SACD vs xrcd


I made a mistake and ended up with a JVC XRCD24 cd of Van Cliburn playing Tchailovsky's Concerto No 1 and the RCA SACD (BMG pressing) version of the same exact performance.
The SACD cost $13 and the JVC xrcd24 cost $30.

THe two versions were played through a Sony XA777ES and the new Ayre C5xe. Both were played in stereo (no surround). Preamp Ayre K1xe, amp Krell FPB300cx into Revel Ultra Salon speakers. (We also have the original recording on LP circa 1958.

The bottom line is the SACD sounded much better. I guess I'm not writting this to say the obvious that SACD sounds better, but rather to say if I have my choice of purchasing music from any company other then JVC I will do it. Their xrcd premium cds are not worth the more then two times the cost of a normal red book cd or an sacd. I wont go into the differences other then to say what I was hearing was not the technical difference between SACDs and CDs but rather a less then good A to D mixing and equalization. The orchestra to piano balance was all off while the SACD sounded just like the LP without the ticks and pops. (The SACD also had more music on it including the Rachmaninoff Concerto No2)

OK this is a single data point but its enough for me to question JVC's sales hype.
JVC JM-XR24004
BMG 82876-61392-2
keis
Keis, As you pointed out, factors other than format technicalities also influence the quality of the end product. I find there are good as well as not so desireable end products for each of the formats I tried: CD, SACD, and XRCD24. For an ear opening experience try some of the FIM XRCD24s. I have not tried any DVD-As. Enjoy, John
Kels:

I think that there is a huge aggravation factor when you compare the JVC XRCD24 versions of the RCA Living Series with the new SACD versions of the same series. It may or may not be how they sound ... but it is how they are priced ... $30 vs $13. I would wait until the NYC Stereophile Show each May to purchase the JVC XRCD's for $20 to $25 each, thinking that I had gotten a bargain and along comes RCA with their across the board, excellent sounding $13 discs that Tower usually sells for $10.

A similar experience was had with the Creedence Clearwater Revival SACD's ($25 a pop) versus the 20 bit remastered Redbook versions ($14 a pop). Yeah sure, there are some minor (and I mean minor) sound differences, but not worth double the price.

I may be becoming too dramatic about all this, but it as though the person seeking to obtain that last bit of performance expects to pay the full freight and companies realize and exploit this. Some of the discussions at the SACD forum at Audio Asylum focus on what was the original source for a particular SACD release and just what did the recording label do/not do to transform the redbook release to a SACD release. Same types of discussions for the XRCD's. Eye-opening to say the least.

The JVC XRCD family of releases are pretty much OK, it is their pricing that I always viewed as orbitant. These releases have been with us since at least 1990 ... you would think that the start-up costs have been paid for a hundred times over and their prices should come down a bit.

Regards, Rich
Keis, try Choi Kam "Chance"
http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/pid-1002925453/section-music/code-c/version-all/did-3256/

never mind it is singing in mandarin, the female vocal and the recordings are incredible. she is a well known Taiwanese Audiophile singer.

But I do agreed with you that some only some xrcd are not performing as they suppose to. IMHO
Yes, I've heard/owned some XRCDs that have been wonderful, and I've got about 8 fantastic SACDs ... and perhaps 20-25 SACDs that I wish I had never purchased ... no discernible improvement over RedBks, though they cost much more. No way to know in advance, but I read music reviews carefully and then ... hold my breath as I order.
There are special quality recordings available because of XRCD. Like everything there may be an occasional dud. However, I seek out recordings on XRCD for their superior Redbook capability. None of the XRCD's I own are duds. Do not sell JVC XRCD short. It't the best I've experienced although Columbia/Sony is putting out exceptional recordings now too (Miles Davis/ My Funny Valentine as example) I just purchased a multi player that has SACD but do not have any SACD's yet (I may never have them) I purchased it to get it modded for Redbook.