Hi-Rez Highway New high resolution SACD releases, players and technology.

---

[ Follow Ups ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Hi-Rez Highway ]

---

[ Alert Moderator ]

---

Membran Jazz: A Qualified Endorsement!!

Posted by OwlGlass (A) on November 30, 2006 at 16:48:56

In Reply to: Membran Jazz Series posted by Robert C. Lang on November 24, 2006 at 13:08:53:

I am loathe to take issue with Nefertiti (who knows his jazz) or especially with the lone reviewer at sacd.net (apparently an Osteopath with an upper torso redolent of an NFL offensive lineman) but......

I have had generally good experiences with Membran Jazz. The well-presented slip-cased discs are NOT usually compilations and are NEVER 'Best Of' assemblages. Since the material is often well-known, it is readily available on RBCD; most of the material I already possessed in that format and I can tell you with 100% certainty that after often risible A/B comparisons on the same machine, they are NOT taken from CD sources!! The financial woes of most majors these days are such that one can get stuff licensed and with access to mastertapes for a fraction of yesteryear's cost. In one or two cases, it is possible that the usual PCM Membran sound comes from an edited and remastered 24/96 take from an LP--like some enthusiasts are now doing at home for themselves--but my judgment is that that's extremely unlikely for the pick of the crop. They're too darned good. Recommended--and at the jpc.de price of about six bucks, it almost feels like stealing--strongly:

Horace Silver: Tracks from three Jazz Messenger sessions with fabulous rendition of the tone of Hank Mobley, the bite of kenny Dorham and the wallop and swing of either Blakey or Taylor.

Sonny Rollins: OH, MY!! Tracks from 'Worktime' and 'Plus Four'. To hear Rollins' BIG tone fill the room on '...Show Business'is a treat I didn't think I'd live to hear!! And Clifford Brown and Roachy in compelling form too!

Cannonball Adderley: The complete 'Spontaneous Combustion' album recorded in NYC just before meeting Miles. Beautiful alto tone and brother Nat sounds more inspired than expected.

Charlie Mingus: A real discovery for me-- the album 'Jazzical Moods'--from the Jazz Workshop days, and in its twentieth century classical chamber-jazz fusion (say, Debussy, Ravel or Milhaud meets Monk and Mingus)a groundbreaking session. And astonishingly beautiful sound, let alone for the period!

I have been VERY disappointed with Jazz's contribution to SACD (although I gather that pricey JSACDs greatly improve on the harsh sound of the Sony Davis's). On my gear, the Verve's were very little better--and in one 'Supreme' case decidedly inferior--than the best remastered RBCDs. On major labels, I could only really recommend the Monk, Mingus and Brubeck Sonys. So these Membrans are really welcome additions to add to my beloved Classic Records/Blue Note Hi-Rez DVD-As!

One or two qualifications. On a few discs--though obviously not the above list--the derived rear channels can be a little 'boomy'. And on many of the discs, the 2 channel mix is flat and boxy--not pleasant at all but irrelevant to we multi enthusiasts!!

And, most egregious of all errors, off the Classical posting, I omitted the Mahler #5, Holst 'Planets' and Beethoven Piano concertos from the Membran classical catalog.

Good talkin' to ya, John.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Sonic Craft

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---