HiRez Poll Estefan, Gloria - GREATEST HITS [SACD]

[JonUrban]

Please post your thoughts and comments on this SACD release from SONY.

 

[fredblue]

I've always liked this one. It's not gonna win any awards for best 5.1 ever and the fidelitys not amazing by any stretch.. its a bit weird in that there's so much isolated percussion in the rears a lot of the time (and sometimes not much else) but at least it's discrete and.. fun..!!

I will give it another listen over the weekend to refresh my memory before voting but I reckon I'll be rating it around a "7" or possibly stretch to an "8".. its a bit of an overlooked/dismissed kinda pleasant surround surprise.

 

[fredblue]

funny thing.. I remember one day I put this one on and all I heard was "WOW! the surrounds strong on this one!!" from my partner on the other side of the room..!!

 

[Quad Linda]

10. The mix and fidelity are good, but there are better titles at both. The music goes to 11 or 12. One of the essential 5.1 SACD's.

 

[kap'n krunch]

10. The mix and fidelity are good, but there are better titles at both. The music goes to 11 or 12. One of the essential 5.1 SACD's.

Yes, but it's "Mucho, mucho dinero"!!!!

 

[Dixie4]

The album is one of my favourites musically, but i'm not very impressed with the mix, even though there's a lot of things going on. The lead vocals sound like they're coming from the end of a tunnel.
Perhaps when I upgrade my speakers, I will feel different about this disc....but I do love, GLORIA !!

 

[filper]

I love it. I play it every couple of weeks.

Back in the day I found 4 or 5 in the Best Buy Clearance Bins for $3.99.

 

[inquadwetrust]

The album is one of my favourites musically, but i'm not very impressed with the mix, even though there's a lot of things going on. The lead vocals sound like they're coming from the end of a tunnel.
Perhaps when I upgrade my speakers, I will feel different about this disc....but I do love, GLORIA !!

As Fredblue pointed out on the BDA thread, my modest Tannoy Mercury F3s really do punch well above their weight and this particular SACD shines very nicely through them despite some of the accurate descriptions of some of the less pleasing aspects of the content mentioned above. This disc gets more play when we have guests round who start digging round in my discs. It's a real crowd pleaser for sure.

 

[Dixie4]

I'm just listening to this again, and I couldn't give the mix more than a 6 or 7. I know there's a lot of percussion e.t.c. coming from the rears, but for me, it's almost "too separate". The overall sound is too "tinny & bright" and lacks any kind of warmth, which is disappointing, because I've always loved the album.The instrumentation is too harsh and overwhelms the vocals. The vocals should be the most IMPORTANT thing in any mix / production. The music is worthy of a 10 though.

 

[LizardKing]

I'm just listening to this again, and I couldn't give the mix more than a 6 or 7. I know there's a lot of percussion e.t.c. coming from the rears, but for me, it's almost "too separate". The overall sound is too "tinny & bright" and lacks any kind of warmth, which is disappointing, because I've always loved the album.The instrumentation is too harsh and overwhelms the vocals. The vocals should be the most IMPORTANT thing in any mix / production. The music is worthy of a 10 though.

I have to agree that this doesn't sound balanced.. The percussion in the rears in the first track is way over the top (for me).

I'll have another listen & vote..

 

[Dixie4]

I have to agree that this doesn't sound balanced.. The percussion in the rears in the first track is way over the top (for me).

I'll have another listen & vote..

I think the percussive parts are over the top, throughout. I agree the sound is not balanced.
I'm being slightly generous giving it a 7 !

 

[fredblue]

I have to agree that this doesn't sound balanced.. The percussion in the rears in the first track is way over the top (for me).

I'll have another listen & vote..

several Sony single layer SACDs (this Gloria Estefan, Bat Out Of Hell, there's a few others I can't recall at the moment) have 5.1 mixes that just never clicked for me until I moved my rears further away from my listening position (i.e. they're now not as near to my ears as before!)

