Audiophile Digital

Jazz to soul, choral to prog to rock... Ken Kessler selects 20 recently released Super Audio CDs and Blu-rays that will show you there’s still life left in the 5in silver disc

In its 42-year existence in the West – Japan beat us by a year – Compact Disc has been hyped to the point of stupidity, vilified, loathed and subjected to so many other emotional responses that it’s hard to believe CD is simply a music carrier. Controversy started at its birth with ludicrous claims that it was indestructible and delivered ‘perfect sound forever’. Equally the reactions against it were mainly over-reactions.

What is apparent to us with hindsight is that we never really appreciated how good CD could sound until late in the game, even if many still believe it cannot approach the best of vinyl or reel-to-reel tape. Arguably, CD was its own worst enemy as the higher-resolution formats it sired came too late in the day.

SACD, the defunct DVD-Audio and more recently Blu-ray Audio prove emphatically what CD could have been had commercial interests not compromised it. And despite reports of the demise of the 5in silver disc, hi-fi brands including Esoteric, Meitner and Marantz, among others, continue to bring out CD and SACD players. More besides are offering prestige DACs that allow us all to realise the potential of the deluxe formats.

Dazzling discs

The 20 discs discussed here represent the state of the digital art, some also available as standard CDs for comparison, while dual-layer SACDs let you compare CD vs SACD at the flick of a switch. If you own a player that also handles SACD and/or Blu-ray, but you’ve not gone beyond CD, these will dazzle you. That’s a promise.

Carly Simon
No Secrets
Elektra/Rhino BA2 75049, Blu-ray

This is Simon’s magnum opus: ‘You’re So Vain’ alone makes it a classic, but add to it ‘The Right Thing To Do’, the heart-tugging ‘The Carter Family’ and the title track and you have a sublime example of the 1970s singer-songwriter oeuvre. It’s always been an audiophile favourite – that bass intro to ‘You’re So Vain’ is a hoot, as is listening for Mick Jagger’s backing vocals – but this incredible Blu-ray Audio reissue features DTS-HD high-res stereo, DTS 5.1, the fascinating ‘Quadio’ 4-channel mix from the original 1972 release and Dolby Atmos to bring it up to the 2020s. If you love No Secrets as I do, you must buy a copy!

Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Analogue Productions CAPA007SA, SACD (mono)

Sometimes erroneously called Rock & Roll thanks to the huge genre logo on the sleeve, Brother Ray’s eponymous debut for Atlantic in 1957 is actually a compilation of 14 tracks dating back to 1953, probably culled from 78s. And what tracks! ‘Drown In My Own Tears’, ‘I Got A Woman’, ‘Mess Around’, ‘Hallelujah I Love Her So’ – from anyone else it would be a greatest hits package. If you’re wondering whether or not a mono album deserves the hypersonic SACD treatment, this will answer you with an emphatic ‘Yes’. Note that Ray Charles was also issued on vinyl as part of the label’s ‘Atlantic 75’ anniversary series.

Michael Jackson
Off The Wall
Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2287, SACD

While easy to regard as a teaser for 1982’s monumental Thriller, Michael Jackson’s 1979 effort – his fifth solo album and first with Quincy Jones – is the one that established him as a global superstar. As is the curse with disco-era pop, the album is relentless, though it’s far more adventurous than contemporary works suffering just one setting on the drum machine, and the material deserves space on any ‘best of’ Jacko set. ‘Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough’, ‘She’s Out Of My Life’ – it may not be as revered as Thriller, still the best-selling album of all time, but Off The Wall is certainly a classic. The sound? As punchy as it gets.

Yes
The Yes Album
Analogue Productions CAPA064SA, SACD

Released in 1971, the prog rock heroes’ third album, and first to feature Steve Howe on guitar, is regarded as their breakthrough thanks to reaching No 4 in the US charts. There can’t be a Boomer unfamiliar with ‘I’ve Seen All Good People’, which oozes the stunning harmonies of the Yes sound. Fans take note: even if you own the 2014 or 2023 multi-disc sets, this new SACD addition to Analogue Productions’ Atlantic 75 series is stereo in excelsis.

