Santana's "Caravanserai" on Hybrid Multichannel SACD in 7" Mini-LP Packaging!

[SACD_ripper]

What player, out of curiosity? I used the same tools/version of EuFlo's tool.

Can you post the SHA/MD5 hash of your raw ripped image? I can compare it to the hash of mine and we can see if the rip is 1:1 or actually different.

I used a Sony S790 for the rip, but I don't have a raw image, I rip directly to stereo DSF tracks.
All tracks had all expected sectors read and accounted for, based on the feedback provided in the GUI.

 

[SACD_ripper]

What player, out of curiosity? I used the same tools/version of EuFlo's tool.

Can you post the SHA/MD5 hash of your raw ripped image? I can compare it to the hash of mine and we can see if the rip is 1:1 or actually different.

I just re-ripped it to .iso, still no error messages or warnings.

Here is the hash, note this is the .iso itself, and not any enclosing folder.

 

[esimms86]

View attachment 85833
View attachment 85834
View attachment 85835
6 thumbs up!

Baggy and son have gone blue ray! It’s part of their super hero origin story!

 

[dadregga]

I just re-ripped it to .iso, still no error messages or warnings.

View attachment 85872

Here is the hash, note this is the .iso itself, and not any enclosing folder.

View attachment 85873

Ah thx -
1. My SHA-1 is the same as yours - so the actual contents are 1:1 - good to confirm.

2. I'm also generating a separate CUE sheet with the tool, and _that_ is what is erroring I think - I don't much care about that tho:

Exporting ISO output in file: D:\Santana - Caravanserai (SA-CD Multi-ch Hybrid Edition)\Santana - Caravanserai (SA-CD Multi-ch Hybrid Edition) (1).iso

Started at: Wed Nov 30 16:09:25 2022


Processing [D:\Santana - Caravanserai (SA-CD Multi-ch Hybrid Edition)\Santana - Caravanserai (SA-CD Multi-ch Hybrid Edition) (1).iso] (1/1)..
Completed: 100% (file sectors processed: 1997526 / total sectors:1997526)
Ended at: Wed Nov 30 16:38:09 2022
[elapsed: 00 hours:28 minutes:44 seconds]

We are done exporting ISO.


Exporting CUE sheet: [D:\Santana - Caravanserai (SA-CD Multi-ch Hybrid Edition)\Stereo\Santana - Caravanserai (SA-CD Multi-ch Hybrid Edition) (1).cue] ...


We are done exporting CUE sheet.


Exporting metadata in XML file: [D:\Santana - Caravanserai (SA-CD Multi-ch Hybrid Edition)\Stereo\Santana - Caravanserai (SA-CD Multi-ch Hybrid Edition) (1).xml] ...


We are done exporting metadata in XML file.

Program terminates!

Warning: Area 2 (MULCHTOC) TOC-1 did not match with Area 2 (MULCHTOC) TOC-2. Disc has some errors !! Using TOC-1...

[DONE]

Thanks for verifying! We're all getting the same SHA-1, which means there is no inconsistency.

 

[fredblue]

i'm surprised nobody has commented more so far on certain aspects of the sound quality.

tbh i'm kinda taken aback by the egregiously boosted treble (i'm finding some cymbals and guitar parts quite painful) and distortion/saturation & what sounds like possible tape damage going on.

the Quad mix itself is great, so lovely and active and immersive and musically its a Classic of course but i definitely won't be giving it a "10" in the Poll, unfortunately, as i had hoped/expected. ahh..

 

[edisonbaggins]

i'm surprised nobody has commented more so far on certain aspects of the sound quality.

tbh i'm kinda taken aback by the egregiously boosted treble (i'm finding some cymbals and guitar parts quite painful) and distortion/saturation & what sounds like possible tape damage going on.

the Quad mix itself is great, so lovely and active and immersive and musically its a Classic of course but i definitely won't be giving it a "10" in the Poll, unfortunately, as i had hoped/expected. ahh..

Haven't listened deeply yet.
Interested if others who have are hearing harshness or tape damage.

 

[J. PUPSTER]

i'm surprised nobody has commented more so far on certain aspects of the sound quality.

tbh i'm kinda taken aback by the egregiously boosted treble (i'm finding some cymbals and guitar parts quite painful) and distortion/saturation & what sounds like possible tape damage going on.

the Quad mix itself is great, so lovely and active and immersive and musically its a Classic of course but i definitely won't be giving it a "10" in the Poll, unfortunately, as i had hoped/expected. ahh..

Yep, some of the rears seem a tad too loud and tiring to boot. However, I’ve only had time to listen once for first impression. But IMO it’s definitely no MJD mastering quality job!

 

[bookofsaturdays]

I got the same impression listening to the Santana III SACD yesterday for the first time. Nothing too egregious just noticed the rears might’ve been a tad hot and the highs were a little brittle, but other than that I enjoyed it immensely. I only got to the first 3 tracks so I’ll listen more in the coming days. Been so busy I haven’t even had time to open Caravanserai since I got it on Thursday. Hope to have a proper listen tonight.

 

[Owen Smith]

Haven't listened deeply yet.
Interested if others who have are hearing harshness or tape damage.

I heard nothing I felt was tape damage or excessive harshness, and I was listening carefully. It sounds remarkably good for a 50 year old album, as I said in the poll thread. I will point out that this is not an album I'm familiar with, I've heard it years ago decoded from SQ but that's all. So I'm coming to it fresh and not expecting it to sound like a copy I already have.

