Mercury Living Presence SACDs

[Stefan Wood]

I recently bought the Byron Janis plays Rachmaninoff SACD on Mercury. Reading the notes, it states that while they did remaster for two channel and three channel SACD playback, the regular cd playback has the same audio that appeared on the original cd release. Basically, if you only have a standard cd player, you are playing a lot more money for the same sound. It's kind of a rip off, only if you don't have a SACD machine. Otherwise you are better off going to broinc.com and picking up the Mercurys there for a lot less....

Edited February 15, 2005 by Stefan Wood

[wolff]

The Speakers Corner vinyl reissues are another option.LINK

[vibes]

If you do have an SACD player, however, you're in for a big treat. I've purchased several of these and the sound is wonderful. I've not been disappointed in any way.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Basically, if you only have a standard cd player, you are playing a lot more money for the same sound. It's kind of a rip off, only if you don't have a SACD machine.

Stefan, I don't know where you're buying these, but they have a list price of $11.99 and typically go on sale for $8.99-9.99. These prices are the same as the prices for the regular CDs. Bascially, if you have an SACD player, you get the layer for free.

Later,

Kevin

[Claude]

Kevin, you may be confusing the SACD prices for the RCA Living Stereo and Mercury Living Presence reissues. The RCAs are midpriced, but the Mercurys are fullpriced.

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?...544&style=music

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DC15K/

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Kevin, you may be confusing the SACD prices for the RCA Living Stereo and Mercury Living Presence reissues. The RCAs are midpriced, but the Mercurys are fullpriced.

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?...544&style=music

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000DC15K/

Well, then, that is a rip-off!

I wonder why they did this? They're basically from the same remastering crew and from the same vault. Why price them differently? I stopped trying to figure these guys out.

Later,

Kevin

[Chuck Nessa]

I wonder why they did this? They're basically from the same remastering crew and from the same vault. Why price them differently?

Same?

[Claude]

It's like the Bob Dylan and Rolling Stones SACD reissues, which were priced at $15-16 (but frequently discounted). Later on, remastered midprice CD versions were issued to co-exist with the hybrid SACDs.

BTW, the Mercury SACDs are priced 15 Euro in Europe, which is in between mid and full price.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I wonder why they did this? They're basically from the same remastering crew and from the same vault. Why price them differently?

Same?

Not enough coffee this morning. UMG (Mercury) and RCA are likely not the same crew. I still don't understand why these Mercury discs are full-priced. They're likely the last ones too. UMG has pretty much stopped all SACD releases. The website hasn't been updated for a month. Too bad. I've been buying them in batches. These Mercury discs are on my list.

Later,

Kevin

[Stefan Wood]

I am dying to get the Starker 2 disc set that they reissued, but for $36............ I will wait. And RCA is cranking more SACD Living Stereos -- I just saw a new batch -- Berlioz's Requiem (or was it Bach's?) and others.

[Chuck Nessa]

And RCA is cranking more SACD Living Stereos -- I just saw a new batch -- Berlioz's Requiem (or was it Bach's?) and others.

It's the Munch/BSO version of the Berlioz. I have it on order along with the Rubinstein/Reiner Brahms 1st concerto. Neither of these was in the previous Living Stereo series.