SHM-CD

[metal flake paint]

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/search3.html?q=beach+boys+shm&media=&r=any&step=20&order=score

"Japanese Limited First Edition. This classic Pop album has never sounded so good. Superb new SHM-CD (Super High Material CD Plays on any CD Player) developed by JVC and Universal Music Japan. Polycarbonate plastic with improved transparency is used for the disc surface for enhanced audio quality, offering superior sound quality, (will play on any CD player). Listening to this is a phenomenal experience, as if you are in the studio with the musicians!"

If anybody has had the opportunity to hear these Japanese CDs could they please offer an opinion.

Thanks.

[LeeDempsey]

I've been wondering about these myself, as improving the plastic without changing the digital mastering should have absolutely NO effect on the sound if you have a good quality CD player.   Perhaps the theory is that by making a superior disc surface, you will reduce the number of misreads, and therefore the number of built-in error corrections that the CD player will have to make on the fly.  So the bits will be "truer" and not interpolated by software.  Snake oil, IMHO.

Lee

[metal flake paint]

Thanks for your insight, Lee!