Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler SACD and DVD-A

So, I'm all excited that I now have the ability to play these formats and sip from the golden cup of audiophilia.

I do a quick search for the one disc I would really really like a better copy of: Yes, Fragile. And...

Can't find it. GAHHH!!!

OK, so I did find it in DVD-A. Brand spankin' new, shrink wrap and everything... from Hong Kong. Hmmm.

Now I need some advice from you guys that have sipped from the cup. How/where do you buy your favourites in glorious multi-channel?

Do discs like Fragile come up regularly from more reliable sources. Do I break down and toss $24 at a potential scam/pirate??

Amazon seems to have a pretty good collection.

Fred, HMV has a few SACD/hybrids mixed in with their regular ones. Quite often they have DSOTM for the same price as the regular cd(the hybrid is bluish colour with the prism on it vs the black cover/prism of the reg cd). $12.50 quite often.

Thanks for the tip Adrian. DSOTM was another high on my list as I do not currently have it. Will check out HMV

Strangely a search at Amazon did not turn up the SACD DSOTM, or at least identify it as such, though it may have been there.

Homedad. Amazon was the first place I went.

I did find another old favourite, Tubular Bells on E-Bay. A bargoon at only $69.99.

Shame you're coming to these formats this late. Just about everything is out of print, and now only being sought by collectors. Many of the sellers know that, and have adjusted their prices accordingly.

You could try Elusive Disc. Beware, that site is full of snake oil, but if you just stick to the discs you'll be OK.

Hey Fred, I’ve gotten a few SACDs from CD Universe

Even if you don’t buy from them I’ve found their reviews useful. Compare the SACD to the CD review to get an idea if it’s worth the upgrade. I found very quickly that SACDs and DVD-As were only worth the upgrade for me if it was re-mastered either to sound better or from stereo to 5.1. I’ve heard a few SACDs (stereo) that didn’t sound any better to my ears than the original CD.

Also if you haven’t already, do a search for SACD reviews and several review sights are available to help you decide which SACDs might be viable upgrades.

Fred, I've gotten most of my disks from Acoustic Sounds,
http://www.acousticsounds.com

Thanks gents. I will peruse those sites. Dean. Fragile is on my list exactly because I know there is more in the music than the less than stellar CD recording and people I trust have told me the DVD-a is much better. Same with DSOTM.

I expect that Tubular bells will be well mastered given Mr. Oldfield's passion for music. I'm not gonna shell out 70 bucks though.

The 5.1 on the DSOTM SACD takes it to a whole other level.

I believe I've seen DSOTM (Hybrid SACD) at BB recently for $12-13 as well.

Iknow what my first acqusition will be then.

Funny story. I went into may favourite used CD store and asked the young lady at the counter if they carried any SACD or DVD-A. She gave me a blank stare and said... What? The look was priceless.

SACD.net or something has a good listing of SACD's. I usually get mine from Amazon.

Check Chapters online, they seem to have tons of both..

DVD Audio
SACD

I picked up DSOTM there for $14 or something, they seem to have sales on CD's often and include the SACD. I got mine at a local Chapters/Indigo not online.

Dire Straits--Brothers in Arms is a must have. I definitely prefer it to Dark Side of the Moon. Of course, I generally prefer Dire Straits to Pink Floyd anyway...

Yes, it's probably as close as you can come to music on drugs without actually taking the drugs. I often use it to demo the 5.1 system to friends so I can watch their wide eyes turn and point in all kinds of directions.

I also have used this site a number of times.

I can vouch that the DVD-A of Fragile is pretty mind blowing.

That or a well pressed vinyl lp of it are the best sounding versions out there. The cd, not so much.

ELP's Brain Salad Surgery is also great.

Good luck finding them. I'm still trying to get the Toy Matinee surround disc.

Has anyone heard the Genesis box? I've heard the new cd masters are horrible. Squashed and eq'd into oblivion, but that the surround stuff is great.

Things are rapidly going out of print on Amazon and elsewhere.

A great source for all media is GEMM. It's been around forever.

And if, like me, you dig King Crimson, Steve Wilson from Porcupine Tree and Robert Fripp are currently remixing the entire KC catalog in surround. I've got Court Of The Crimson King and Red already and am waiting for Lizard to come out in early January. Reasons to be excited still!

amazon.ca has dark side of the moon for 13.97 right now... I've been considering this as my first purchase, but now I'm leaning towards the beatles Love.

http://www.amazon.ca/Dark-Side-Moon-30th...60923708&sr=8-2

Thanks for the link Roar. Purchased. I also picked up one of the Hiromi Uehara disks on my list and Blues for Allah.

The SACD was the least expensive!

Wohooo, got some good stuff to listen to over Christmas.

Sigh...

It's been a while since I've seen GEMM mentioned. I used to use them when I was first collecting music. Glad to hear they're still around.

Which Hiromi disk did you order?

Sacrilege! Clearly your havn't listened to 'Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict' in the right frame of mind!

Brothers in Arms is on my list.

Beyond Standard. I've got Time on my list as well.

She is in Montreal for the Jazz festival in February, but its on a Thursday and I'm working nights that week. Its very hard to get time off on nights. She is also in Detroit later this year and that one is on a Friday, so I might head down to see her. My daughter would really love to see her in concert as well.

Oooooh there here, there here...

Did you find a copy of Fragile on DVD-A yet?

If not I have one that you can have. Send me a pm if you're interested.