| Review by Discspinner March 11, 2011 (1 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance:  Sonics:  |
The cover is nicely printed in a style that looks like there is a slight haze. Not bad, just a level of indistinctness that gives a smooth gradation to the coloring. It's a nice treatment and works well to bring an old album cover which was much larger originally to the size of a cd case.
I found the treatment of the music on the SACD to be similar at first. Slightly lacking in punch, basses a little muddy, but overall nice. Then I figured out that I needed to play it at a higher volume. Once I did that, the sound made much more sense. Basses became more developed, and the slightly muffled sounding trebles and mid-ranges gained impact.
Your room acoustics and system set up may vary, but if you experience the same thing try increasing the volume. I don't think this deserves a 5, but I think overall a solid 4.
As has been previously reported in the forums, there is some issue with the disc skipping at 5:19 on the first song. It doesn't happen on all playback units, but it does on my Marantz SA8004.
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| Review by Blu Falcon May 31, 2011 (4 of 4 found this review helpful)
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Performance:  Sonics: |
The 5 star rating is for the content of the disc and the sound quality of the mastering. I own Songs in the Key of Life on vinyl LP, the original Motown/ Tamla 2 CD set, and previously the AF gold disc. Imagine this: would you rather have creamy smooth full-flavored ale or a Budweiser? The SHM-SACD is hands down the most dynamic, full-bodied presentation of this classic recording I've come across. It is also the most expensive. So unless you have a dedicated SACD player you're better off trying to find yourself the original Tamla 2 CD set, which is sonically comparable to the AF gold disc. Not much difference to justify the extra cost there. Avoid the remaster (harsh). Regarding the SHM-SACD, the low-end is well extended, mostly punchy, but slightly boomy on some tracks. Mids are forward and lush, and highs are well controlled and not harsh in the slightest. I also find the recording generally mellow, and in a very good way. Listening to the SACD I feel like I've been transported back in time to the days of 70s hi-fi, where the sound is beautifully analog, warm and smooth, which IMO adds more depth and character to this particular pressing. It has all the characteristics of a nice vinyl pressing, but without the surface noise, snap, crackle and pop. It seems like great care was taken to preserve the natural sound of the original recording (regardless of the source) and provide us with a nice solid flat transfer. If one desires more emphasis on the top end you only need to adjust your treble a bit and you should be plenty happy. Overall, I prefer the way it sounds as is and feel no need to tweak any settings. It's perfectly "imperfect" if that makes any sense. There are reports that this SACD has issues playing back on some players during track one. It plays back on my Yamaha DVD-S1800 with no issues. However, I've read that there is a firmware update available to address this issue on some units. The disc itself is packaged in an mini-LP style case and rest in a scratch resistant inner sleeve housed in a hard paper outer sleeve. Given it's a Japanese import there's an obi strip for your viewing pleasure (apparently this matters to some collectors). Liner notes are mostly in Japanese. Universal Japan SHM-SACD build quality is second to none. You can easily tell great care went into the manufacturing of these discs. The SHM coating is supposed to enhance sound quality. Apparently there's some science behind this claim that I won't go into here, but Google is your friend if you want to learn more. Personally, I'm not sure if I buy into it, but the discs do look uber sexy if that matters to you. One thing to note is that the SHM-SACDs typically are not hybrids, so don't dive in expecting this to be a dual layer disc that you can play on any old standard CD player. Overall, a worthy investment if you're a fan of this album. Be warned that once you go SHM-SACD it can be a very expensive (but rewarding) path to sonic ecstasy. Given Innervisions, Fulfillingness' First Finale, Talking Book and Hotter Than July have all been announced on SHM-SACD, it can prove to be a very expensive year indeed, especially if the mastering is just as pleasant as SITKOL. Good luck.
Note: Edited review a bit after recent listen.
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