Lon intrigued us with this:
Quote:Doing some comparisons between this "SHM CD" version of the Dead title and the Rhino cd of the same title. They both use the same mastering, the SHM CD being pressed on the "super hard material" being the supposed only difference.
Interestingly there IS a difference in playback. The highs are just a tad more present, and the bass is a bit more precise. This contributes to a slightly different sound stage. I would characterize the difference as more than subtle but not extreme. Is this worth spending an additional twenty to forty dollars on the disc? If it's one of your absolute favorites and you have a system along the lines of those we have where the differences can be clearly delineated---maybe. The darned things are expensive; I lucked out and got two titles for 18 dollars each, sealed, from a private seller on a music board, just to try the series out.
Interesting Lon, I have the DVD-A [96/24] of this disc, and the difference between it and the Redbook is definitely not subtle. And that is true whether I listen to it on the Oppo, or from an extracted file on the PWDAC. On the latter, the difference is more apparent.