.
James Dean wrote:
I ordered this in Geff's favorite format, K2HD from cdjapan for release on May 23.
I like K2, but true hi rez is my favorite these days. No matter what they call it,
cd is limited to 44/16. There's 2 different issues; both of which imo are required for good sound:
1. The mastering quality. It would seem that as a general statement, the Japanese culture places different values on how they like their music to sound than the USA & much of Europe does. I obviously happen to usually agree with the Japanese preferences in this regard.
Usually the shm, k2, xrcd, etc are well mastered. That's what makes most of the difference, & it's usually a big improvement over most USA releases. Again, The mastering techniques (low to no compression, high quality original master tape rather than a 5th gen safety, judicious use of eq, high quality studio equipment) are most of the improvement. The disc surface certainly may also play a part; the idea that certain surfaces reflect the laser better & reduce timing jitter actually is a sound concept (no pun intended!).
There is actually a new Warner classic jazz series (files only at this point) where they are advertising them as 192/24 "flat transfers" (in effect NO mastering other than optimizing the volume without compression & carefully choosing the equipment used to transfer the master tape); the few I've heard are quite good. When we're up to 192/24 it seems that the slight treble boost cd sometimes needs to sound alive is no longer necessary. They're also expensive; $25 for a 40-45 minute album download.
2. The bit length & sampling rate. In just 2 months I have become so used to 24 bit that it's become almost impossible to listen to standard 16/44 on my main system (thank goodness i can still completely enjoy cd on a cheap stereo!) The best way i can describe the difference between 24 bit & 16 bit is it's similar to the difference between a painting & a statue. Where that comparison falls short is a painting is not inferior to a statue by nature; but i don't have a better analogy.
For me, both of the above are now required; bad mastering still sounds awful, no matter what the bit rate.
The 2 worst hi rez recordings I've heard (not by any means the only bad ones) are the Rory Gallagher Big Guns SACD & The Rolling Stones Some Girls Deluxe 88/24 Studiomaster. Both obviously have strong brickwall compression & both are PAINFUL to listen to.
I sure wish I could afford some of the Japanese SHM SACD's. The few I've heard have been stunning. I would kill for the Wishbone Ash Argus (I heard one track from it on an official sampler) but $60.........
BTW, I recently did a comparison of 2 identical Japanese SACD's, one SHM, one not. I thought I heard a small difference (the SHM being more open), but with my system (which I consider only entry level high end) it would never hold up in a blind test. The difference on the mastering between previous releases of the same music was another story; it was huge.
