DIRE STRAITS BROTHERS IN ARMS MoFi SACD----FLEETWOOD MAC RUMORS-JAPANESE SACD

BROTHERS IN ARMS MoFi SACD:

Of course, it escaped my attention until it was out of print and the price went up.  WAY back, when this CD was released, it became a commonly played disc at hi-fi shops everywhere.  When I had just entered the true realm of Audiophile Approved Gear (modified Belgian-made Magnavox CD Player, Acoustic Research Turntable with Rega Arm, Shure V15, Superphon Revelation Basic Dual Mono Preamp, B&K ST-140 amp, Energy speakers, homemade cables everywhere), Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms was being played in hi-fi demos everywhere.  The first Thiel speakers I heard?  Brothers In Arms.  The first Vanderstines?  Brothers In Arms.  This was happening for a good reason.  In a world with mostly unlistenable digital, Brothers In Arms managed to sound decent, which made many question if the problem was the player or the disc.

Even though this is a classic from my late teens to early 20s, I've heard it so many times that I simply cannot take any more.  When I saw that Mobile Fidelity released it on SACD and that I just may miss the boat, I had to make the move.  I bought a copy at an inflated price.  Upon arrival, I popped it into my Marantz SA 1 SACD player (which is a merciless beast) and hit "play".  What came out was music....

This recording, a 16/44.1 recording no less, which was mixed in analog, then converted, actually manages to sound like highly resolving analog on a good system.  MoFi, in my view, really nailed it.  There is more texture, more accurate timbre, a sense of warmth that is not at all artificial.  There is a lot of detail on the MoFi SACD that's simply missing on the CD and the Japanese remastered SACD.  The final track, Brothers In Arms,  I have never heard it like this before.  Lots of detail, space, and separation with improved dynamic range.  It sounds much more real.  I have listened to the disc beginning to end twice now, and I haven't done that since 1987.  It is worth seeking out.

FLEETWOOD MACK RUMORS JAPANESE REMASTER SACD:

I really dig Rumors.  That album really had it together.  During a time when "Afternoon Delight" was being played on the radio, Fleetwood Mac offered solid musical integrity.  The recording was actually really good when you consider this was 70s rock.  Unfortunately, this Japanese SACD fails to capture that.

There is an increase in information.  The bass isn't too bad, though I've heard better, and the same can be said about the midrange.  My issue REALLY can be found with the high frequencies.  This entire SACD manages to create a "dentist drill" sensation from beginning to end.  It's bad enough that I find myself walking away from it.  Complex passages are also very confusing-sounding.  I have heard an SACD version of this (I do not recall WHAT it was) that was far better in every way, plus the confusion and dentist drills had left the stage.  This is a current disc, costing around $35, and based on the discomfort it inflicts, I wouldn't have paid $3.50.