Sara K. – Water Falls

Same crap as the 24 bit version... The whole album have huge peak limiting.

The whole album have huge peak limiting, no SACD version available. I wonder what they was thinking while they releasing the digital album... A waste of 24 bit. I guess the only way to get the proper mastering is to listening the vinyl version.

Such beautiful, extremely well performed music across many genres. The recording, mixing and mastering is similar great as on Chris Jones's Roadhouses album issued by Stockfisch. He plays with her on this album as well. It's most joyful to experience Sara's music in such audiophile listening quality. Admittingly, the pressing leaves room for improvement as to flatness. A must have for lovers of high level acoustic music and female voices.

This double LP comes with all the bells and whistles of an audiophile recording, with a full explanation of direct metal mastering (DMM) on the inside of the gatefold. Unfortunately it's all in German :). It's a nice package for the price. The pressing is clean, flat and the records come in a decent inner sleeve. Soundwise I'm always a bit disappointed when I listen to this record. At moments the guitars sound very nice and warm, with some nice attack. Also the bass is okay, it's sounds pretty warm. The downside is Sara's voice, it distorts in the highs, especially at the S's, which is kind of annoying. One's you hear it, you cannot unhear it :). Since there's no distortion whatsoever in the guitars, I suspect it's just the way they recorded/mastered Sara's voice.

Edit: I just listened to a digital copy and it also has the slight distortion in her voice. So it's just the recording/mastering and the vinyl record/pressing is not to blame ;).

This double LP comes with all the bells and whistles of an audiophile recording, with a full explanation of direct metal mastering (DMM) on the inside of the gatefold. Unfortunately it's all in German :). It's a nice package for the price. The pressing is clean, flat and the records come in a decent inner sleeve. Soundwise I'm always a bit disappointed when I listen to this record. At moments the guitars sound very nice and warm, with some nice attack. Also the bass is okay, it's sounds pretty warm. The downside is Sara's voice, it distorts in the highs, especially at the S's, which is kind of annoying. One's you hear it, you cannot unhear it :). Since there's no distortion whatsoever in the guitars, I suspect it's just the way they recorded/mastered Sara's voice.

This is an oustanding reference recording. The quality of the recording from studio to record is unsurpassed. The balance of the audio spectrum is superb from the highs to the floor shaking bass.

The presence of voices and instruments are so well done that they really do sound like the performers have come to your house to play for you. Spatial representation is excellent. The soundstage is wide and deep with each instrument presented in it's own field as though they are right in front of you while sounding real enough to almost reach out and touch them.

I cannot stress enough how good this record is. It also helps that I truly enjoy the music. The music is much like Joni Mitchell's early music. It's very personal and human.

This is one of those recordings that will help you set up your system or adjust your room treatments they way they ought to be to your ears.

I only play this album when I really want to hear it. It is never played as background music. I want to not just hear it, I want to experience it. It's so well recorded, mastered, plated and pressed that every time I hear it I remember why I went to such pains to acquire a very good sound system. If only all records were done with this kind of care.