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This is WAY better than a standard CD, for those who haven't heard a SACD, there is no comparison. I have a Playstation 3, >HDMI to Onkyo 705 > Bose 901s/Bose 2.2s +sub/center and it sounds like heaven. What can i say, it's one of my best SACDs, I can't really add much to the GLOWING Praises this version has, its a MUST have. If you have a PS3. go to ps3sacd.com tp get the right receiver for the SACD multi-channel output. once i heard a 5.1 SACD, its hard to go back to regular CDs, this one is one of the BEST. otherwise, get a stand alone SACD player (less that 100.00 on ebay (harmon-kardon/refurbished)) and a half decent receiver/amp and some good speakers and enjoy the sound of heaven.
unfortunately, the so-called "remix" is far from the expected quality for that kind of product. Ie the general volume of almost everything had been "pushed up", good for the dynamics, etc. You may notice from this point that the SACD version received a "5.1 remix". You lose more than you gain in terms of musicality and high fidelity sound (some instruments almost disappear because of the remix. Several instruments had been "dispatched" between the loudspeakers. and everything else try to be "in the front"). Great for the "space", but not in favour of the music itself.
Of course, on the first releases, the general "volume level" was lower, compared to what is done today, but far more subtle, with correct spacing and "deepness". Therefore, if you have a 5.1 (or 7.1) system, this record may be an excellent choice. But if you usually listen to music through stereo system (ie standard audiophile configuration), the purchase is not worth it. Being an audiophile for many years (but keeping it on an "old-school style", ie relying almost exclusively on stereo format), I decided to purchase Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms" in SACD format, in order to compare to previous existing versions I previously own. Even if the SACD version is amazing on 5.1 and if the instruments sounds almost perfect (could be compared to the LP version, from that point of view). Having one of the first (if not THE first) release of that album both in LP and CD version, plus several "remixes" bought over the past 10 years, I have to say that. the first leads.
What a pity.
Finally heard this via a PS3 playing the SACD at 5.1 24bit/176KHz linear PCM direct via HDMI to an RX-V3800. I have owned this album since the early eighties and it was like hearing it for the first time. The clarity, bass detail and space was amazing. What can I say. Unbelievable. 5 stars just doesn't seem adequate.
I am not a big fan of Dire Straight, but his album has it all. I truly beautiful sound and well put together album.
I have both a sacd & dvd-a player and seldom if ever utilize the dvd-a system. Both are wired for direct multi-channel connections, so there is no processing done by the reciever(onkyo tx-sr-800) and I have found the sacd to be vastly superior to the dvd system. After reading a review above I realized my copy of 'brothers in arms' is a dvd-a issue and will therefore have to purchase the sacd version to confirm to myself that sacd is a better system of top end sound. This will help confirm if my feelings are true or not.
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