Problem with EW&F SACD

[Jabwylie1968]

Hi,

After reading the reviews I’ve just bought this disc however it is very glitchy and my first ever issue with an sacd

• My Oppo-103 always defaults to multi-channel
• sometimes the discs shows it’s playing multi-channel (MC) but clearly isn’t , it playing muted stereo version (as if rear channels are missing)
• sometimes it starts up in glorious MC (sounds fantastic ) however if you try to select a track or skip a track it goes back to weird stereo version
• Stereo track itself sems to work fine and dandy

has anyone else had issues?

 

[Ninecats]

No other player to test?

 

[Jabwylie1968]

No , not for sacd . But I have stuff from 2003 onwards I’ve collected and never had this issue

 

[Ninecats]

Are you able to rip the SACD and investigate the files more closely in Audacity for example?

 

[DuncanS]

Hi,

After reading the reviews I’ve just bought this disc however it is very glitchy and my first ever issue with an sacd

• My Oppo-103 always defaults to multi-channel
• sometimes the discs shows it’s playing multi-channel (MC) but clearly isn’t , it playing muted stereo version (as if rear channels are missing)
• sometimes it starts up in glorious MC (sounds fantastic ) however if you try to select a track or skip a track it goes back to weird stereo version
• Stereo track itself sems to work fine and dandy

has anyone else had issues?

I don't want to worry you too much, but, that is the sort of thing my old Denon Universal player did before it went phut, it always misbehaved with the same disc. Then eventually it would only play CDs.

 

[Jabwylie1968]

Are you able to rip the SACD and investigate the files more closely in Audacity for example?

No, I can’t rip . Worry not I’ll get a replacement . Just checking here first before I went back to seller

 

[Jabwylie1968]

I don't want to worry you too much, but, that is the sort of thing my old Denon Universal player did before it went phut, it always misbehaved with the same disc. Then eventually it would only play CDs.

Haha, I like that ‘don’t want to worry you too much ‘ . I hope you’re not a doctor

 

[DuncanS]

Haha, I like that ‘don’t want to worry you too much ‘ . I hope you’re not a doctor

Luckily not of medicine ............. mine is in Electronics/Physics!

 

[skherbeck]

I’ve had problems with several of the more recent DV SACD releases, including this one. Trying to play them on an OPPO 103, the player would only recognize the disc as a red book CD. I tried over and over, and eventually got each problem disc to be recognized as an SACD, at which point I ripped the disc and never played it again. I also recently sold my Argent SACD, and the purchaser could not get it to play on both his SACD players. I really don’t know if these were player or disc issues.

 

[Jabwylie1968]

I’ve had problems with several of the more recent DV SACD releases, including this one. Trying to play them on an OPPO 103, the player would only recognize the disc as a red book CD. I tried over and over, and eventually got each problem disc to be recognized as an SACD, at which point I ripped the disc and never played it again. I also recently sold my Argent SACD, and the purchaser could not get it to play on both his SACD players. I really don’t know if these were player or disc issues.

Thanks sir , maybe an Oppo glitch then . I won’t buy anymore DV just in case. I’d like to rip to my Mac but it always seemed too long winded last time I looked

 

[humprof]

I've had some issues with players not being able to read the multi-channel layer of a couple of D-V SACDs in the past year or so--though not this disc. (I don't remember off the top of my head which ones they were, though...)

And I think the problem player was my Sony X800, not my Oppo 103.

So that's no help...

 

[Colin London]

No, my EWF SACD 4 channel I play on my Pioneer Multi channel
works great

 

[Marko]

I just received my copy of this disc yesterday (ordered Aug. 5th and received in Colorado exactly 2 weeks later, not bad!). Everything works fine on my Sony BR player as do my other DV titles.

 

[Q-Eight]

My Johnnie Taylor SACD has issues in my car. Sony MEX DV-2000 and, the very first time I put in the SACD, it'll go to the multi layer. If I shut the car off and come back, it's like the multi layer disappears. No amount of re-inserting or restarting the disc will find the multi layer. Does not do this on my player at home though so, must just be the car player. It's quirky at the best of times.

