A conversation between @weedeewop and @jazzophile this morning got me wondering if anyone has done a deep dive into the SQ between the two CD techniques?
The obvious advantage IMO is that UHQCD can be reproduced on a standard red book transport or player.
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The advantage of CD is it remains to be universally supported where as SACD transports are very limited. In the present market. I dipped my toe into SACD sometime ago and found it to be a bother. IMHO the mastering/remastering trumps format.
I still have a functioning OPPO 103 that can play back SACD, but rarely is this function called into service. As I said it is a bother.
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Found this on another fourm.
Ok, I played the CD and SACD layers of this SACD, Track 6 (A Man and a Woman):
vs. the UHQCD version, same track. I did not have time to compare the entire album, track by track. I hope to do that next weekend.
Let me get to the punchline: UHQCD wins hands down against both the CD and SACD layers. I think you guys know I like Jacintha alot. After playing the well mastered Groove Note LPs, the CD layer was difficult to listen to. The SACD smoother but still had glare. The UHQCD was just smoother, more refined, more continuous than both RBCD and SACD layers. Sustain of notes were more natural and less discrete. There was more texture to Jacintha’s voice, more like the LP I listen to so often. I did not get a sense of increased soundstage width or depth, just better separation of instruments and vocals, as if the noise floor dropped on the recording. I would love my entire CD collection to sound like this!
I had an audiophile friend of mine here on Friday to share some tunes. I wish I did this A/B exercise then just to get a second opinion. I hope to A/B the rest of the album next weekend. I also want to rip the UHQCD and the CD layer and compare them through my streamer and see if I still hear the same difference. But this quick test was very promising. I was beginning to buy more SACDs in the hope of better sound on the road. Maybe I will buy more UHQCDs instead now.
Definitely worth a try IMO, especially if you have a predominately digital collection.
https://www.audionirvana.org/forum/the-audio-vault/digital-playback/3391-new-uhqcd-discs/page3
Not much difference in the price between SACD’s and UHQCD’s.
I did find some UHQCD’s on Amazon at lower prices. Going to explore some.
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First, in the first post. . . SACD is not a CD format. (I know you know that Ron but the phrasing makes it seem so).
In my case SACD has always sounded better than Redbook cd and with the PS Audio transport into DSD DAC handshake best of all (compared to other players like Oppo, which don’t sound as great reproducing SACD). I value them, have hundreds.
UHQCD sounds really good with the same transport/DAC combo but I honestly don’t think I have UHQCD and SACD of the same masterings to compare directly. UHQCD in general (I have hundreds) doesn’t strike me as sounding better than SACD.
I’m a disc only guy and I’m happy to have SACD and UHQCD in my listening arsenal.
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I have several UHQCDs and a lot more SACDs, and I do not remember I have even one recording in both formats (otherwise I would have compared them already). In general, I like the SQ from SACD more than any type of “audiophile” CD format. However, PST/DS MK2 could have a built-in advantage playing DSDs.
Once of these days I will go back to play more discs to evaluate again.
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The problem I see with SACD is, I don’t think anyone is making the transports anymore.
So what happens if you have a large SACD collection and your SACD player dies one day?
I guess you can use them for coasters.
Wadax has Studio Player which would make one think that someone must still producing SACD drives. I don’t think many here are going to fork out Wadax money for silver discs.
I played SACD thru a highly modified OPPO 203 out I2S to a modified MK1. I also had a PST for a while. In my experience the PST sounds better with SACD over Redbook. I never tried UHQCD’s with the PST or OPPO. But I agree with a previous post that it’s in the quality of the recordings and transfer. I also believe the quality of playback device plays a large part. One would think/hooe the Wadax would make SACD and other silver disc’s sound great!
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Esoteric still makes players with their own SACD drivers I believe, at quite a bit lower price than a Wadax😀
I was thinking about a future upgrade to it, but streaming has taken most of my listening time that I almost forgot about discs. I predict my PST will last longer than me.
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I’m pretty sure that Teac/Esoteric and Luxman make their own SACD drives. But in those cases, the machines are players, not transports. Or their DACs are separated out and connected with a proprietary umbilical.
It must be a difficult or very expensive problem to solve for PSA once their stock of drives is gone.
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Thanks for the correction. No one selling SACD drives, but some compainies are still selling the players. Nice to know.
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I have a lot of disc versions of Miles Davis “Kind of Blue”… redbook CD, SACD, SHM, UHQR, and Blu-spec. On the SACD side, I have the Columbia, Mobile Fidelity, and more recent Japanese one. All 3 sound better than the CD versions, with the latter two using the Wilder remix for their master source. The UHQCD below, also using the Wilder remix, remains my favorite of the bunch and is noticeably better across multiple hi-fi systems. It’s the most natural sounding of the bunch as well, especially on the upright bass. Now, to be honest, this release was sauced up with other technology, but there’s no reason it should best the SACD, and yet here we are…
And, the Japanese UHQCDs of Kevin Gray Blue Note remasters (85th Anniversary Series) are indeed better across the board in the same way. These are life-like and, indeed, like have the band in the room with you. I can’t imagine an SACD besting this, but I see CD Japan has SACD versions of a few of these. I have no comparison. I didn’t buy them because the Japanese SACD versions of some of my favorite ECM titles are only slightly improved over German pressed CD versions.
On a side note, the recent Japanese Acoustic Sounds SHM-SACD releases have been exceptional and best AP and other SACD releases of the same. Coltrane’s Love Supreme in this series is a definitive disc version for me. I have no comparison to UHQR on these.
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I bought all of the Universal (not Tower Records) SHM-SACD of the Gray remastered titles and I find an improvement.
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