| Review by Croc August 29, 2005 (1 of 2 found this review helpful)
|
Performance:  Sonics: |
in one word - "magical".
sonics are superb, as with most japanese Verve SACDs.
|
Was this review helpful to you?
yes |
no
|
|
|
| Review by audiofreak August 21, 2006 (0 of 1 found this review helpful)
|
Performance: Sonics: |
| One of the best jazz vocal recordings ever. This Japanese SACD-remaster has a sound quality that can melt anyones heart. Please note that it is a mono recording - but don't exclude the disc for this. Microdynamics and plasticity is so good, that the vocals sound like they are in 3D.
|
Was this review helpful to you?
yes |
no
|
|
|
| Review by analogue February 24, 2009
|
Performance: Sonics: |
This is simply a classic album with great performances. Listening to this just makes you feel great. I have both the Japanese and regular versions of this sacd. I find the Japan import to be superior in all aspects. I believe the original American sacd was created using a tape copy made from pcm. The actual sacd wasn't bad but was rather loud. The Japanese import is much more refined and mellow with very nice dynamics. It is also much warmer and inviting in feel. It is very easy to relax and listen to. It is also more than twice the price unfortunately.
Is it worth it???? Hard to say.
The jury is still out on whether all Japanese sacd's are superior to their american counterparts. I also believe that not all Japanese imports are great either. The real question that no one seems able to answer or wants to is the following: Are the original master tapes sent to Japan and remastered again in order to produce the new Japanese sacd??? Or is a semi-master
( the same one used to create the American sacd) produced here and sent over to Japan where they tweak it up using their equipment?? Or is another DIFFERENT master sent over to Japan??
In any case I highly recommend this very beautiful jass masterpiece from the 50's. The talent of both Armstrong and Fitzgerald is beyond reproach. sIT DOWN WITH A GLASS OF WINE, RELAX AND LISTEN TO this sacd. You will love it.
|
Was this review helpful to you?
yes |
no
|
|
|
| Review by evalese March 16, 2009 (7 of 7 found this review helpful)
|
Performance: Sonics: |
I've listened to this album on original, somewhat noisy vinyl. I've also attempted to clean up a recording of it on my pc, so I've gotten fairly deep into the album. I picked up the sacd hoping it would go beyond what I could glean from my recording. The level of detail and quality goes way beyond what I had hoped for. Not that the record was bad. It just could never be as clean or have the depth this sacd has. I think they did a spectacular job remastering this. There's minimal sibilance and other vocal issues that were more noticable on the vinyl. I was also very impressed with the equalization. It's not too bright, so when Louis' trumpet storms in, you're not cringing and reaching for the volume button. The presence created by the mono recording directed into the stereo LR speakers is well done. With proper speaker placement, you'll find it feels like listening to the performance centered in front of you. I had to get up several times to convince myself that the sound wasn't coming from the center speaker.
The levels and dynamics are sensitive to the equipment you're using, of course. In my case, I'm going DSD Source Direct from a Denon player into either an Onkyo PR-SC885 or an Emotiva RSP-2, both source direct also. Those feed into the same Emotiva XPA-2 amp, though the RSP-2 is using XLR cables to the amp. The RSP-2 is noticably brighter to the point where I wonder how many would choose one preamp over the other. In my case, I preferred the Onkyo because it seems more refined and smooth, and that's how I envision this album should sound.
To answer the question of how the source was acquired and remastered, here's an article describing the process. In a nutshell, they came over from Japan, recorded the original analog masters to DSD, then shipped those back to be remastered by Seigen Ono. So if that's true, this version is not identical to others after the analog source. http://www.highfidelityreview.com/news/news.asp?newsnumber=18372843
I'd recommend it as a must have. The songs are enjoyable and relaxing, and very fun to listen to. I was so happy that this sacd was still available at a decent price.
|
Was this review helpful to you?
yes |
no
|
|
|
| Review by lampertb January 28, 2011 (2 of 2 found this review helpful)
|
Performance: Sonics: |
| There are of course several releases of this classic album. In my opinion, this is the one that you want: the hybrid Japanese release. Separation, texture, and that "coming out of the speakers" effect... you know what I mean. Louis's vocals (especially) "float." Superb, and in the original mono. Why is it that the Japanese companies make SACDs so much better?!
|
Was this review helpful to you?
yes |
no
|
|
|
