HiRez Poll Joel, Billy - THE STRANGER [SACD]

[pti]

Has anyone compared the SACD that comes with this 40th anniversary set with the earlier SACD?

https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-40t...&keywords=stranger+sacd&qid=1586801967&sr=8-5
I just received this 40th anniversary version. The vocals on Movin' Out and The Stranger sound odd to me. They are mostly isolated on the center channel and sound a bit low-passed and muffled. Just the Way You Are spreads the vocal across the front and it sounds much better. (I am playing the ISO with JRiver at 96kHz and no other changes in the JRiver audio path.) Scenes centers the vocal and sounds better than the first two tracks, but still a little dark.

I have the same JBL LSR4328 speakers in all 5 positions, so it's not that. Other 5.1 SACDs with vocals in the center, like Elton John's Madman Across the Water, sound fine.

 

[EricKalet]

Has anyone compared the SACD that comes with this 40th anniversary set with the earlier SACD?

https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-40t...&keywords=stranger+sacd&qid=1586801967&sr=8-5
I just received this 40th anniversary version. The vocals on Movin' Out and The Stranger sound odd to me. They are mostly isolated on the center channel and sound a bit low-passed and muffled. Just the Way You Are spreads the vocal across the front and it sounds much better. (I am playing the ISO with JRiver at 96kHz and no other changes in the JRiver audio path.) Scenes centers the vocal and sounds better than the first two tracks, but still a little dark.

I have the same JBL LSR4328 speakers in all 5 positions, so it's not that. Other 5.1 SACDs with vocals in the center, like Elton John's Madman Across the Water, sound fine.

I’ve only got the original SACD multi. It would be Interesting to compare the two.

 

[marpow]

I voted 10. I have the Japanese Edition released 12/26/2018. This hybrid SACD MCH disc sounds perfect, at least for the mood I am in at moment. Very front loaded with at times discrete rears and much ambient rears, which sound so fluid and energetic. Great bass and kick drum, sounds so good. When I commented on my mood, I meant that sometimes I want everything flying around and sometimes I like a real strong front presence which this disc provides but still delivers great punch in the rears. DR's are 9's, 10's. 11's 13.
I listened via a DSD64 rip from the SACD and a moderately loud level, very comfortable.
The fidelity is really the star of this release and more than compensates for what some might say a lack of discrete instrument placement in the rears.
Highly enjoyable, glad I have it.

 

[dougwatt]

I voted 10. I have the Japanese Edition released 12/26/2018. This hybrid SACD MCH disc sounds perfect, at least for the mood I am in at moment. Very front loaded with at times discrete rears and much ambient rears, which sound so fluid and energetic. Great bass and kick drum, sounds so good. When I commented on my mood, I meant that sometimes I want everything flying around and sometimes I like a real strong front presence which this disc provides but still delivers great punch in the rears. DR's are 9's, 10's. 11's 13.
I listened via a DSD64 rip from the SACD and a moderately loud level, very comfortable.
The fidelity is really the star of this release and more than compensates for what some might say a lack of discrete instrument placement in the rears.
Highly enjoyable, glad I have it.View attachment 67795

I have this version and would love to have given it a 10. However the inconsistency in the vocal level in the C made me drop it to a 9. In Scenes, it seems as though BJ is singing from out back in the kitchen of the restaurant.

 

[Dynamic Editor]

Hello,
Check this out. I walked into the kitchen the other night and the wife was cooking spaghetti. I thought to myself hmm, smells good. Didn't say a word to my wife, just passed through to the living room and cued up "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant". When I returned to the kitchen the wife was grinning from ear to ear with a bottle of wine in one hand and the wine opener in the other. She needed my help! What happened next was... That's all I can tell you.

Thanks Billy (for that you get a ten)

You opened the wine bottle!

 

[stoopid]

Holy crap! Songs/album from my earliest memories as a child. I knew all the songs, so this was obviously in my parent's vinyl rotation late 70s into the early 80s, though I don't recall seeing the album in our stack when I started playing DJ in the living room mid/late 80s.

Anyway, I know these songs well and on a gut level, but have admittedly drifted pretty far from Billy Joel over the years. My Loss. She's Always a Woman moved me to tears, what an exceptional and tight composition. The entire album, even the three lesser known deep cuts, are great with the radio hits being some of rock's greatest. Italian Restaurant is one of those cuts that goes through a few movements much like a prog artist/band might, it's fairly unique to the album and super cool/fun/adventurous. The quality of the songwriting is 11 caliber. Engineering and surround mix very strong even all these years on with surround evolving, this still sounds on par to things modern surround mixers accomplish. So a 9+ mix with the only caveat being an overall lack of creativity, mostly just a wide but expertly accomplished sound stage for the instrumentation. Maybe lacking a smidge in the lower end, if I was trying to find fault or area for improvement.

52nd Street is up next. And Piano Man in less than a month. Good time to get on the Billy Joel train.

 

[aardvark2300]

Just got the Japanese SACD version of this release. Sounds excellent with great use of the low frequency content - my sub seems to delay turning on by 5-10 seconds when initially engaged by my receiver, and when it kicked in, it made a huge impact on the sound. The packaging on this release was extraordinary as well - only bought this due to a comment - either here or SHF forum - that Amazon had a great price on this release (around $35).
Docked a notch because the material has been SO overexposed over the years it's doubtful this will be played all that often - that's probably not that fair as it's still excellent material. The use of the rear surrounds is also a little odd - great in places and a little sparse in others. Great accordion in the rears for "Scenes".