Suggestions for Audio Fidelity Multichannel SACD Releases

[JonUrban]

http://www.5point1.com/introtohigh.html

Brad Miller was a surround sound guru, starting with a few sound effect Quadradiscs.

and the FOUNDER of MFSL!!!! Which is why he'd go nuts about all of this quad blocking

 

[Philip Spinner]

Wonder if every copy of the CD-4 is so blighted, or if there might just be a hot stamper out there that tracks like a good'un..?
("hope springs eternal..!" as QQ Ryan would say! )

From what I've heard many people have had problems with it when it gets close to the end of a side.

 

[fredblue]

The AQ-4090 is a legendary CD-4 LP. The engineers at Arista knew it would be the last so they pushed it to the very max of the spec. If you have one, you'll notice that the run out groove area is huge compared to a regular LP. They put the grooves with the music very close together cramming as much data as they could into the vinyl. I may have some of this wrong, but Nick Perugini knows more about it that I remember. It's considered a true test of a CD-4 demodulator. If yours can play this LP without issue, it's set up perfectly and it's a good demodulator. Cheap units will not cut it.

Thanks for all the cool info

fwiw I don't have a copy yet, it seems a toughy to find.. although one did go on Discogs as recently as March of this year.. so fingers crossed I can find a copy someday..

..that said I may end up in a heap on the floor if I do ever track one down and the CD-4 obstacle course of those fiendish Arista engineers ends up making mincemeat of the 4DD-5..

or knowing my luck some young lassie who was a little bit in love with Barry will have played it to death thru 1976 or whenever and the grooves got all worn out....

"how grumpy you made me, oh Mandy"... wah wah wah waaahh.. :violin

 

[fredblue]

From what I've heard many people have had problems with it when it gets close to the end of a side.

Bah.. that's what all the girls say!

- "Get up would you darling and flip it over..? its the end of the side.."
- "I can't get up right now, dear.."

Ahem.. :ugham:

anyway, moving swiftly on, one last AF Surround suggestion for tonight if I may.. and no big surprise coming from me I guess as its EJ.. but I offer here for your consideration, Hugo Montenegro's Rocket Man Tribute to Elton John..! :worthy

What a surround hootenanny! :woopie

There's covers of a number of Elton's big 70's Hits (***** is Back, Philadelphia Freedom, Rocket Man, Your Song, Daniel, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.. an appropriately trippy Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and a nice album cut in Take Me To The Pilot..) plus a couple of Montenegro Elton-inspired originals that are rather funky too! :banana:

The standard of Musicianship throughout is high, imho.. You've got Larry Carlton, James Jamerson, Jim Gordon, Chuck Findley all giving it their all on guitar, bass, drums and horns respectively.. plus a load of whacky synths and stuff.. very cool


(image courtesy of 8trackheaven.com)

 

[fredblue]

and the FOUNDER of MFSL!!!! Which is why he'd go nuts about all of this quad blocking

Amen to that.. oh that I wish Marshall Blonstein had the luxury of being able to afford to take up where the late Mr. Miller left off..

 

[4-earredwonder]

Bah.. that's what all the girls say!

- "Get up would you darling and flip it over..? its the end of the side.."
- "I can't get up right now, dear.."

Ahem.. :ugham:

anyway, moving swiftly on, one last AF Surround suggestion for tonight if I may.. and no big surprise coming from me I guess as its EJ.. but I offer here for your consideration, Hugo Montenegro's Rocket Man Tribute to Elton John..! :worthy

What a surround hootenanny! :woopie

There's covers of a number of Elton's big 70's Hits (***** is Back, Philadelphia Freedom, Rocket Man, Your Song, Daniel, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.. an appropriately trippy Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and a nice album cut in Take Me To The Pilot..) plus a couple of Montenegro Elton-inspired originals that are rather funky too! :banana:

The standard of Musicianship throughout is high, imho.. You've got Larry Carlton, James Jamerson, Jim Gordon, Chuck Findley all giving it their all on guitar, bass, drums and horns respectively.. plus a load of whacky synths and stuff.. very cool


(image courtesy of 8trackheaven.com)

A PERFECT specimen for the next batch of Dutton~Vocalion two~fer QUAD releases. Yes, it was almost unanimous that of the first batch of 6 D~V two~fer QUAD SACDs, Hugo Montenegro was the reigning champ.

 

[François]

Regarding MFSL and quad blocking, a lot of MFSL releases are limited edition, so the quad blocking may be limited too... MFSL released Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago II & VI on stereo SACD a couple of years ago (2014, 2015, 2013 respectively) and this year we got all of them on Quadio blu-ray!

 

[quicksrt]

Regarding MFSL and quad blocking, a lot of MFSL releases are limited edition, so the quad blocking may be limited too... MFSL released Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago II & VI on stereo SACD a couple of years ago (2014, 2015, 2013 respectively) and this year we got all of them on Quadio blu-ray!

