HiRez Poll JEFF BECK GROUP - Jeff Beck Group [SACD]

[elinter]

Enjoyed the recording, but music just so-so. Of course Jeff's guitar playing shines, but the music just didn't grab me; although the mix is wonderfully discrete. Ratings: Sound quality (fidelity) - 8; Surround Soundness (discreteness) - 10; Music (evoke emotion)- 6. Overall - 8 and worth buying.

 

[par4ken]

I've owned the SQ LP since at least the late eighties, but it's not one that I played a lot. When it came to Jeff Beck I always preferred "Beck Bogert & Appice" as well as "Wired". The sound quality of this is excellent but the mix is so so. I would of liked a bit more action from the rears. But it's nice having the drums in the rear at least on a few tracks, I don't understand why some people don't like that effect.

On Ice Cream Cakes, Jeff's guitar is buried in the mix, almost inaudible, I had to check my set-up to make sure all channels were working properly. I checked the stereo version as well as OD's software decoded version and both are mixed the same way.

I guess I'll go with a seven on this one.

 

[par4ken]

I'm embarrassed I rated this disc too low, as suspected I found a couple equipment issues that I've now corrected. Also I did much of my listening to a PS3 Rip (not my own). Something is wrong with that rip or my conversion to flac, it contains four channels but much of the surround is missing! I went back to my SACD and Jeff's guitar was back on "Ice Cream Cakes", and I now hear much busier rear channels. I should have voted 8 or 9. I guess I'll have to do my own rip from the analog outputs of my player!

 

[Ninecats]

Wow, what a fidelity. This begs for cranking. The surround mix is good also, I'd wish for a bit more variation in the rears (Sugar Cane is in my opinion a good example of good rears variation) and sometimes I believe the instruments should switch place, eg. I Can' Give Back... and Going Down where the drums should be in the front instead of the rears. But overall this is a solid, very well sounding disc. Fidelity is 10, surround mix is an 8, leaving it to 9.

 

[marpow]

I did a critical listen of this 4.0 version vs the 5.1 Japanese version. Without doubt the 5.1 Japanese version in the 7" packaging is far superior. My vote for this AF version is a 7. The 5.1 is much more open, all levels bass, midrange and treble are great, whereas the 4.0 is subdued, flat if you will. The mix is exactly the same on both but 5.1 is really used in a positive way instead of phantom fronts. This completely opens up the other 4 speakers in the 5.1.

 

[sjcorne]

Probably my least favorite of the Jeff Beck quads in terms of content, but there are still some incredible tracks ("Ice Cream Cakes" just kills) and the quad mix from Columbia is of course fantastic. An 8.

 

[Juggsnelson]

I love me some Bobby Ranch and this iteration of the Jeff Beck Group. The fidelity on this is great. Not a "wow" in Quad but it sounds great cranked up. I voted an 8.