Artist: Igor Tchetuev (piano)
Title: Alfred Schnittke: Complete Piano Sonatas
Label: Caro Mitis
Catalog #: CM 0092004
Format: Super Audio CD (hybrid, stereo and multichannel)
Condition: The disc looks great. The case shows some shelf wear. We've rated it 'very good' overall.
Special Notes:
See our guide below for
details related to high resolution music formats and check out our store for
more great music. We specialize in new and used music media including rare and
out of print titles.
Payment details:
Payment is expected via
Paypal within 3 days of purchase unless other arrangements are made prior to
bidding or buying. After 3 days, we will relist the item and you will forfeit
your right to purchase.
Shipping details:
We will cover the cost of
USPS 1st class shipping. Expedited shipping, via USPS Priority
Mail, is available for $7.99 for Priority Mail. State sales tax may apply
depending on your location.
International shipping is
available via the eBay Global Shipping program. We hope to resume direct
shipping soon, but for now this is our only option for international
buyers.
Return policy:
We accept returns within
30 days. Sealed items may not be returned after opening.
Guide
to music formats:
It’s easy to be confused
by the wide range of modern music media formats. Here is a quick guide to those
you will find in our store. Note that sound quality varies from listener to
listener and depends critically on the quality and set-up of your equipment and
space. This is only meant to help readers understand some of the subtle
differences in products.
Compact Disc (CD): CD is the standard music
format, sometimes referred to as “red book”. The vast majority of CDs are
encoded using the 16-bit pulse-code modulation (PCM). It was created by Sony
and Philips with the first CDs issued in the early 1980s. The music program on
CDs is generally presented in stereo. If recorded in mono, the same signal is
sent to both channels for mono reproduction.
Gold Compact Disc (Gold
CD): Standard
CDs use a coating of aluminum. Using gold rather than aluminum serves primarily
to reduce corrosion over time. Large catalogs of gold CDs were released
starting in the 1980s and 1990s by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL or MoFi),
Dunhill Compact Classics (DCC) and later by RykoDisc (Au20 series), Audio
Fidelity (AF), and others. Gold CDs can be played on any CD player.
Extended Resolution
Compact Disc (XRCD): XRCD was developed by JVC (Victor Company of Japan) in the 1990s.
It uses standard CD encoding, so XRCDs can be played on any CD player. XRCD
strives to reduce losses from the master tape as the recording is reduced to
16-bits. XRCD2 and XRCD24 are improved versions of XRCD.
Super Audio CD (SACD): SACD is a high-resolution
format. Rather than 16-bit PCM, SACDs are encoded using Direct Stream Digital
(DSD) technology, also created by Sony and Philips. The first SACDs were issued
in 1999. SACD represents an improvement in frequency response and dynamic range
relative to CD. SACD can also include up to 6 channels. The music program on an
SACD can therefore be presented in mono and/or stereo and/or multichannel. The
multichannel format can be used to recreate a studio or live recording in terms
of placement of instruments, etc., or to create unique re-mixes using multi-track
recordings. Most multichannel SACDs are designed for 5.1 surround systems (two front, two rear, center channel, and subwoofer).
There are two primary types of SACD, as explained below:
Single Layer SACD: Single layer
SACDs can only be played on a media player that has an SACD logo on it.
Generally speaking, single layer SACDs were most common with early SACD
releases. Some recent releases, such as the Japanese SHM SACDs, are also single
layer SACDs.
Hybrid SACD: Hybrid SACDs, also
called dual-layer SACDs, include two layers (stereo) or three layers (stereo
and multichannel). The first layer is the standard CD layer. The second and
third (if present) layers are SACD layers. The hybrid nature of the disc allows
it to be played on any CD player using standard CD playback, or with an
SACD-capable player for higher quality sound. If a hybrid disc includes
multichannel playback, the playback on a standard CD player will be in stereo.
By considering combinations of mono, stereo, and multichannel
mixes, and single layer and hybrid formats, a range of possible SACD formats
are available. Examples:
Single layer stereo SACD (high resolution stereo playback
requiring an SACD player, will not play on a standard CD player)
Single layer multichannel SACD (high resolution multichannel
playback requiring an SACD player, will not play on a standard CD player)
Hybrid multichannel SACD (high resolution multichannel playback on
an SACD player, stereo playback on a standard CD player)
Additionally, some SACDs will include three layers. These are
hybrid SACDs that will play on a standard CD player (in stereo), but also
include high resolution SACD layers for both stereo and multichannel playback.
Super High Material CD
(SHM CD) and Super High Material SACD (SHM SACD): SHM CD and SHM SACD are
common CD and SACD formats on the Japanese market. “Super High Material” refers
to the disc which is made from a polycarbonate material that enhances
transparency and leads to more accurate reading of the disc by the media
player. SHM CDs use standard CD encoding and can be played on any CD player.
SHM SACDs are single layer SACDs (see above) and therefore require a player
that can read the SACD layer.
With
the advent of home theater systems in the 1990s, some music was released on
formats typically reserved for video. These include:
Digital Video Disc – Audio (DVD-A): DVD-A utilizes the
greater storage capacity of a DVD relative to a CD to deliver high resolution
music on DVD media (and playable on DVD players). Despite the name, DVD-A
releases do not usually include any video content, although some may include
photo galleries and other extras. The majority of DVD-A releases include
multichannel options that are compatible with either (1) a player that decodes
DVD Audio Discs or (2) a player that can decode the surround sound signal using
Dolby Digital. There are a number of related formats, such as DTS, Digital
Audio Disc (DAD), Hybrid Digital Audio Disc (HDAD), so we recommend careful
attention to system compatibility when considering these formats.
Blu-ray Audio: Blu-ray Audio represents an extension of the DVD-A format to
Blu-ray discs (and playable on Blu-ray players). Blu-ray Audio discs are
available in both stereo and multichannel formats and usually have
high-resolution relative to CD. The large capacity of blu-ray discs has also
led to the release of several titles with more than 50 songs. Like their DVD
counterparts, Blu-ray Audio discs do not normally contain video content, but
may include photo galleries, etc.