David Bowie
The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
Parlophone DBZSBRA 50, Blu-ray

Another album reissued a zillion times, beloved of all Bowie fans, but now delivered with brand-new 2024 mixes including Dolby Atmos, 96kHz/24-bit PCM and the original 1972 stereo mixes in 192kHz/24-bit and 48kHz/24-bit – producer Emre Ramazanoglu worked with Ken Scott, engineer of the original. These superb mixes crackle with hot transients from Mick Ronson, ‘Suffragette City’ screaming from the speakers. Give your DAC a work-out with The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars.

Various Artists
The Art Of Hi-Fi: Volume 06 – Guitars
Octave Records OCT-0054, SACD

Releases from Octave Records provide the opportunity to compare not just SACD with CD, but also eight grades of downloads. At the risk of annoying Octave boss Paul McGowan, I definitely prefer the label’s discs to the streams. This latest in the series is another useful tool for system set-up and evaluation, with ten excellent tracks with a variety of guitars to tune into: laptop steel, pedal steel, acoustic bass, electric bass, 12-string, nylon strings, resonator and more. The Art Of Hi-Fi: Volume 06 – Guitars offers them all.

Jeff Beck
With The Jan Hammer Group – Live
Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2276, SACD

If you prefer vinyl, Mobile Fidelity’s LP was reviewed in HFN May ’25, but you might want to try both formats. The attack of Beck and Hammer’s playing is to be relished via SACD, but with less artifice than CD and nearly as warm as the LP. Collated from gigs recorded between June 1976 and February 1977, this alliance of guitar great and keyboard wizard includes tracks from Beck’s Blow By Blow and Wired, plus his magical reworking of The Beatles’ ‘She’s A Woman’.

Tom Amend
1950s
Octave Records OCT-0055, SACD

Kicking off a new series, Octave ups the audiophile ante with Tom Amend on piano, with upright bass, alto sax and drums completing the lineup. The golden sounds of the decade are replicated not just with the arrangements but the tonality: this was recorded in DSD256 through all-valve Manley preamps with Neumann and Geffell condenser microphones. Savour silky versions of ‘You Go To My Head’, ‘Round Midnight’, ‘Take 5’ and seven more.

Bad Company
Bad Company
Analogue Productions CAPA009SA, SACD

With a lineage of Free, King Crimson and Mott The Hoople, plus the patronage of Led Zeppelin, this was one of the most eagerly anticipated rock albums of the ’70s, and it didn’t disappoint. Air-guitar classic ‘Can’t Get Enough’ plus ‘Movin’ On’, ‘Rock Steady’, the title track – this is a stunning debut, and this SACD lets you hear the attack of Mick Ralphs’ guitar with heightened precision while showcasing Paul Rodgers’ perfect vocals. One of the best hard rock albums of all time.

Uranienborg Vokalensemble
Fred Over Jorden
2L 2L-179-SABD, 1x SACD/1x Blu-ray

The 2L label is the way to go if you’re fascinated by comparing digital formats; its releases are like audio tool kits. This flute/organ/synthesiser set is a celebration of Christmas and Advent, recorded in a church. The appeal – even for secular souls – is the provision of both SACD and Blu-ray with no fewer than ten mixes, from the SACD’s stereo and 5.1 DSD up to a 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos presentation on the Blu-ray. Hours of fun aside, the sound is gorgeous.

Joni Mitchell
Court And Spark
Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2273, SACD

Is it possible to pick Joni’s best? After the abundance of reissues, box sets, deluxe LP releases and other celebrations of her music in the past five or so years, this one still stands out as Blue’s main challenger. I prefer it – so shoot me. With the likes of ‘Free Man In Paris’, ‘People’s Parties’, ‘Help Me’, and even ‘Twisted’, it explains as much as any of Mitchell’s albums why she’s considered the female answer to Dylan for sheer genius. And this SACD sounds spectacular.

Otis Redding
The Dock Of The Bay
Analogue Productions CAPA005SA, SACD

The first posthumous release after Redding’s death on 10 December 1967 was issued in February the following year. But it was no hastily assembled act of opportunism. Though comprised of singles, B-sides, and previously released tracks to support the title song (then at No 1 in the singles chart), it holds together as if born a record of new material. That attests to the quality of the music, and I’ve rarely heard it sound as good as on this Bernie Grundman-mastered SACD.

