EMI Japan SACDs ordered from Japan

[johnb]

Has anyone bought any of the EMI Japan ("TOGE") hybrid SACDs from Japan, and if you have, what was your experience?

Are the EMI Japan (ex EMI Toshiba) remasterings a definite improvement on the standard CDs available in the UK?

I ask because I have recently splashed out on the EMI Japan's SACD release of Previn's Rachmaninov Symphony No 2 (not yet received) and am wondering whether the cost was really worthwhile.

[richardfinegold]

Is the the same source as the SACD recordings of Du Pre/Barbirolli Elgar Concerto, and Richter Dvorak Piano Concerto? If they are, (I purchased these two) I would say that the remasterings are a definite improvement over the originals.

[vibratoforever]

I have bought the 3 Barbirolli EMI Mahler recordings. The 9th, the poorest of the 3 originals recording-wise, is a significant improvement I think and I have no regrets regarding the other two. It is incredibly expensive buying direct from Japan as I did for the 9th. There was duty to pay and I had to collect it from a depot many miles away. The other two I bought only because they became available via Amazon and this saved a lot of money.

[Dave2002]

Just a thought - if one wanted (hypothetically perhaps) to have a holiday in Japan, would it then be possible to buy high quality CDs/SACDs at a reaonable price, and to import them back to the UK within the permitted allowances?

[PJPJ]

Is the the same source as the SACD recordings of Du Pre/Barbirolli Elgar Concerto, and Richter Dvorak Piano Concerto? If they are, (I purchased these two) I would say that the remasterings are a definite improvement over the originals.

They are the same source. Many are available as 24/96 downloads, too, from Qobuz and Onkyo to name but two sources. A third source is HDTracks who won't sell outside the US which is a shame as their prices are the cheapest. I have the Previn as a download and it sounds better than any other digital source I've heard of this recording.

A cheaper alternative to the very expensive Japanese SACDs is the download, which can be burned to DVD, either DVD-A for players which play that format, or a DAD for any DVD player, or streamed.

Qobuz EMIs are 14.99 euro

http://www.qobuz.com/label/emi-classics/telechargement-ecoute-albums?f%5Bawards%5D=Qualit%C3%A9+Studio+Masters+Garantie#results

Onkyo are around £20

http://www.e-onkyo.com/search/search.aspx?label_id=010260-02

Many of the SACDs are here:

http://www.hmv.co.jp/en/search/music/adv_1/category_1/genre_Classical_700/keyword_sacd+emi/target_CLASSIC/type_sr/

It's the import duty and "inspection fee" which puts me off buying SACDs from Japan. The all-in unit price with postage and tax escalates.

[johnb]

Dammit, you mean I could have bought a 24/96 download of the Previn Rachmaninov S2 for 14.99 Euro instead of paying an astronomical sum for the SACD from Japan?

That would have been much more useful as I can easily stream 24/96 material using my Squeezebox Touch.

Are the 24/96 downloads from Qobuz and Onkyo from the same source as the SACD layer on the physical discs?

[PJPJ]

.....
Are the 24/96 downloads from Qobuz and Onkyo from the same source 'as the SACD layer on the physical discs?

I believe they must be.

[richardfinegold]

Dammit, you mean I could have bought a 24/96 download of the Previn Rachmaninov S2 for 14.99 Euro instead of paying an astronomical sum for the SACD from Japan?

That would have been much more useful as I can easily stream 24/96 material using my Squeezebox Touch.

Are the 24/96 downloads from Qobuz and Onkyo from the same source as the SACD layer on the physical discs?

As I indicated, I bought the Du Pre disc and Richter in Grieg/Schumann/Dvorak. I had the conventional CD releases of both and the sonic improvements are very real, and I thought justified the premium price difference. Your mileage may vary.
The more high resolution recordings that I obtain--be they SACD DVD-A or High Resolution downloads--I find that it becomes much harder to settle for conventional CD quality. If a favorite recording becomes available in any high resolution format, I try to pounce, but they ain't cheap. At least SACDs can be had used via a site such as Amazon, but I have yet to see used downloads offered for sale

[akiralx]

Has anyone bought any of the EMI Japan ("TOGE") hybrid SACDs from Japan, and if you have, what was your experience?

I have quite a few, including the Ravel orchestral music set under Martinon and the Sibelius EMI recordings from Karajan, and the sonic improvement is pretty clear to me - though be aware that those are not hybrids, they are single layer (not sure about the Previn). I also have several of the Universal single layer SACDs, let me know if you want opinions. The only one I didn't think was worth it was the Kleiber Schubert 3 and 8 (not pictured).