The full selection of Audio Fidelity releases for 2016:

     

     

    

    

AF's 2016 schedule kicks off with Loggins And Messina's Sittin' In, which has been pushed back to January 22nd:



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0161H1M4I/?tag=imwan-20

Also now scheduled for January 22nd, Hearts by America:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018935W3Y/?tag=imwan-20

This has a cover image now. Looks like it will be a stereo disc with no quad or surround layer.

Well that's disappointing. This is my favorite Loggins & Messina. I have been getting spoiled with the Quad therefore I thought we had another one here.

Rick A.

The America SACD listing has gone dormant. Let's keep our pre-orders intact, because it will probably return, but we might be looking at a delayed release date.

All is well, the Hearts listing is back:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018935W3Y/?tag=imwan-20

I tracked down a copy of the MSFL version of this just a few months ago. It sounds great. Actually, the original CD version sounds pretty good, too.

And good news, it will include the original 4.0 quadraphonic mix!

I've already been charged for these two so depending on when they arrive perhaps they can maybe be classified as (late) 2015 releases.

Billy Cobham's Spectrum is now listed for February 26th:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019RVUF3Y/?tag=imwan-20

The Billy Cobham doesn't surprise me.
Probably the result of AF's affiliation with Elliot Scheiner.
Can't say I'm all that thrilled.....I already have the DVD-A and it's been played once.

The Billy Cobham could be very cool depending on the mastering; though we already have a dvd-a & an official download that I strongly suspect is the dvd-a master

Herbie Hancock's Thrust is allegedly also coming on February 26th, but Amazon doesn't have a listing for it yet.

Here we go -- the Billy Cobham and Herbie Hancock listing pages for February 26th are now complete with the cover artwork showing that both SACDs will include the original 4.0 quad mixes:

Billy Cobham - Spectrum



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B019RVUF3Y/?tag=imwan-20

---

Herbie Hancock - Thrust



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A22VC3O/?tag=imwan-20

Very interesting! Look at what's coming up on March 18th:

Bob Dylan - Live 1964: Concert At Philharmonic Hall



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ALH93FE/?tag=imwan-20

Wasn't Dylan still solo guitar in 1964? I'm a bit curious how one would do surround with just guitar & vocals, unless they're really going to have fun with the concert hall ambiance!

The pre-order price for this two-disc set has now dropped by $11, to $48.99.

And why is it 5.0? Hoffman too cheap to spring for the .1?

Never thought I would say this but........... I just found a regular CBS cd I greatly prefer over the AF SACD.

I'm listening to the Sly Greatest Hits. Since I don't have 5.1, I have to listen to it in mono. While I sorta understand SH must of made the choice because the first pressings of the LP were in mono from the single version, I am very much used to hearing Sly in stereo & these songs have NO depth in mono.

The best recorded song on that album is Dance To The Music. After realizing from the 1st song, I Want To Take You Higher, I compared Dance from 3 sources: The AF SACD mono layer, a fan made 4.0 from a reel to reel tape down mixed to 2.0, & the "Essential" CBS cd.

I'd rank them in this order:

1. CBS CD (BY A MILE)
2. FAN SACD in down mixed stereo
3. AF SACD in Mono.

I could only recommend the AF if either 5.0 or mono is important to you. Otherwise, the CBS CD sounds much better

I should clarify: Tonally, the AF isn't bad (though I still prefer the CBS in that regard, also); the main thing is there is no sense of depth at all. Tonally, the AF does sound better than the Fan RTR hi-res transfer disc. But even that disc destroys the AF spatially.

Unfortunately, I am unable to downmix the AF 5.0 to 2.0. For SACD my Oppo's layer setting ove rules any downmix setting; i.e. I have to choose either 1.0 or 5.0 on this disc. As this is the first SACD I've ever had with those particular choices, I've never run into this issue before.

I made it my evening's project to find some way to downmix the 5.0 to 2.0. I actually succeeded, though it required a pcm conversion. The cd still sounds better, but it was a big improvement over the mono. I think I'd also forgotten that these are mostly single edits; while I once owned this album on both vinyl & cd I've really gotten used to the slightly longer album versions.

With the AF in stereo (176/24), I'd now rank them:

1. CBS CD
2. AF 176/24 (5.0 downmix to stereo)
3. Fan SACD (4.0 downmix to stereo)

In reference to this SACD from last year:



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0130HWDFO/?tag=imwan-20

It's a collection of singles, which at the time were still predominantly mixed to mono for AM radio play, so those are the "purist" versions. I like the surround mixes because I prefer multichannel in general, and I also like the cozy nostalgia of those old '70s quad mixes. Honestly, there's a lot to love in this release but not much reason to get it if you prefer stereo. Maybe the old CD that Geff's talking about would be a better choice for 2.0.