# Sir Simon Rattle on SACD - any experiences?



## Luukas (Apr 1, 2016)

Warner Music Japan has re-released few recordings of Sir Simon Rattle on SACD:

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Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), Op. 45
Dorothea Röschmann, soprano & Thomas Quasthoff, baritone
Rundfunkchor Berlin & Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle, conductor
WPGS-50036

View attachment 94110

Debussy: La Mer, La boite a joujoux, Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune & 3 Preludes (orch. Colin Matthews)
Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle, conductor
WPGS-50022

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Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C minor "Resurrection"
Kate Royal, soprano & Magdalena Kozena, mezzo-soprano
Rundfunkchor Berlin & Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle, conductor
WPGS-50026/7 (2 discs)

View attachment 94112

Orff: Carmina Burana
Sally Matthews, soprano, Christian Gerhaher, baritone & Lawrence Brownlee, tenor
Knaben des Staats und Dom Chors Berlin, Rundfunkchor Berlin & Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle, conductor
WPGS-50021

View attachment 94113

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, Apollon musagete & Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle, conductor
WPGS-50001

These cought my attention, however, because I have always admired Rattle's way to conduct the orchestra. Although they are available on conventional CD Audio on the West I'm ready to pay higher price as well as shipping costs from Japan for better sound. All albums are stereo hybrid SACDs only which means that beside ordinary 44,1/16 PCM CD Audio they include a 2-channel DSD layer for SACD players. This SACD layer has made using 44,1/24 origins (sometimes even 96/24) as a source.

Now I need your advices. Has anybody heard these? I have planned to play these through Dolby Pro Logic II surround decoder (another fine feature of my Yamaha amplifier) because it reproduces the original surround sound by utilizing hidden cues of stereo information. DPLII has brought a new lease of life to CDs; I've been completely satisfied with the results, to be honest.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

I am not familiar with the individual recordings. Do you have a streaming service? If so you can audition the recordings to at least
Judge the performances, even if you choose an inexpensive or free service at a low bit rate. The Berlin Phil Digital Concert Hall has a free 1 month trial, and you can probably listen to concert that may have been used for the recording.
It's interesting that these are released in 2 channel only


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

I have 2 multichannel systems in my home and a two channel system. The MC systems both can take a conventional 2 channel mix and make a multichannel mix, as does the OP Yamaha. I don't think the mix coming from my receivers is anything special. It just sounds like the same output from all 5 speaker, whereas a well done MC mix from SACD or Blu Ray will usually use the rears more for ambience. However, my 2 AVRs are both long in the tooth, around 10 years old, and that is an eternity in digital terms. I am willing to believe that the surround sound processing in Lukas amp is a lot more sophisticated.
I have recently upgraded my 2 channel system ability to extract DSD from SACD. I enjoy the improvement but in many SACDs I do miss the ambience of multichannel


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