Hello everyone!

It looks like SONY is letting Audio Fidelity dig up their quad masters tapes to release them in multi-layer 2.0ch CD/2.0ch SACD/4.0. SACD.

I just received Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire (copy #1029) that I've been listening to death on LP (1973) and CD (1991) and it sounds quite good. There might even be a line of bass after the drum solo that I don't remember from the CD release, must check again. I like the fact that you are not supposed to be facing the front speakers to get additional rear soundtrack but that each speaker is a musician who puts you in the middle of the band.

Quite a few releases done this way already:

• The Jeff Beck Group :: Jeff Beck Group
• Loggins and Messina :: Loggins and Messina
• Billy Joel :: Streetlife Serenade
• Labelle :: Nightbirds
• Earth, Wind & Fire::Open Our Eyes
• The Guess Who::The Best of The Guess Who
• The Doors::The Best of The Doors
• Bread :: The Best of Bread
• Blood, Sweat & Tears::Blood, Sweat & Tears

We already have a group of the quad releases turned to DTS CD then SACD over the years (Eagles, Poco, Wings, etc.), but I think these titles are new to multi-channel releases.

Anyone else collecting them?

Julien

It's a shame that usually only bands from the 70s get this kind of treatment, and even then it's never *my* favorite stuff. If the early Genesis or Yes records were re-made like this I'd buy whatever machine it takes to play them.

Would love to see an official SACD/DVD-A/DTS CD release of the Eagles "One of these Nights" quad mix. I've got a DTS CD of it but it's a muddy rip from the quad LP.

I don't know about Genesis, but I think it is worth pointing out that, depending on what you consider "early", several of Yes' albums (I think everything from The Yes Album through Relayer) are available in 5.1, albeit only one (Fragile) has appeared on SACD (the rest are on DVD and Blu-Ray).

To answer the original post, I do need to pick up the two BS&T albums released by Audio Fidelity, though I've been waiting for some time for "Child is Father to the Man" to be back in stock (I e-mailed the company several months ago, and they said at the time it would be available again in June...).

I wish either SONY would do it themselves, or license someone else to reissue the quad editions of Miles Davis' "b**ches Brew" and "Live-Evil", especially given how nice the 5.1 mix of "In a Silent Way" is.

I got Sly and the Family Stone Greatest Hits

I mainly got it for the DSD remaster, as the original sounded like a**. Thankfully, the 2-channel CD layer is much improved over the original. Isn't a reference CD by any means, but after the crap that was the original Colombia release, it's a welcome change.

Haven't popped it into the SACD player to hear the 4.0 channel quad mix (just got it yesterday as I was heading out, so I was listening to the CD layer in my truck), but I hope to soon!

Nice of MOFI/Audio Fidelity to revisit some fusion jazz albums from the 70s in SACD:

• Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin - Love Devotion Surrender
• Herbie Hancock - Thrust
• Billy Cobham - Spectrum

And an unexpected but warmly welcomed remaster of Rage Against The Machine eponymous album by the famous Steve Hoffman!

• Rage Against The Machine SACD

Trying RATM tonight!

Julien

And a few more coming!

• Weather Report - Tale Spinnin
• Return To Forever - Music Magic

Also announced:

• Otis Redding - Otis Blue
• Jimi Hendrix - Machine Gun
• Jimi Hendrix - People, Hell & Angels

Julien

And Audio Fidelity is closing shop permanently as of May 2018.

https://www.facebook.com/AudioFidelityCamarillo/photos/a.456661874373480.104508.189435747762762/1884613701578283/

Same owner's previous tenure (DCC) had the same fate back in 2001.

Quincy Jones' The Dude didn't make it on time.

Julien

For these Quad SACDs, if you rip them (as I'm thinking of getting the firmware for my "fat" PS3 that would allow SACD ripping), can they be downconverted to 2 channel FLAC or DSF?

No need for that.

If there is a multi-ch SACD layer, then there is also a 2ch SACD layer you can rip separately.
sacd_extract will rip stereo by default, multi-ch if you use -m parameter.

Getting the stereo mix is probably a better idea than a down-mix.

And there also usually is a CD layer on hybrid disc that you can turn directly into FLAC.

Julien

Crazy thing is though, one of the Quad SACDs I want to rip most is Sly and the Family Stone Greatest Hits, but the CD layer and non-quad SACD track are all big fat mono.

Oddly enough, HDTracks has the same album in 24-bit/192khz stereo. I am resistant to buy the album a 3rd time if I can rip the SACD's quad track downconverted into 2 channel DSF or FLAC.

If that's not possible though, I'll bite the bullet and get the HDTracks release.