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The Seventh Taylor said:
Nothing to lose, but I wonder if a presentation about what the format has to offer is what's missing. I have worked for a couple of years at one of the two companies behind the SACD format and I've got plenty of materials (brochures, powerpoint files, training kits, etc.) about what SACD has to offer. I think somebody who looks for information about SACD will find lots of it on the web.
What I would rather suggest is writing a good article about the status of SACD and offer that as a free-lance journalist's contribution to numerous conventional (printed) HiFi magazines. In it, I would point out that although releases of pop music and even jazz have dwindled to a mere trickle, the format is florishing with a constant flow of about 70 releases per month. I would interview and quote people from BIS, Pentatone, Exton and other labels about their views. Probably Stephen, too.
There are many people still to be educated about SACD but one of the things that have struck me lately is that so many who are educated about it are under the false impression that the format has died. I'd like to put that right.
Increasing awareness of the actual state of SACD, that's what it's about in my humble opinion.
The problem is that there are a lot of people who have made up their minds based on mis-information stemming from sources such as Stereophile and The Absolute Sound, probably Gramophone, The American Record Guide and other wonderful print magazines that SACD is no better than, or may be even inferior to RBCD. These people aren't seeking information at all.
But your idea has LOTS of merit! However, much more needs to be done than pointing out that companies such as PentaTone, BIS, Exton and others are continuing with a wealth of releases. There are people, unfortunately lots of people, people who attend concerts, buy a limited number of rbcds each year, love Midori and Anne Sophie Mutter but never heard of Julia Fischer! (I know quite a few, and Fischer has even given a recital here)
When Andrew Quint in "The Absolute Sound" writes an essentially favorable review of her recording, but then qualifies it with "may be two low voltage for some tastes", a lot of folks who had not yet become aware of her will be turned away. The irony of that particular case is that her performance of the piece in question is one of the most intense and high voltage readings ever - its just that she provides strikingly lovely moments of extraordinarily lyrical, singing passages as well.
Critics need to be monitored and protests lodged when they write non-sense. In my opinion, they need to be reminded that what may appear an unappealing release in rbcd, can in mch SACD, prove breathtaking. It is apparent that a lot of SACDs have been reviewed in Gramophone solely as rbcds. They need to know that SACD mch sound is capable of coming so close to making you feel you are actually there, that it is in itself astonishing, and puts small differences in performance in the shade!
When enough people understand that, then I think the medium will take off.
But your idea of an article for one or more of these print magazines with interviews from the principals of our best labels is excellent and needs to be done.
Who among us has the skill set for that, and is willing to volunteer?
This may need to be some sort of a joint venture, for talking with Telarc and then PentaTone and then BIS and Chandos, (and what of 2L and Tudor and BeArton, and Cappriccio, and EXTON?) - it involves a lot of travel!
Then how do we get it published in a magazine whose editors are probably hostile to SACD (UK's Hi Fi News comes to my mind) But someone would I am sure, publish it.
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Windsurfer said:
Critics need to be monitored and protests lodged when they write non-sense. In my opinion, they need to be reminded that what may appear an unappealing release in rbcd, can in mch SACD, prove breathtaking. It is apparent that a lot of SACDs have been reviewed in Gramophone solely as rbcds.
I recognize that. My daily newspaper last month featured a review of Wesendonck Lieder & Areas and while the judgement overall was very favourable, the reviewer completely missed the fact that it's an SACD, and apparently simply reviewed it as an RBCD.
Concerning the skills: I haven't done too much copywriting in recent years but I definitely have the skills (something I inherited or learnt from my father who's been a professional copywriter most of his life) although I'll admit I've never written any audiophile pieces yet.
I'll even volunteer doing so -- assuming I can do the interviews by phone. I don't have the budget to do such travelling (although I'll gladly make time if some of you here volunteer providing the funds ;-)
Now where I'll need (a lot of) help is primarily the following two things:
1) drawing up a list of people to interview (at Telarc, PentaTone, BIS, Chandos, 2L, Tudor, BeArton, Cappriccio, Exton) and their contact details;
2) drawing up a list of magazines to submit the article to.
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Post by Julien February 21, 2007 (13 of 54)
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I don't mean any trouble here, only help. So here's my opinion.
Julia Fischer is an excellent violonist, but plays like a 20 year-old girl. Believe it or not, that was my guess the first time I heard her play. She is amazingly sensible and full of talent. But usually either she plays soft and sensible either gets excited, and especially her vibrato is out of control as soon as she gets excited. The expressivity of her left hand and also a finer use of her bow are big problems to be solved, I think she could play a lot better. She doesn't yet have the richness of details the great masters have, and even if she has the potential she obviously lacks maturity. And the rhythm in the third movement of her Tchaikovsky is flat and boring. Listen to Stern, for example (whose conductor also gets so much more expression from the orchestra)!
So I understand why critics might say things like that, and obviously Fischer is not a good start to convince professionals about SACD. They would say at once something like "you see, the great ones don't record for SACD", which already is a cliche.
