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The Music
I've been a long-time fan of Gloria Estefan's music, since
the days of the so-called "Miami Sound Machine". She's one
of few divas who can demonstrate a high degree of latitude in the songs that
she sings (and this is not saying anything yet of her composition
talents!). Her musical talent spans from the danceable
"Conga" and "1, 2, 3" to the inspiring and wonderful
ballads and heart-felt love songs. With this album, Gloria brings back
ten of her greatest hits compiled from previous albums released over the
years, and adds four all-new songs. (See the track
listing in the left column.) I can honestly say that I enjoyed
each and every song. For casual and devoted fans alike, this album is
a "must have" for your collection.
The Recording
Sony Music re-released this best-selling this album to
SACD is a stereo-only recording. Though a multi-channel re-mix version
release is possible as a future release, the stereo DSD
(Direct
Stream Digital) recording offers an unprecedented level of fidelity and
stereo imaging today. Admittedly, these sonic improvements can be too
subtle for the casual music listener and are best heard with a
high-resolution, high-performance audio system. Having said that, I
did some comparisons with my CD version of this album on my playback
system. What I found was that it was far easier to hear the sound
quality improvements (and boy are there improvements!) in the ballads and
love songs. Songs like "Words Get in the Way",
"Anything for You", "Here We Are", "Don't Want to
Lose You", "Coming Out of the Dark", "I See You
Smile", and "Always Tomorrow".
Compared to the CD version, the stereo imaging is far more
well-defined as each instrumental sound is clearly rendered and precisely
defined in the more expansive soundstage. This is amazing when you
consider how richly textured Gloria's music is, with numerous percussion
instruments, acoustic guitars, organ, and even a small orchestral
ensemble. With the SACD version, I can clearly recognize the distinct
sounds of each instrument and its precise location in the soundstage.
An example is in "Christmas Through Your Eyes", the orchestral
music and background vocals come across clearly alongside Gloria's
vocals. Even in introductions with single instruments sound more
life-like. An example this natural sound quality is the opening piano
notes in "I See You Smile". As is the guitar solo in the
opening of "Always Tomorrow". Even the percussion seems to
extend lower and with improved definition.
After this listening comparison in my playback
system between the CD and the SACD, I begin to appreciate the sonic
improvements made possible by DSD technology and the SACD format. The
great songs in this album and its remarkable recording lends this SACD and
its CD as reference test material for side-by-side 2-channel comparisons
between these formats.
For audiophiles and serious music enthusiasts who only
care for the original 2-channel stereo recording, this SACD certainly meets
that need and offers unprecedented clarity and stereo imaging. But for
the more casual music enthusiasts and multi-channel music fans that already
have this album in CD form, I would suggest waiting for the possibility of
Sony Music releasing a multi-channel re-mix version (which will certainly
include the high-resolution stereo recording from this SACD). I don't
know for sure if that's going to happen, but it's worth waiting for if
you're not in a hurry for an SACD version. For me, this stereo SACD
gives me the precise imaging and high-resolution audio that I'm looking for
in this release.
Disc Compatibility Notice
This stereo Super
Audio CD (SACD) can only be played back on an SACD player or a DVD
player that supports SACD playback (look for the SACD logo). It cannot
be played back on a regular audio CD player, CD-ROM drive, or DVD-ROM drive.
Buy this SACD title from:
> Amazon.com
for $16.99
Support this site: buy through our links.
Related reviews: Gloria
Estefan's "Alma Caribeña (Caribbean Soul)" SACD.
For additional information: visit the Gloria
Estefan web site and the Sony
Music web
site.
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Associated equipment used in evaluation: Sony ES
SCD-C555ES Super Audio CD 5-disc
player, Sony
DVP-S7700 reference DVD player, Sony
KP-61V45 61" rear projection TV (4:3 screen aspect ratio), Sony ES STR-V444ES A/V receiver, four
B&W CDM 9NTs as left/right main speakers
and left/right surrounds, B&W CDM CNT center channel speaker, Monster Cable M-series S-Video cable MSV-500, Monster
Cable Interlink LightSpeed 100 (Toslink) optical cable, Monster Cable
Interlink 400 MKII interconnects, Monster Cable
Original speaker cables in bi-wire configuration with Monster Cable twist-on gold-plated banana plug
connectors, Lovan Sovereign T HiFi audio
rack, and Sony MDR-V600 studio monitor headphones. Our home theater equipment was calibrated
with the Video
Essentials DVD.
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United We Stand
