How interesting. I did not know her (though she is on the DSOTM cover I have). I enjoyed this very much. Excellent recording quality and SQ, and a very nice showpiece of the Valor’s SUT capability. Thanks.
Wow. Spirit of Turtle Records. DXD.
DSD 64 (NativeDSD)
I’ve had a few versions of this wonderful album (Aja, that is), starting with the MFSL lp. I had the MFSL cd (sold it), and then the SACD (which I still have). A year or so ago I dug into the long discussion, with lots of useful info, on the Steve Hoffman forum about which are the best sounding masterings. The consensus for Aja was that the best is a relatively early cd, which I then bought second hand. I had to agree that it seemed better than my MFSL cd (less bright, for one thing), which is why I sold that particular mastering. I also found that the SACD didn’t seem to have anything to offer over that early cd. This shouldn’t be surprising, as I believe that Aja was a very early digital recording and in that case probably doesn’t even have 16 bit resolution.
These comparisons were carried out on a Puccini by the way. I haven’t listened on my Vivaldi yet. I have the SACDs of Pretzel Logic and Countdown to Ecstasy and they are both wonderful. Really well worth having. An SACD of Royal Scam was announced many years ago but never came out. I have a suspicion the master tape was lost in the fire in Burbank (at least I think it was Burbank). That story in the New York Times “The Day the Music Burned” was shocking.
Good background Simon. Yeah, that dire was something else. I know the Hoffman forum well. In my earlier days, I tended to take what I read there as gospel, as opposed to just “information.” I had the earlier CD of Aja before I had the MFSL CD. I am not sure I ever had the LP. Anyway, when I read the preferences there for the non-MFSL CD, I was truly surprised. I think it just goes to show that each of us has to listen with the ears wired to our brains. Depending on the music, one person’s “warm” is another’s “muddy” or “rolled off,” while one’s “bright” is another’s “clear.” Always wanted a better recording of RS. What we have now leaves much to be desired. Cheers!
According to an article on Audiophile Style, the best version of Aja is:
Thanks for that Erno. Worth the complete read, but for those without the patience, the TL;DR version is:
The crown in the third installment of TBVO, then, is a > near-tie between the Hoffman mastering of Aja and the Takiguchi mastering of Aja . A slight EQ edge goes to Takiguchi, but the fidelity edge goes to Hoffman, giving the Hoffman the overall win by a small margin.
If you want the absolute best digital mastering of Aja , try to get your hands on a Hoffman CD (or one of its “clones”)5. But the recent Japanese CDs and SACDs with the Takiguchi mastering are also an excellent choice.
There is a February 25, 2019 update at the end:
All things considered, I’d now move the MQA CD into second place behind the Hoffman CD but slightly ahead of the Takiguchi mastering, thanks to the MQA CD’s slightly superior fidelity.
Right, but with plenty of Hoffman clones available, some even less than $10, why bother with MQA?
DSD 64 (NativeDSD)
Qobuz 24/192
Just to mention that the data shown indicates the recording as being released in 2001 . That was the 16/44.1 version .The 24/192 is the hi-res version of a complete remastering released last autumn.
Well spotted, thanks Pete.
DSD 128 (NativeDSD)