Of course you don't have to agree with me, but I can guarantee that on this matter my opinion is very close to what many of those who care for the performance more than the sound quality would think.
Brendel's Mozart concertos SACD, for example, would be perfect, as an example among others. Why?
It is master level from all aspects. Actually I'm very eager to listen to Pentatone SACDs in multi-channel. Because none of them is the best I have in stereo (the old quadrophonic are very good in stereo though). And I think that to really convince people that the format is better you have to prove to them that it is better also in the same conditions as they are used to. Then of course, multi-channel has to be experienced.
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The Seventh Taylor said:
I'll even volunteer doing so -- assuming I can do the interviews by phone. I don't have the budget to do such travelling (although I'll gladly make time if some of you here volunteer providing the funds ;-)
Now where I'll need (a lot of) help is primarily the following two things:
1) drawing up a list of people to interview (at Telarc, PentaTone, BIS, Chandos, 2L, Tudor, BeArton, Cappriccio, Exton) and their contact details;
2) drawing up a list of magazines to submit the article to.
Here is something to start with:
1) Robert von Bahr of BIS can be emailed from the address he posted as "bissie" ; Giel Bessels of PentaTone has the moniker: "Pentaman" ; Morten Lindberg of 2L has the moniker "Lindberg"; Ralph Couzens, of Chandos can probably be accessed from this data: Chandos Records Ltd Chandos House, 1 Commerce Park, Commerce Way, Colchester, Essex CO2 8HX, United Kingdom, Telephone: +44 1206 225200, Fax: +44 1206 225201, E-Mail: enquiries@chandos.net; Jared Sacks has the moniker: "Channel" on this forum and his information is also posted on the "users" page
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Post by Johnno February 22, 2007 (15 of 54)
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Windsurfer said:
The problem is that there are a lot of people who have made up their minds based on mis-information stemming from sources such as Stereophile and The Absolute Sound, probably Gramophone, The American Record Guide and other wonderful print magazines that SACD is no better than, or may be even inferior to RBCD. These people aren't seeking information at all.
The English magazine "Hi-Fi News" is another that goes out of its way to bury SACD. Ken Kessler was the only journalist there who supported the format (he openly admitted he really liked it when he reviewed and raved about the Marantz SA-1S1 player) but he seems to have departed the scene.
I admit I cannot understand "Gramophone". At one time it had a special page (admittedly not a regular feature) devoted to SACD and DVD-A reviews but that certainly seems to be a thing of the past now. One or two critics seem to express an interest in it.
I'm probably being unduly cynical but I wonder if many of these organisations (possibly including "Hi-Fi News") actually supported DVD-A at the start but when they saw that the writing was on the wall for the format, they were determined not to support its rival under any circumstances. I know I've mentioned this before. Let's face it, in the early days there were one or two ridiculous statements made about SACD by proponents of DVD-A, people who wanted to see DVD-A succeed by any means. They are no doubt eating humble pie now.
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Hello, Sony?
How about reissuing a big wad o' Columbia quadraphonic recordings in full surround? As these would include stereo mixdowns for listeners who don't have multi-channel playback, or don't like it, everyone's needes would be served.
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Post by raffells March 6, 2007 (17 of 54)
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GrizzledGeezer said:
Hello, Sony?
How about reissuing a big wad o' Columbia quadraphonic recordings in full surround? As these would include stereo mixdowns for listeners who don't have multi-channel playback, or don't like it, everyone's needes would be served.
Hello GrizzledGeezer.
How about just releasing a big wad of genuine stereo only sacd for the majority of buyers? instead of a crap mixed down version fot them..There are far more decent stereo only recordings than 4 channel ones?..Then they could synthesize a rear channel on those and everybodys need would be served...No I dont think YOU would like that...
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Post by kpt March 7, 2007 (18 of 54)
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SONY/PHILIP should only selling hybrid sacd for all new album issued and selling at the price similar to normal cd.
If SONY/PHILIP have done it when they launced SACD, now we will only see SACD in the market.
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kpt said:
SONY/PHILIP should only selling hybrid sacd for all new album issued and selling at the price similar to normal cd.
If SONY/PHILIP have done it when they launced SACD, now we will only see SACD in the market.
1) Philips doesn't sell any SACDs, neither single-layer nor hybrid. They divested PolyGram (over which they didn't have too much direct control anyway) before SACD was introduced.
The discs Philips released for demo purposes were all hybrid multi-channel discs, by the way.
2) I think since a while all SACDs released are hybrids. Aren't all single-layer discs the earlier Sony ones?
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Post by soundboy March 8, 2007 (20 of 54)
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The Seventh Taylor said:
2) I think since a while all SACDs released are hybrids. Aren't all single-layer discs the earlier Sony ones?
In the US, Universal Music released a number of titles on single-layer SACD....titles from The Police, Peter Gabriel, Muddy Waters, BB King, etc. There were titles on single-layer SACD from other labels as well. A very recent single-layer SACD release would be the "break-in" SACD from Top Music; of course, it was pressed by Sony.
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