McIntosh Jazzing Mico (reference vocal sound/2008/Intermusic SA-CD/Super
Audio Compact Disc Hybrid/Top Music International)
Sound/DSD
2.0 Stereo: B PCM 2.0 Stereo: B- Music: B
PLEASE
NOTE:
This Super
Audio Compact Disc is only available from our friends at Top Music
International, has a Compact Disc layer that will play on virtually all CD
players and can be ordered at the link below.
Top Music
and McIntosh have teamed up again to create another reference demonstration
SA-CD to show off the format, the quality of Top Music’s audiophile releases
and McIntosh’s high quality audiophile equipment. Here is the link to our first encounter with
this quality collaboration:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10221/McIntosh+Demonstration+Reference
For
technophiles, here are the specs for how the disc was made:
The
Project re-mastered by Povee Chan
SADiE DSD
Digital Precision
Mastering
Monitor: Almarro M1A
Monitor Pre-amplifier:
McIntosh C2300
Power
System: Power House
Mastered
with XLO Cable
Hybrid
Stereo, Plays on all SACD and CD Players
Made in Japan
by Sony
This is
equal to the quality of the pervious release, designed well for what is some of
the best equipment in the business.
Joined by guest vocalist Mieko Hirota, the following classic standards
were recorded for this release:
1)
What
A Difference A Day Makes
2)
Moonlight
In Vermont
3)
Caravan
4)
Meditation
5)
It's
All Right With Me
6)
Dream
7)
Moonlight
Serenade (Studio Live Session)
8)
Summertime
9)
It
Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
10) The Very Thought of You
11) Angel Eyes
12) Solitude
13) Agus De Beber
14) My Cherie Amour
She can
sing and though I was not always impressed with her interpretations of these
classics, some were better than others, they all well recorded. Tracks 9 & 14 worked the least for me,
though Tracks 1, 8 and 11 were not bad.
In any case, this demo is great for equipment purposes and not bad as a
recording overall.
The DSD
2.0 Stereo is warm, rich, well engineered and well recorded as you would expect
from recent recordings in the Jazz genre.
I enjoyed the musicianship the most, handling each classic very well at
a time when too many recording them today tend to either botch them, take dumb liberties
with them or both. The PCM 2.0 CD tracks
are good for that format, but cannot compete with the DSD in any way.
A paper
foldout with brief notes is also included.
To find
out more about ordering, start with this link, then go to the HOW TO ORDER tab
on the left-hand side column:
http://www.topmusic.com/tm-sacd9012.2.htm
The
direct order link to this and the previous McIntosh SA-CD is:
http://www.topmusic.com/to-order.htm
- Nicholas Sheffo