Audio Fidelity are not interested in doing SACD reissues of titles that are or were out in a DSD release previously. But this is not the case for every label. Sony Japan, or Warners both are not as constrained in their choices for releases. They already control the masters, less red tape, fewer upfront costs.

 

[fizzywiggs41]

Regarding MFSL and quad blocking, a lot of MFSL releases are limited edition, so the quad blocking may be limited too... MFSL released Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago II & VI on stereo SACD a couple of years ago (2014, 2015, 2013 respectively) and this year we got all of them on Quadio blu-ray!

So very true !

I don't know how many times someone chimed in that one or another Chicago Quad discs was unavailable due to MFSL issuing SACD'S !??

This just proves that there are minimal time constaints to the MOFI'S, and likely QUAD ONLY releases may NOT necessarily interfere with all A.F.'S or another label's( WB/RHINO) attempts to reissue what another label has or is in the process of releasing .
Yes I realize the two SACD labels may be more of a problem, but........there is some room to maneuver it would seem.

:sun

So there is some hope afterall.Only time will tell.

 

[keenly]

Has anyone heard Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix Quad Lp? It is bloody brilliant I tell thee.

 

[fredblue]

Has anyone heard Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix Quad Lp? It is bloody brilliant I tell thee.

Not yet, I'm trying to find a CD-4 LP in excellent nick that isn't an arm and a leg..

 

[DuncanS]

I've got the RCA-Victor CD it is good - I wonder if it is Quad encoded? Probably not - just spotted Adam's post saying it was CD4

Has anyone heard Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix Quad Lp? It is bloody brilliant I tell thee.

 

[fredblue]

I've got the RCA-Victor CD it is good - I wonder if it is Quad encoded? Probably not - just spotted Adam's post saying it was CD4

might be a contender for a future Dutton Vocalion Surround release.. seems up their alley somewhat, n'est pas?

 

[4-earredwonder]

I've got the RCA-Victor CD it is good - I wonder if it is Quad encoded? Probably not - just spotted Adam's post saying it was CD4

I have the remastered RCA Gil Evans/Hendrix RBCD as well (in gatefold packaging) and it sounds great but unless it has Dolby Surround on it (which it doesn't) not likely it's surround encoded in any way.

IMO, would make a GREAT QUAD SACD.

 

[DuncanS]

A lot of the Jazz master tapes seem to have survived the years, the older engineers took a lot of care in the recording and it was regarded as more 'art' than 'pop'. My youngest brother seems to listen to nothing post-1965 and is always buying good audio quality re-releases, so I wonder if the Quad master of this survives?

I have the remastered RCA Gil Evans/Hendrix RBCD as well (in gatefold packaging) and it sounds great but unless it has Dolby Surround on it (which it doesn't) not likely it's surround encoded in any way.

IMO, would make a GREAT QUAD SACD.

 

[JediJoker]

Audio Fidelity are not interested in doing SACD reissues of titles that are or were out in a DSD release previously.

Then riddle me this: Columbia released Blood, Sweat & Tears on single-layer stereo SACD in 2000. MoFi released it on hybrid stereo UHR SACD in 2009. Then, AF released it on hybrid SACD—with the quad mix—in 2015. So, it had been out in DSD (on SACD, no less) twice previously, yet AF released it on SACD for the third time anyway.

 

[bmoura]

Then riddle me this: Columbia released Blood, Sweat & Tears on single-layer stereo SACD in 2000. MoFi released it on hybrid stereo UHR SACD in 2009. Then, AF released it on hybrid SACD—with the quad mix—in 2015. So, it had been out in DSD (on SACD, no less) twice previously, yet AF released it on SACD for the third time anyway.

The key for Audio Fidelity reissues is how recently has the album been reissued on Stereo CD or SACD.
There is no blanket rule at AF about not releasing reissues that had been on SACD at one time in the past.

 

[fredblue]

So there's still hope for EW&F: "That's The Way Of The World" and Edgar Winter: "They Only Come Out At Night" AF Surround SACDs, then...

 

[fredblue]

A lot of the Jazz master tapes seem to have survived the years, the older engineers took a lot of care in the recording and it was regarded as more 'art' than 'pop'. My youngest brother seems to listen to nothing post-1965 and is always buying good audio quality re-releases, so I wonder if the Quad master of this survives?

I would imagine there's a good chance the Gil Evans/Hendrix Quad masters are held somewhere still.. Sony's archives seem to be well curated (presuming they would have them now but not necessarily I guess, I don't know who has some of that RCA stuff now maybe some of its reverted to artists or been flogged off to other labels maybe?)

if its a label under Universal's auspices, different story, apparently.. but then they do have a humungous number of catalogues and artists under their control nowadays (plus the fires and thefts and all the other stuff that's been rumoured etc over the years.. who really knows? I don't! )

 

[fredblue]

New Poll, with a purely hypothetical question for you all..

QQ Poll: "Would you pay extra for an Audio Fidelity Surround SACD?"