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24FPS
Speaking of SHM CDs, I was able to get Steely Dan's Aja at a decent price. Can't wait to hear it. I've been scouring ebay for more Stones SHM CDs. I see Ya Yas pop up in my price range from time to time. I just don't know. I was very disappointed in ABKCO's 2002 SACD version of the live classic. It was flat, and by that I mean being on SACD didn't add anything to it. This was unusual in that I tended to like most of the ABKCO CDs of the pre-71 material.

Has anyone else heard the SHM CD Japan version of Ya Yas? Is it an improvement?

I have the old MFSL vinyl of Aja, it's phenomenal! Sounds like the drummer is in the room with you.

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ironbelly

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donvis
What about Hi-Res CD MQA X UHQCD?????

Hi-Res UHQCD - MQA [UICY-40166] also contain that flat transfer with slow Fingerprint File.
That is kind of 'exotic' format

So, that's the one I bought...and I'm quite happy both with the original slow version of Fingerprint File AND the sound quality - even played on a regular CD-Player and listened to with my BOSE headphones the sound is not as muddy as with the VIRGIN version...

IORR

I have the Japanese SHMCD's of Their Satanic Majesties Request and Beggars Banquet.

Can't say I hear much difference from the CD/SACD hybrids from 2002 I had before.

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His Majesty
I have the Japanese SHMCD's of Their Satanic Majesties Request and Beggars Banquet.

Can't say I hear much difference from the CD/SACD hybrids from 2002 I had before.

That is obvious. SHM CD and SACD-hybrid in this case carry the very same digital content - 2002 mastered by Bob Ludwig.

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ironbelly

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His Majesty
I have the Japanese SHMCD's of Their Satanic Majesties Request and Beggars Banquet.

Can't say I hear much difference from the CD/SACD hybrids from 2002 I had before.

That is obvious. SHM CD and SACD-hybrid in this case carry the very same digital content - 2002 mastered by Bob Ludwig.

And if you only listen to the CD-Layer of the Hybrid-SACD then there can't be much difference heard as well.

Main point is it's same mix and mastering?

I bought on off chance they'd offer an other pov musically rather than clarity wise...

My ears told me they didn't regardless of system or layer.

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His Majesty
Main point is it's same mix and mastering?

I bought on off chance they'd offer an other pov musically rather than clarity wise...

My ears told me they didn't regardless of system or layer.

Short answer is yes. If you compare the same layer (e.g. redbook only) on the same equipment. But it is not always the case (see below).

The long answers - it is very complicated. We do not want to start the 4th World War, do we?. Every time you step on the thin ice of that audiophile question you get a war.

You have four things to consider - mastering (it does not help a lot if originally the record was poor), decoding (SACD or redbook), equipment/room/enviroment and your ears/imagination. The last one is the most important .
Technically, SHM material allows better quality physical discs. Thus, the sound is less spoiled with artifacts of different nature that should be corrected by player's transport and electronics. SACD provide better resolution comparing to redbook (but in the case of Blue And Lonesome it will not help at all if the mastering is the same as for redbook CD). The same with equipment. And so on and so forth. It is complex.

For example long time ago Barry Diament (the guy who mastered CDs of Led Zeppelin in the early 80s) stated that CDs prepared at different plants using the very same initial digital master sound differently. The reason was the jitter that was not accounted for in redbook specification. It can be explained by small irregularities in the physical structure of the CD. Like this

As you see, all 0s and 1s are there but they are slightly misplaced. Thus, the signal that is recovered after D->A conversion from jittered CD will be distorted with respect to original master.

SHM-CD are less effected by jitter due to material used for production. Thus, in theory they suppose to sound better comparing to regular CDs.

Now the questions:
is electronics in your system good enough to correct jitter?
do you have ears sensitive enough to detect that small variations in sound quality?

I do not ask about imagination. Every audiophile knows that Japanese CD sounds the best and OBI adds at least 2 to the dynamic range of the CD

Now that's a good post.

If nothing else, SHM CDs are the clearest CDs I've heard. I have a Steve Winwood Greatest Hits collection. The mono Spencer Davis cuts aren't fantastic, but are probably the best you can hear them.

Jimi Hendrix' Are You Experienced sounds out of this world, as does Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. The Stones Through the Past Darkly isn't special, as I assume all ABKCO releases are the same as the 2002 SACD/DSD remasters. Still, they are as good as they are going to sound, to my ears.