Cannonball Adderley
Somethin’ Else
Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2270, SACD

There’s little one can add about this masterpiece, saxophone deity Adderley joined by Miles Davis (trumpet – though you knew that), Hank Jones (piano), Sam Jones (bass) and Art Blakey (drums). Released on Blue Note in 1958, it’s regarded by every sane critic as one of the greatest jazz albums of all time. Here ‘accessibility’ is the highest praise, not a back-handed compliment: even those who think they abhor jazz will find it irresistible. As for its audiophile chops, Somethin’ Else is a textbook example of why some consider the sonic character of 1950s jazz to be the pinnacle of the recording arts. Astonishing.

Lou Reed
Berlin
Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2277, SACD

Reed, a misery who made Leonard Cohen sound like The Archies, delivered this concept album in 1973, dealing with topics of drug abuse, prostitution, the demi-monde, etc. It lacks the wit of, say, Tom Waits, but offers moments of both fiery rock and tendresse, Reed aided and abetted by a roster of A-list British musicians. It’s also an important album in the Reed canon, as it references his eponymous debut and The Velvet Underground.

Trio Medieval
Yule
2L 2L-180-SABD, 1x SACD/1x Blu-ray

It’s too early (or late) to review a Christmas album but this defies the seasons if you’re an audiophile. As you now know the form, 2L gives you a huge choice of digital playback formats/rates by including an SACD and a Blu-ray, so there are no excuses for not comparing the two through your own system and with no pressure. This time the Christmas music pre-dates the usual familiar material as the Norwegian vocal trio, accompanied by traditional instruments, explore ‘pre-Christian secularity’ and the Northern European contribution to the celebration. Recorded in Oslo’s Sofienberg Church, it sounds breathtaking.

Jeremy Mohney
Pennies From Heaven
Octave Records OCT-0056, SACD

Part of Octave’s new Jazz Classics series, this disc focuses on swing-era classics rather than a particular decade, the songs including such dead certs as ‘Stardust’, ‘Summertime’ and ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’. Mohney, on vocals and tenor saxophone, leads a talented five-piece band through superbly recorded sessions that send the listener back to a time when giants like Crosby, Sinatra, Hoagy Carmichael and Nat ‘King’ Cole walked the earth. Irresistible.

Simon & Garfunkel
Bookends
Mobile Fidelity UDSACD 2257, SACD

As penultimate albums go, S&G’s opus from 1968 may be overshadowed by 1970’s final effort, Bridge Over Troubled Water, but it’s arguably the equal. Each track is a slice of perfection, Simon’s song-writing embracing everything from the light-hearted ‘At The Zoo’ to wry politics to ‘Mrs Robinson’, part of the soundtrack to the hugely successful The Graduate. The SACD does this gorgeous set proud. The only complaint? Too short at under 30 minutes.

The J. Geils Band
Bloodshot
Atlantic/Rhino BA2 7269, Blu-ray

Full marks to Rhino for respecting the 4.0 quad mixes of the ’70s. The group’s third album, from 1973, was the one which alerted the world outside the northeast US that here was a band that rocked harder than any since The Detroit Wheels. The quad mix is fascinating, letting you lean into ‘(Ain’t Nothin’ But A) House Party’, ‘Southside Shuffle’, ‘Give It To Me’ and other faves, but their vintage R&B attitude suggests mono via a jukebox might be the truest way to savour it.

Genesis
Selling England By The Pound
Analogue Productions CAPA002SA, SACD

In Mike Mettler’s in-depth coverage of this 1973 Genesis album [HFN May ’25] he cites Analogue Productions’ 2023 ‘Atlantic 75’ release as the best-sounding vinyl version; its digital sibling is a knock-out, too. This is pure prog rock covering the same tragic view of what’s happened to England as observed many times before by The Kinks. If you love pomp, pretence and epic songs more than sublime melodies and witty lyrics, this could be your cup of Earl Grey.

Various Artists
Audiophile Masters: Volume XI
Octave Records OCT-0053, SACD

One of the best so far in the boutique label’s series of ‘audiophile’ system-stretchers, this will appeal across the board to fans of pop and rock. Alicia Straka, Jeremy Mohney, Rebecca Folsom and Katie Mintle provide superlative interpretations on ‘Woodstock’, ‘All Of Me’, ‘Cheek To Cheek’, ‘Blackbird’ and six more, eclectic choices unified by their superlative sound quality. For those yet to try one of Octave’s SACDs, this is a great one with which to start.