shm cds verdict.

I compared Bob Marley & The Wailers 'Catch a Fire' DDC Gold V SHM CD tonight.
Both very enjoyable listens, but much more detail on the SHM.
Also two bonus tracks; damn the evil genius behind the music biz!

SHM occasionally did seem very slightly harsh in comparison to the DCC,
but that be me getting used to the difference in an album I've played so many times.

At the moment if I was in a D.I.D. situation I would pick the SHM.
Before I'm asked, I won't be posting this opinion on the Steve Hoffman website.
I will be making more listening comparisons to these CDs ...

Uhoh. On the strength of hearing a couple of the John Mayall Decca albums and now Van's "A Sense of Wonder" I have gone and pre-ordered a lot of the rock&pop releases. Almost everything released in January and February is now out of print, so if you want any of these titles probably best to get in the queue now, even for the May and June releases.

quote:

On the strength of hearing a couple of the John Mayall Decca albums

Chris,

Did you get to compare these with the remasters? Or the original CDs. I think the JM remasters are pretty good.

Don't get me wrong, I think most SHM CDs are good but there are a few that merely improve a bit on what was already a good recording.

I agree with Munch regarding many of the Island remasters already being good. It would be nice to see a few dodgy discs given the treatment. I pre-ordered Quincy Jones' "The Dude" on that basis. The original CD is a bit average.

Steve

Hi Steve
Yes I do have the first cut CDs of "Crusade" abd "Bare Wires" and I did a bit of comparison listening. I thought the SHM sound was just more real. A lot of the future release stuff I don't have at the moment (such as "the Dude" which you mentioned). The CDJapan site is not wildly informative so I had a window with Amazon.com open at the same time to try and get tracklists from the listed albums.

My view is that if I don't like something I've ordered I can sell it on in due course (once it has gone out of print ideally!).

quote:

Originally posted by Chris Kelly:
On the strength of hearing a couple of the John Mayall Decca albums and now Van's "A Sense of Wonder" I have gone and pre-ordered a lot of the rock&pop releases.

Me to - I think they are sonically very very good!

Where I have been able to make direct comparisons with Bob Marley & The Wailers the SHMs are better than S. Hoffman remasters on DCC gold, & B. Diament remasters on Tuff Gong. I'm not saying these aren't good, but to my ears the SHMs are better.

The SHMs are far superior compared to my old John Mayall Decca CDs.

I was reading a review from a Rolling Stones fan (on Amazon IMSMC),
who stated the RS SHMs are far better than any other versions they've heard.

quote:

You can keep the cds in any version

I plan to!

It will be interesting to hear the Stones "Shine a Light" on SHM. My US version arrived yesterday so a comparative listen on a brand new recording will be possible. I didn't hear it all the way through last night but what I did hear sounded pretty damned good.

Here is a CD for those unsure wether SHM CD is worth the money: -

'Have You Ever Been Experienced?' SHM-CD Compilation: Rock Edition.

I think this is a bargain way to hear SHM for yourself at 952yen (approx' £4.65/US$9.19).

Looking forward to getting my copy. Have ordered a good few of the titles now and just added the new Who, Nick Drake and Elvis Costello releases.

Now have about a dozen titles awaiting a proper listening over the weekend.

They are releasing his 3 original albums in a box set on SHM Stuart. Scheduled for late June release.

The Who is a double CD based on the "My Generation" album which was a US release in the first place, I believe.

The Costello is a 2 CD set, with the original album plus a live set from that era.

I heard what you said about the vinyl originals but as I don't have a TT option then these SHM releases seem like the next best option! Looking at the prices for some of the new "audiophile" vinyl releases they are no more expensive!

For anyone following SHM it's worth checking cdjapan daily. Just announced a 7 album Steely Dan reissue and both volumes of the Duan Allman anthology. Also for Kiss and Motley Crue fans (not me particularly) their back catalogues are also being released on SHM.

If you could only get 2 Dan albums, which would you choose?

Not cheap!

9524 Yen or $91.94. Plus p&p

Do not visit www.cdjapan.co.jp unless you are willing to be tempted to exercise the plastic!

quote:

If you could only get 2 Dan albums, which would you choose?

Agree with Munch about the original albums. Thrill and Aja. But why worry about getting two when "Show Biz Kids" is still around? Non-stop top tracks in great sound (better than the individual CD releases) and covers nearly all of the Dan's best stuff.



Steve

I have ordered the first 3 plus Aja and also the definitive collection. My view is that these things will at least recoup their cost at resale if I don't want them! Having seen the asking price for the MFSL gold albums in my collection I suspect I am a tad underinsured already!

Sorry I was not very clear in what I wrote. No Dan on MFSL, but lots of other stuff which seems to be fetching silly money out there.

quote:

Originally posted by Chris Kelly:
I have ordered the first 3 plus Aja and also the definitive collection. My view is that these things will at least recoup their cost at resale if I don't want them! Having seen the asking price for the MFSL gold albums in my collection I suspect I am a tad underinsured already!

Chris,

Have you compared the 1st orignal pressings to the mfsl? - You might be suprised.


P

Interestingly, I have had email today from cdjapan telling me that Universal have cancelled 4 titles in the forthcoming SHM releases. The Kinks and Small faces, both called "Ultimate Collection", the best of Uriah Heep and the Bert Jansch anthology. The latter is a particular disappointemnt. I wonder if any more will be cannned before they are ever released.

Meanwhile, I have just received "Live at Leeds" and 3 Stones albums from jazzybird in France, very well packaged.

Me too Chris.

What do you make of the Stones SHM discs?

Just playing "Let It Bleed". Midnight Rambler sounds terrific! They are the DSD masters from a few years ago but on the SHM disc. The frequency response seems very even, and I can really hear into the recording. Feet tapping like crazy! I'll put the non SHM version on next to see if I can detect a difference.

quote:

Originally posted by Chris Kelly:
Just playing "Let It Bleed". Midnight Rambler sounds terrific! They are the DSD masters from a few years ago but on the SHM disc. The frequency response seems very even, and I can really hear into the recording. Feet tapping like crazy! I'll put the non SHM version on next to see if I can detect a difference.

555 lent me a copy of Let It Bleed SHM. I also have a copy of the DSD remaster as well as a first pressing of the cd. Will let you know my comments once I have had a proper listen.

I ran EAC on both of the SHM and DSD remasters and they read exactly the same. So it is all down to the listening now.

I did it with a couple of tracks from Let It Bleed and Beggars Banquet, the SHM and the DSD version of each. I was pretty sure the SHM had a little more detail and also seemed marginally louder when played at the same setting on the pre-amp. However, the differences were such that I can't rule out a degree of autosuggestion in what I perceived. I'll get someone to do a blind listening test for me and then see if I really can hear the difference.

That said, the SHM versions of all the albums I have heard so far do sound excellent. Currently got the Allmans in the room, Elizabeth Reed was never more convincingly remembered.

What is amazing that all these recordings are around 40 years old and sound utterly pristine. Maybe the TT lust is subsiding again!

"Live at Leeds" sounds terrific. No time for an a/b tonight.

For those of you who are buying into the SHM thing, it is worth checking the cdjapan site very regularly. New titles keep being slipped in: Creedence's Chronicles 1 and 2 are there now. I really like the discs I have received now, though still haven't listened to them all yet.