Goats Head Soup, with the new stereo mix, changed my low opinion of the original album. Crosby Still and Nash Greatest Hits are mind blowingly good. You get that surround sound illusion of music in places without speakers. One of my favorites, surprisingly, is the Carpenter's Singles 1969-1981. They were recorded in the best studios, with the best studio musicians, and a great vocalist. All that really comes across on the SHM CD.

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24FPS
If nothing else, SHM CDs are the clearest CDs I've heard. I have a Steve Winwood Greatest Hits collection. The mono Spencer Davis cuts aren't fantastic, but are probably the best you can hear them.

Jimi Hendrix' Are You Experienced sounds out of this world, as does Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. The Stones Through the Past Darkly isn't special, as I assume all ABKCO releases are the same as the 2002 SACD/DSD remasters. Still, they are as good as they are going to sound, to my ears.

Goats Head Soup, with the new stereo mix, changed my low opinion of the original album. Crosby Still and Nash Greatest Hits are mind blowingly good. You get that surround sound illusion of music in places without speakers. One of my favorites, surprisingly, is the Carpenter's Singles 1969-1981. They were recorded in the best studios, with the best studio musicians, and a great vocalist. All that really comes across on the SHM CD.

I bought Queen II last week.
I heard this album for the first time in my life, I found quality of the sound mind-blowing.
It sounds great even with seedy wifi-speakers.
It was no wonder their fifteen re-released albums on SHM were ranked in hit charts in Japan this week.

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Toru A

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24FPS
If nothing else, SHM CDs are the clearest CDs I've heard. I have a Steve Winwood Greatest Hits collection. The mono Spencer Davis cuts aren't fantastic, but are probably the best you can hear them.

Jimi Hendrix' Are You Experienced sounds out of this world, as does Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti. The Stones Through the Past Darkly isn't special, as I assume all ABKCO releases are the same as the 2002 SACD/DSD remasters. Still, they are as good as they are going to sound, to my ears.

Goats Head Soup, with the new stereo mix, changed my low opinion of the original album. Crosby Still and Nash Greatest Hits are mind blowingly good. You get that surround sound illusion of music in places without speakers. One of my favorites, surprisingly, is the Carpenter's Singles 1969-1981. They were recorded in the best studios, with the best studio musicians, and a great vocalist. All that really comes across on the SHM CD.

I bought Queen II last week.
I heard this album for the first time in my life, I found quality of the sound mind-blowing.
It sounds great even with seedy wifi-speakers.
It was no wonder their fifteen re-released albums on SHM were ranked in hit charts in Japan this week.

Nice. Maybe I'll get a Queen SHM CD. I wish they sold them here in the states so I could browse and see what exactly is available. It would be nice to have a complete list of SHM CDs. I think every Stones release, ABKCO, and after, are on SHM CD, as are the Beatles, and Led Zeppelin.

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24FPS

I wish they sold them here in the states so I could browse and see what exactly is available. It would be nice to have a complete list of SHM CDs.

On [www.jpc.de] there's at the lower end of their website a headline: "Audiophile media" with a link to all SHM-CDs (currently 2704 entries).

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Irix

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24FPS

I wish they sold them here in the states so I could browse and see what exactly is available. It would be nice to have a complete list of SHM CDs.

On [www.jpc.de] there's at the lower end of their website a headline: "Audiophile media" with a link to all SHM-CDs (currently 2704 entries).

Otherwise just search cdjapan with keyword SHM and add extra filters for advanced search
[www.cdjapan.co.jp]
There is also dedicated page on Universal Japan site. But it is all in Japanese.

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Irix

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24FPS

I wish they sold them here in the states so I could browse and see what exactly is available. It would be nice to have a complete list of SHM CDs.

On [www.jpc.de] there's at the lower end of their website a headline: "Audiophile media" with a link to all SHM-CDs (currently 2704 entries).

yup! That was easy:

[www.jpc.de]

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Irix

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24FPS

I wish they sold them here in the states so I could browse and see what exactly is available. It would be nice to have a complete list of SHM CDs.

On [www.jpc.de] there's at the lower end of their website a headline: "Audiophile media" with a link to all SHM-CDs (currently 2704 entries).

Thanks.