I know room correction (speaker distances & EQ etc) should compensate for such things (blah blah) but there's no substitute for physically getting the speakers set out properly (imho).. having a layout closer to the diddy little diagram inside those SACD booklets..
is it the ITU standard or something..!? I'm in bed with my iPad and I'm too lazy to get up and check inside an SACD right now.!? Anyhoo.. having the 4 main spkrs approx equidistant from my listening position has worked wonders (for me, on my rig, with discs like those Sony Single Layer 5.1's in particular.).

 

[Dixie4]

several Sony single layer SACDs (this Gloria Estefan, Bat Out Of Hell, there's a few others I can't recall at the moment) have 5.1 mixes that just never clicked for me until I moved my rears further away from my listening position (i.e. they're now not as near to my ears as before!)

I know room correction (speaker distances & EQ etc) should compensate for such things (blah blah) but there's no substitute for physically getting the speakers set out properly (imho).. having a layout closer to the diddy little diagram inside those SACD booklets..
is it the ITU standard or something..!? I'm in bed with my iPad and I'm too lazy to get up and check inside an SACD right now.!? Anyhoo.. having the 4 main spkrs approx equidistant from my listening position has worked wonders (for me, on my rig, with discs like those Sony Single Layer 5.1's in particular.).

With all due respect, my dear, I don't think in this instance it has anything to do with position of speakers ( and my front & rears are all of a equal distance ) it's just a poor surround mix ( imho )

 

[fredblue]

I have to agree that this doesn't sound balanced.. The percussion in the rears in the first track is way over the top (for me).

I'll have another listen & vote..

it is unnaturally mixed and too rear heavy with seriously discrete isolated things in the rears.. but its just so much fun! like some of my favourite quads! An "8" I think (carries its weight)

 

[fredblue]

I HOPE NOT !! ( i'd have a rather strange looking body !! )

My listening position, tends to be in the very centre of my fronts & rears, so imagine a circle and i'm positioned in the centre of it.

I'm imaging it ("I've really got to use.. my imagination..!!") yep, thats about right!

interested to see what you think once you step up the speakers

 

[Dixie4]

I'm imaging it ("I've really got to use.. my imagination..!!") yep, thats about right!

interested to see what you think once you step up the speakers

Yes it will my dear, but I can't recall anything similar, with any of my other discs, especially where there's a lot going on in the rears.
As I've said before, I don't think the lead vocals are mixed well too. Gloria ( to me ) sounds like she's at the end of a tunnel, her voice should be up in the mix & central. It's almost like someone decided that " this should be good for surround sound, with all the different sounds / percussive sounds " ( It's almost like they concentrated on these musical elements, above anything !....but for me, it's unbalanced & a mistake. ) It could have been done so much better, imho.

 

[fredblue]

Yes it will my dear, but I can't recall anything similar, with any of my other discs, especially where there's a lot going on in the rears.
As I've said before, I don't think the lead vocals are mixed well too. Gloria ( to me ) sounds like she's at the end of a tunnel, her voice should be up in the mix & central. It's almost like someone decided that " this should be good for surround sound, with all the different sounds / percussive sounds " ( It's almost like they concentrated on these musical elements, above anything !....but for me, it's unbalanced & a mistake. ) It could have been done so much better, imho.

fair enough, you hear what you hear no tunnel effect my end! yes, it could have been better but it's not terrible by any means! you can always stick the old CD Hits compilation on instead (it's got some good stuff on it that's missing on the MultiCh SACD after all) but I know which version I'd rather hear at this point in time = the less-than-perfect surround!

 

[Dixie4]

fair enough, you hear what you hear no tunnel effect my end! yes, it could have been better but it's not terrible by any means! you can always stick the old CD Hits compilation on instead (it's got some good stuff on it that's missing on the MultiCh SACD after all) but I know which version I'd rather hear at this point in time = the less-than-perfect surround!

Inspite of my negativity, i'm still pleased I bought it and will continue to play it....lets hope I feel different when I've had an upgrade ! ( well, not me personally ! )