I havn’t listened to my copy yet, but this is the most barebones packaging of all my Japan Quad SACDs so far. Add to that the channel assignments not being corrected and I feel a little disappointed. Hope to listen this weekend.
I havn’t listened to my copy yet, but this is the most barebones packaging of all my Japan Quad SACDs so far. Add to that the channel assignments not being corrected and I feel a little disappointed. Hope to listen this weekend.
(Japanese Google translation)
"SQ analog and SA-CD have not been released in Japan since its release, will be revived vividly from the analog master with the latest mastering in 2021"
Generally speaking, the CBS SQ encodes were done simultaneously with the discrete 4-channel tapes because the engineering department felt that deriving a 2-channel SQ-encoded tape from a 4-channel tape introduced the possibility of more phase error which would degrade the quality of the SQ decode. The upshot of this is that if there are channel assignment errors in the discrete (Q8) version of a release, they'll also exist in the SQ LP version. Take Earth, Wind & Fire's That's the Way of the World (another Don Young quad mix) for example - one side of the album had the phase inverted in one of the front channels (which is surely not an intentional decision) and this 'feature' (ie mistake) exists on both the SQ LP and Q8 releases of this title.
The 'upside' with this album is that aside from the opening to One Word, there's essentially no other interaction between the front and rear channels, so if the weird schizophrenic 'X' pan (and the fact that the instruments in the front are stereo imaged oppositely to the way they are in the original stereo mix) then there's no need to worry about, or 'fix' this album. But if you're like me, and like things to be "correct" just for the sake of being correct, it's an easy thing to remedy, especially if you have your collection ripped digitally - apply the fix using @HomerJAU 's MMH after you rip it and you never have to think about it again.
I'm more confused than ever, just going over posts in the AF SACD Poll thread. The SQ front placement matched the stereo placement
I just listened to my SQ LP via the S&IC and it sounded fantastic, discrete even. I have a near mint copy, the made for the UK version with the CBS label. The drums decoded perfectly, I didn't notice the leakage that sscully was talking about. I didn't notice the X pan but will give it another listen.
Here is the link. HiRez Poll - Mahavishnu Orchestra, The - BIRDS OF FIRE [SACD]? Link please. From my reading the guitar and violin are in reversed L/R channels on the SQ LP compared to the stereo LP and CD.
Forget the drums for a minute. Forget the rear channels. Listen for the placement of the violin, keyboards, guitar in the front sound stage. It is consistent across most of the album.
I am bolding what I know from actual listening to stereo vs SACD quads:
It's violin left, keyboard center, guitar right on the stereo LP/CD/stereoSACD (and reportedly on Q8). Evident whenever they trade licks
It's guitar left, keyboard center, violin right on SACD quads (and reportedly on SQ LP)
THAT is the most obvious evidence of reversal compared to the stereo mix. It's plain as day if you are familiar with the album.
The SQ decode that I have has the same layout as the SACD quads. It is a decode of the SQ LP but I don't own the actual LP.
I know where the thread is. I was asking for a link to post(s) reporting the confusing claims that "The SQ front placement matched the stereo placement but the rears are reversed? The AF version reversed both the front and rears so the rear is now correct but the fronts are now reversed? "
What ever happened to the ole days when a man could calmly sit in his rocker smoking his pipe and not worry about reconfiguring his pricey Surround Mix?
What ever happened to the ole days when a man could calmly sit in his rocker smoking his pipe and not worry about reconfiguring his pricey Surround Mix?
SWAP MEETS .... JIBBERISH!
and a poor surround mix may cause Depression, anxiety and a desire to REVERT TO STEREO!
A crooked smile EQ ?So here's the frequency (EQ) difference plot of Sony Japan vs the AF , left front (top) and right front (bottom) channels, for the title track (scanned with Audition CC using Blackmann-Harris window , FFT size 65536)
It shows how three narrow frequency ranges are boosted on the Sony versus the AF (or, depressed on the AF versus Sony, depending on your perspective), as well as a general treble increase in the Sony vs AF starting from about 2kHz upwards. The bumps are centered at ~77Hz, ~750 Hz and ~5500 Hz. The first two bumps are each a dB or less. The 5.5kHz bump is substantial! As is the uprising treble. Meanwhile everything below ~70Hz is essentially the same (down to 20Hz).
Should be an audible difference., to say the least....
View attachment 73045
You could swap signal cables, like I do. Much less work.I am really enjoying this release. The audio quality is superb to my old ears. I did swap the right and left front channels.
One listen to One Word and I am convinced this is the correct way to listen to this. The drums circling the room, the
violin and guitar in the same channels as the stereo version, it all makes sense.
I don't know what I would do without the ability to rip SACD discs and mess with the recordings.
You could swap signal cables, like I do. Much less work.
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