 

[edisonbaggins]

I heard nothing I felt was tape damage or excessive harshness, and I was listening carefully. It sounds remarkably good for a 50 year old album, as I said in the poll thread. I will point out that this is not an album I'm familiar with, I've heard it years ago decoded from SQ but that's all. So I'm coming to it fresh and not expecting it to sound like a copy I already have.

I intend to compare the SACD mix to the SQ LP mix (I have two, both in reasonably good condition).
I'll judge the SACD on whether it improves sound quality or not.

 

[kap'n krunch]

I am always gonna go there: "early pressings are the best if only because tapes were fresh".... I mean, for 50 year old tapes, it sounds wonderful, BUT my SQ LP decode sounds way fresher , well.. because of....
Anyway, thanks to the Sony Japan people for a great transfer and because they did not butcher the mastering, as in LOUDNESS!

 

[fredblue]

I am always gonna go there: "early pressings are the best if only because tapes were fresh".... I mean, for 50 year old tapes, it sounds wonderful, BUT my SQ LP decode sounds way fresher , well.. because of....
Anyway, thanks to the Sony Japan people for a great transfer and because they did not butcher the mastering, as in LOUDNESS!

not loudness per se but they butchered the mastering by boosting the treble too much, check it out from about 2kHz-ish on. cymbals suffer most. a shame.

 

[fredblue]

I got the same impression listening to the Santana III SACD yesterday for the first time. Nothing too egregious just noticed the rears might’ve been a tad hot and the highs were a little brittle, but other than that I enjoyed it immensely. I only got to the first 3 tracks so I’ll listen more in the coming days. Been so busy I haven’t even had time to open Caravanserai since I got it on Thursday. Hope to have a proper listen tonight.

i think that brittle quality you picked up on may be baked into the mix of III, which i always found a bit bright and bass-shy on SQ vinyl.

i feel the MultiCh on this SACD has maybe been remastered with something of a top end boost, possibly to mask some midrangeyness of the mix that i noticed on my old SQ LP.

 

[bookofsaturdays]

i think that brittle quality you picked up on may be baked into the mix of III, which i always found a bit bright and bass-shy on SQ vinyl.

i feel the MultiCh on this SACD has maybe been remastered with something of a top end boost, possibly to mask some midrangeyness of the mix that i noticed on my old SQ LP.

I figured as much, I’ve heard so many rave reviews of this 7” series that whatever I’m hearing on the SACD is whatever is baked onto the master tape. Still, even with the brittleness it’s an enjoyable listen and I don’t regret my purchase. Add to that the packaging is marvellous.

 

[fredblue]

I figured as much, I’ve heard so many rave reviews of this 7” series that whatever I’m hearing on the SACD is whatever is baked onto the master tape. Still, even with the brittleness it’s an enjoyable listen and I don’t regret my purchase. Add to that the packaging is marvellous.

oh totally! i don't want to throw the cat among the pigeons or the baby out with the bathwater (or whatever the expression is!) because these Sony Japan 7" SACD packages are so so beautiful and its obvious great care has gone into this new release as always and is up to their usual high standards

 

[himey]

oh totally! i don't want to throw the cat among the pigeons or the baby out with the bathwater (or whatever the expression is!) because these Sony Japan 7" SACD packages are so so beautiful and its obvious great care has gone into this new release as always and is up to their usual high standards

Are you using full range rear channels for quadraphonic mixes like this one, or bass management? I haven't listened to this new release, so I'm not saying you are wrong, but just curious about your setup. Can you control all your speaker levels at your listening position remotely, or are you at the mercy of your initial setup parameters?

 

[fredblue]

Are you using full range rear channels for quadraphonic mixes like this one, or bass management? I haven't listened to this new release, so I'm not saying you are wrong, but just curious about your setup. Can you control all your speaker levels at your listening position remotely, or are you at the mercy of your initial setup parameters?

Bass managed, each channel set Small and crossed over to a Subwoofer but we can go into all that another time because Bass isn't my issue with this Caravanserai SACD and i don't feel is influencing what i'm hearing.

the Quad mix is extraordinary and the package is beautiful, i just think the mastertapes maybe a bit knackered and they possibly tried to mitigate that by adding a touch too much sparkle and tizz

 

[himey]

Bass managed, each channel set Small and crossed over to a Subwoofer but we can go into all that another time because Bass isn't my issue with this Caravanserai SACD and i don't feel is influencing what i'm hearing.

the Quad mix is extraordinary and the package is beautiful, i just think the mastertapes maybe a bit knackered and they possibly tried to mitigate that by adding a touch too much sparkle and tizz

The conversion I have been listening to for years sounds amazing.

Bass management has A LOT to do with the top end, but we can discuss that another place/time.

 

[fredblue]

Bass management has A LOT to do with the top end, but we can discuss that another place/time.

i don't profess to be expert on these matters at all, far from it, so i look forward to that discussion.

before that however, maybe try the new SACD and see how you like it because the conversion you have may well sound amazing but to me this SACD sadly does not

i will add that the Side 1 content seems to suffer more of the distortion/saturation type tape wear effects but really cymbals and percussion and so forth just generally sound overegged on the whole disc to me.

 

[Owen Smith]

Are you using full range rear channels for quadraphonic mixes like this one, or bass management? I haven't listened to this new release, so I'm not saying you are wrong, but just curious about your setup. Can you control all your speaker levels at your listening position remotely, or are you at the mercy of your initial setup parameters?

I'm using full range rears and no bass management.