even on a less optimal system.

However, in a good listening system, either approach should yield excellent results - there is a night and day difference between stereo and multichannel on my system that is obvious to anybody who listens to music at more than skin deep.

I have not listened to the Seabiscuit soundtrack, however the other two albums you mentioned used the additional channels quite distinctly. Try Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon - if you cannot hear the surround sound effects with that one, then your system is seriously misconfigured.

Post by mandel April 3, 2005 (3 of 12)
As well as Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon other more agressive multichannel discs to check out:
Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
Moloko - Statues
Groove Armada - Vertigo
Feeder - Comfort In Sound (not the most agressive but I mention it because its ace)
Berlioz - Requiem, on the Telarc Label with its rear brass ensembles

Hope there is something in there to your tastes :)

Post by LC April 3, 2005 (4 of 12)
Assuming this is not a hardware problem, try also:

Biber: Missa Salisburgensis etc. - Goebel/McCreesh for acoustic

and Peter Gabriel: Up for pop production

Post by OM May 18, 2005 (5 of 12)
In addition to the excellent recommendations above, here are some of my own:

Bjork - Medulla (Limited Edition)
Kodo - Mondo Head
Dredg - El Cielo
Bjork - Vespertine (also available in DVD-A, if you can't find the SACD)

If you find that the surround channels on these albums don't have a big impact on the listening experience then DrOctodivx is correct, your system is seriously misconfigured.

And though it'll likely make me unpopular around these parts, if you have a universal player, here are some DVD-A titles I would *highly* recommend for their surround mixes:

Amon Tobin - Chaos Theory
Beck - Guero
NIN - With Teeth

Post by LC May 19, 2005 (6 of 12)
OM said:
I don't know about you other guys, but I don't know what to make of this suspicious "OM" character, with his fancy degree, who's suddenly appeared here (and what the hell kind of User Name is "OM," anyway?). I'd like to make a motion that he be banned from the forum.

Post by zeus May 19, 2005 (7 of 12)
LC said:

I'd like to make a motion that he be banned from the forum.

Huh?

Post by LC May 19, 2005 (8 of 12)
zeus said:

Huh?

Right - this is just me clowning around with a good friend.

By the way, hopefully we'll get a pic of his system posted here in the near future, or at least a link to an Audiogon Virtual System. It looks almost as good as it sounds, which is to say, really damn good. I dare say multichannel audio would be in a different place today if more people had had a chance to hear a system like his. Just no comparison to mere "home theatre," at least as it is usually implemented.

Post by vonwegen May 19, 2005 (9 of 12)
OM said:

In addition to the excellent recommendations above, here are some of my own:

Bjork - Medulla (Limited Edition)
Kodo - Mondo Head
Dredg - El Cielo
Bjork - Vespertine (also available in DVD-A, if you can't find the SACD)

Plenty of titles to add to that, but here's a few my favorites (for surround, that is):

Ivan Fischer & the Budapest Festival Orchestra - Dvorak symphonies 8 & 9
E. Power Biggs - Bach, the four great toccatas and fugues
Minnesota Orchestra - Ravel Bolero
Deep Purple - Machine Head
The Who - Tommy
Roxy Music - Avalon

Post by Johnno May 19, 2005 (10 of 12)
LC said:

Right - this is just me clowning around with a good friend.

By the way, hopefully we'll get a pic of his system posted here in the near future, or at least a link to an Audiogon Virtual System. It looks almost as good as it sounds, which is to say, really damn good. I dare say multichannel audio would be in a different place today if more people had had a chance to hear a system like his. Just no comparison to mere "home theatre," at least as it is usually implemented.

You had me seriousy concerned for a minute, too. I thought to myself "What on earth has the guy done to deserve THAT!"

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