add to wish list | library


13 of 13 recommend this,
would you recommend it?

yes | no

Support this site by purchasing from these vendors using the paid links below. As an Amazon Associate SA-CD.net earns from qualifying purchases.
 
amazon.ca
amazon.co.uk
amazon.com
amazon.de
 
amazon.fr
amazon.it
CDJapan
jpc

Reviews: Marvin Gaye: What's Going On

Reviews: 2

Review by analogue September 9, 2011 (12 of 13 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:
There are still a few Shm-Sacd titles that I am curious about and willing to take a chance on. Discs that I already own.

I own the original Mobile Fidelity sacd and it's a terrific sounding release. My only complaint, a very small one is that it is a flat transfer that sounds ever so slighly "flat" where it lacks some of the 3 dimensional feel of other classic releases.

I'm glad I took the chance as this new Shm Sacd is awesome. From the very first listen I noticed two things right out of the gate.....1) the bass playing was a force to be reckoned with...very thick and melodic..each note very pronounced and distinct. 2) Marvin's voice was far more substantial, soulful and three dimensional. It just floats out of the mix in the center speakers.

The Mofi disc had a great midrange but this new disc has a great mid-range in addition to the bass that goes deep and lastly Marvin's voice layered on top. As a whole the new disc is better. The same dsd transfer but not the same sound.

On the mofi disc there was an annoying tape drop out at the end of the first track. To my shock it is not on this new disc. How or why I cannot say...but I dont hear it....and I've tried.

On some levels the improvements between the two discs sounds almost to close to distinguish on some tracks but most of the tracks offer some detectable improvment. There is a deeper soundstage both from side to side and then from back to front. There is a more cohesive presence to the Shm disc over the Mofi. Little details sparkle more clearly and this includes things buried in the mix on the Mofi.

Marvin had a 3 octave voice that he used to great effect and in addition he double and triple tracked his voice on different layers of tape, On the new disc they actually compete with each other at times and this surprised me. There are times on this album where the music is almost haunting and this disc showcases this feeling very forcefully.

The original album as a whole had a definite spirit to it that is better realized on the shm disc. It s something palpable and easy to detect.

The Mofi disc is still an awesome and still very formidable but this new shm is a much better listen and a great example of what the actual "SHM" process does for these shm sacd discs. The best way to describe the difference between these two discs is that the Mofi was a tad flat and this new disc is "unflattened".

Love that liquid, beautiful bass work (that competes in quality with Marvin's voice) and the great voice of Marvin Gaye.

This shm sacd makes the superb Mofi disc even better.

Highly recommended.

Was this review helpful to you?  yes | no

Review by AmirKessner December 24, 2011 (0 of 7 found this review helpful)
I don't know any Japanese, but when I put http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=UIGY-9030 in Google Translate (http://translate.google.com), I got the following translation:

[SA-20 title and first name of all the CD Specification CD ~ ~ SHM] used body material with excellent flow SHM / transparent, single-layer characteristics of the original live DSD (2ch) adopted the method, Super Ultimate Audio CD Series. Eliminate the SA-permeability layers by having only a single-layer and CD, ensure sufficient reflectivity to read music information exhaustively. To enable the recording of uncompressed data, SA-CD layer has focused only on 2ch. Allow a more accurate round trip distance of the laser reflection film, a polycarbonate material used in the body is a clear LCD panel. This is the same material as SHM-CD, SA-transparent compared with the normal CD, but also has excellent liquidity necessary to form a bit more accurate. Influenced countless musicians, sweet and powerful voice message with the timeless album. "What's Going On," "Mercy Mercy Me," "Inner City Blues" included others. Published in 1971. DSD Master Production 2008 U.S. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab.

So, just for your information, the Japanese SHM-SACD is not a new remastering.
It simply uses MoFi's DSD Master, same as for the much cheaper MoFi "original" (Marvin Gaye: What's Going On).

In any case, having the same master does not tell the whole story, and it's still very possible that the SHM-SACD sounds noticeably better. Even in plain, aluminum RBCDs, Japanese issues often sound better (to me) than do their American/European equivalents.

Enjoy!
Amir

Was this review helpful to you?  yes | no