Nat King Cole – The King Of Sound (1944 – 1955/Tivoli Audio/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.
Another
great single SA-CD has been issued of the music of Nat King Cole hits have been
released and this time, it is the English language hits from Intermusic and Top
Music. We previously covered their
amazing Spanish language SA-CD at this link that is still available for order:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10183/Nat+King+Cole+%E2%80%93+Canta
This
collection (a promo with Tivoli Audio) called The King Of Sound, is a comprehensive set of many of his early
well-known hits that all happen to be before the Rock Era begins. He was one of the most important singing
voices in the history of American Song and beyond and this set shows why.
For
technophiles, here are the specs for how the disc was made:
The
Project re-mastered by Povee Chan
32Bits/192kHz
High Resolution Mastering
SADiE DSD
Digital Precision Mastering
Mastering
Monitor: Almarro M1A
Monitor
Amplifier: OCTAVE Jubliee Preamp
Power
System: Isoclean Power Conditioning System
Mastered
with Zu Cable
Hybrid
Stereo, Plays on all SACD and CD Players
Made in Germany and Austria
The
classic hits include…
1)
Unforgettable
(1951)
2)
Mona
Lisa (1950)
3)
Nature
Boy (1948)
4)
Smile
(1954, the Charlie Chaplin classic)
5)
Sweet
Lorraine
6)
For
Sentimental Reasons (1946)
7)
Tenderly
8)
Blue
Gardenia
9)
A
Blossom Fell (1955)
10) Walkin’ My Baby Back Home (1952)
11) Route 66 (1946)
12) It’s Only A Paper Moon
13) Straighten Up And Fly Right (1944)
14) Too Young (1951)
15) For All We Know
16) Answer Me My Love (1954)
17) Darling Je Vous Aime Beaucoup (1955)
The DSD
2.0 Mono is as good as I have ever heard these classics, including some good
vinyl copies, though I cannot say any of those were audiophile pressings. Still, it shows how well recorded his early
hits were for their time and I cannot imagine these sounding much better
anywhere. The PCM 2.0 CD tracks are not
bad, but they cannot compete against the higher resolution and warmth of the
DSD (Direct Stream Digital) tracks here.
Anyone who is a fan and wants a flat out hits set of his early works
will want this disc. A paper foldout
with brief notes is also included.
To find
out more about ordering this SA-CD, start with this link, then go to the HOW TO
ORDER tab on the left-hand side column:
http://www.topmusic.com/tm-sacd9006.2.htm
The
direct order link (including information on how to find the Spanish language
SA-CD) is:
http://www.topmusic.com/to-order.htm
- Nicholas Sheffo