Van Halen – Van Halen

This disc is exceptional. The SACD layer has a robust, uncompressed sound and really fills up the room through my Klipsch speakers. The CD layer is far better than the 2000 Warner Bros. "HDCD" remaster which I have been listening to for twenty years; much more detail and separation. My only complaint is the cardboard mini LP packaging. One of the reasons CDs were an upgrade over LPs was the plastic jewel case which protects the media and the artwork alike. But maybe that is just me.

I hope we get these dual layer SACDs for the rest of the classic VH albums.

For anyone that has listened to it, is this an improvement over the DCC?

This sounds huge and if you're cool with digital then it is definitely worth getting in addition to the One Step. I'm also going to say something controversial. For both this One Step and SACD the sonic benefits are much closer and more equivalent than what I hear from other audiophile reissues where the vinyl sounds much better than the SACD counterpart. Some will claim this is the difference between analog and digital. I don't buy that. Why? I am convinced that either these companies are unable to properly edit in DSD, don't want to pay up for the best editing console or they are simply putting at most a minimal effort into a product that costs $30 to $35 vs one that nets them $100 or more. It's a business decision that has nothing to do with the pursuit of high quality sound. Ok I'll stop ranting and just say get this and enjoy it. It is truly awesome.