Probably my biggest issue with any of the D-V SACD's is in regards to I guess mastering? The first second or two is often cut off of the SACD layer. For instance, on the Rick Derringer release, the first two drum strikes of Rock & Roll Hoochie Coo are missing. They are there - as I've found that if I play the disc all the way through, and either of my players transitions from the last track to the first track, it will play those first drum hits. But if I'm starting the disc for the first time, I start a second or two into the song already.

 

[steelydave]

Generally speaking, an Oppo player reading the CD layer but not SACD layer of a hybrid disc is a sign of a deteriorating laser in the player rather than a manufacturing defect with the disc. I would suggest trying the disc in another SACD-capable player to be sure, because it's not fair to ask for a replacment disc until you know that the disc is, in fact, the problem. FWIW I have an Oppo 103 and I haven't had any playback issues with any D-V disc, and I have all of them.

I don't know if it's still the case, but Oppo used to offer a flat-fee service charge for laser assembly replacement on their players - I think maybe @GOS took advantage of this a while back, so maybe he can speak to how correct I am.

On your side I would suggest a couple of things - clear the persistent storage on the Oppo player (I think it's under Setup -> Device Setup -> Persistent Storage -> Erase Persistent Storage). I think this is mainly used for caching BluRay playback data, but if it's corrupted or something, you never know what effect it might have. Also, maybe blow some compressed air into the drive tray just in case you've got some dust on the lens.

 

[steelydave]

Probably my biggest issue with any of the D-V SACD's is in regards to I guess mastering? The first second or two is often cut off of the SACD layer. For instance, on the Rick Derringer release, the first two drum strikes of Rock & Roll Hoochie Coo are missing. They are there - as I've found that if I play the disc all the way through, and either of my players transitions from the last track to the first track, it will play those first drum hits. But if I'm starting the disc for the first time, I start a second or two into the song already.

Some players and/or AVRs will mute the first second or so of digital output so that there's no speaker-damaging white noise delivered. This sounds like a quirk of your setup rather than a mastering issue - I've never had this experience with any of my D-V discs. I'm not saying you're the only person with this problem, but I don't recall anyone else complaining about this issue.

 

[Q-Eight]

Some players and/or AVRs will mute the first second or so of digital output so that there's no speaker-damaging white noise delivered. This sounds like a quirk of your setup rather than a mastering issue - I've never had this experience with any of my D-V discs. I'm not saying you're the only person with this problem, but I don't recall anyone else complaining about this issue.

That's exactly the same thing I've been told. But, it could be avoided if they'd insert a second or two of silence at the beginning of the track rather than starting music at 0:00.

 

[DuncanS]

Generally speaking, an Oppo player reading the CD layer but not SACD layer of a hybrid disc is a sign of a deteriorating laser in the player rather than a manufacturing defect with the disc. I would suggest trying the disc in another SACD-capable player to be sure, because it's not fair to ask for a replacment disc until you know that the disc is, in fact, the problem. FWIW I have an Oppo 103 and I haven't had any playback issues with any D-V disc, and I have all of them.

I don't know if it's still the case, but Oppo used to offer a flat-fee service charge for laser assembly replacement on their players - I think maybe @GOS took advantage of this a while back, so maybe he can speak to how correct I am.

On your side I would suggest a couple of things - clear the persistent storage on the Oppo player (I think it's under Setup -> Device Setup -> Persistent Storage -> Erase Persistent Storage). I think this is mainly used for caching BluRay playback data, but if it's corrupted or something, you never know what effect it might have. Also, maybe blow some compressed air into the drive tray just in case you've got some dust on the lens.

Exactly, that was the start of my issues with my old Universal Denon

 

[JediJoker]

That's exactly the same thing I've been told. But, it could be avoided if they'd insert a second or two of silence at the beginning of the track rather than starting music at 0:00.

In my experience, Michael Dutton generally does insert some silence at the beginning of the albums he masters. Personally, I find that annoying, but I guess now I understand why.

Now, he also chopped off some of the chatter that opens Tower of Power's Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us Now. That really bugs me.

 

[sjcorne]

Now, he also chopped off some of the chatter that opens Tower of Power's Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us Now. That really bugs me.

Are you sure that chatter wasn't always missing from the quad mix? I don't have the old SQ LP or Q8 of that one to compare, but to me that seems more likely than Dutton making a mistake.