HiRez Poll Yellowjackets - Time Squared [SACD]

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Rate the SACD of the Yellowjackets - TIME SQUARED

  • 9:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 7:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 6:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2:

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 1: Poor Mix, Poor Fidelity, Poor Content

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    6

JonUrban

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Please post your thoughts and comments on this HiRez Surround Disc! (y) :phones (n)
 
This is an enjoyable disc. I just listened to it again last night to refresh my memory. The music is excellent jazz fusion. Some might call it light jazz, but the compositions are more intelligent and complex than most of the dull music that passes for light jazz. This isn't my favorite Yellowjackets disc (that would be Four Corners), but it's up there with the best. I rate the music a 9.

Sound quality is outstanding - this is a DSD recording - it's about as clean and balanced as they come, just like most of the Heads Up recordings. I rate fidelity as a 10.

However, the surround mix only rates a 6 or 7 in my book. I'd call it a 'set it and forget it' mix, with no discrete placement of specific instruments or sound clues in the rear channels. Just to confirm, I turned off my main left/right speakers, and you can hear all of the music through the rear speakers, at a seemingly constant volume level, except for the lead saxophone which is all you'll hear through the center speaker. The mix certainly pulls the music out into the room, and sounds much better than listening to it with Dolby Pro Logic II decoding. I just prefer a more aggressive discrete 5.1 mix than this.

Overall then, I gave this disc an 8. Recommended.
 
Last edited:
Some interesting information you might like to read about this recording...

I haven't heard the surround version yet, but I was curious about how the album was recorded and mixed. Since I run the Yellowjackets' official website, I got in contact with Dave Love (who runs HeadsUp Int'l) and he forwarded my question to engineer Rich Breen. Here's what he wrote back to me:

As I recall, Time Squared was tracked and mixed 96k on a ProTools HD rig. Dave Collins mastered the two-track CD layer using dB Technologies converters, and we also printed a version of the two-track master off of Dave's analog chain direct to a Genex DSD machine using Ed Meitner's A/D converters. The surround mixes were delivered to Robert Friedrich at Heads Up as 96k PCM files - Robert then transferred them to DSD - I'm not positive what 96k D/As he was using, but I'm fairly certain the A/Ds were again Ed Meitner's DSD converters.
 
Rudy said:
Some interesting information you might like to read about this recording...

I haven't heard the surround version yet, but I was curious about how the album was recorded and mixed. Since I run the Yellowjackets' official website, I got in contact with Dave Love (who runs HeadsUp Int'l) and he forwarded my question to engineer Rich Breen. Here's what he wrote back to me:

I think a lot of SACD's start out as 96/24 PCM. You just never know it. The SACD sounds great. I guess it would have been better in this case to get it as DVD-A considering the way it started, but we have SACD offered, so we take SACD.
 
Guy Robinson said:
I think a lot of SACD's start out as 96/24 PCM. You just never know it. The SACD sounds great. I guess it would have been better in this case to get it as DVD-A considering the way it started, but we have SACD offered, so we take SACD.

Agreed on both counts--I'd think most modern recordings are 96/24. And it does seem an extra step to go from PCM to analog to DSD...but if it sounds good, who's to argue? :D

I haven't checked on their more recent recording, Altered State, to see if it was DSD recorded or not (since it's also available on SACD w/ surround). They did use a different studio this time (Bill Schnee @ Schnee Studios).
 
This is a very fine album
The jazz/fusion music is expertly played and recorded.
The mix, although not adventurous, certainly adds weight to the overall feel of this release.
To sum it up, a deserved 8.
 
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