It’s the time of year for saving money!
It was that $35 Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here SACD from Acoustic Sounds (that really cost me $42 with shipping) that got me jonesing for more music in HD. What else is new?
Well, there were some sexy picks in the batch of audiophile catalogs that have come in recently. There’s lots of good choices, but these are the ones that got my juices flowing.
The best titles are from SHM in Japan. But brace yourselves, they go through a LOT of middlemen to make it to the United States, thus a $59.95 retail price.
You think I am kidding about the price or the quality? I am not. But there are some very good titles out there for the getting. Here’s some that I saw in the latest Music Direct catalog:
Stevie Wonder: Talking Book
Stevie Wonder: Innervisions
Cream: Wheels of Fire
Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Derek and The Dominos: Layla
Marvin Gaye: What’s Going On
Black Sabbath: Paranoid
The Police: Synchronicity
The Police: Outlandos D’amour
The Who: Who’s Next
Reports indicate that the audio quality ranges from OK to really good. I am likely to pop for Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book first as I know Bob Margouleff did a masterful job on that record back in the day.
As for $59.95 for an SACD – yes its crazy but not nearly as crazy as driving your “audio Ferrari” around on 74 octane fuel. Part of the fun of audiophila is finding the best sounding versions of your favorite records. Should these discs be less expensive? Of course they should but so should a bottle of Screaming Eagle but good luck getting a discount on that either.
If you’ve got the itch for an expensive SACD purchase perhaps to start of your Christmas buying with a little present for yourself Music Direct’s 800 number is 800.449.8333. They seem to have the best selection
