What is Shm-CD?

[kishnevi]

A number of recordings are showing up on Amazon as new releases with the description (Shm-CD).  What does that mean?  They seem to be reissues of  historical or highly regarded performances, and are labelled as imports,  and have a fairly high retail, but the Amazon listings are not very forthcoming on what exactly they are.
As an instance, this one:


Which leaves me completely in the dark as to what Shm-CD means.  "You're a SHMendrick if you pay this much for a CD?"

[Todd]

It's a "new" way to produce CDs:

"The high quality SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) format features enhanced audio quality through the use of a special polycarbonate plastic. Using a process developed by JVC and Universal Music Japan discovered through the joint companies' research into LCD display manufacturing, SHM-CDs feature improved transparency on the data side of the disc, allowing for more accurate reading of CD data by the CD player laser head. SHM-CD format CDs are fully compatible with standard CD players. Experience the high-fidelity audio quality of the SHM-CD format ."


As far as I can tell it's just a way to sell CDs at ridiculous prices.  I have my doubts that either the "new" plastic that is used or the "new" manufacturing process are any more expensive.  The only SHM-CDs I have are of Eric Heidsieck's Mozart on the Victor label (that's the only format I could find the recordings in), and while I don't have any prior release of these recordings, neither the sound nor the discs are anything special.  Who knows, maybe the original was muddy and dull, etc.  Or perhaps SHM means Super High Markup. 

[Scarpia]

It's a "new" way to produce CDs:

"The high quality SHM-CD (Super High Material CD) format features enhanced audio quality through the use of a special polycarbonate plastic. Using a process developed by JVC and Universal Music Japan discovered through the joint companies' research into LCD display manufacturing, SHM-CDs feature improved transparency on the data side of the disc, allowing for more accurate reading of CD data by the CD player laser head. SHM-CD format CDs are fully compatible with standard CD players. Experience the high-fidelity audio quality of the SHM-CD format ."


As far as I can tell it's just a way to sell CDs at ridiculous prices.  I have my doubts that either the "new" plastic that is used or the "new" manufacturing process are any more expensive.  The only SHM-CDs I have are of Eric Heidsieck's Mozart on the Victor label (that's the only format I could find the recordings in), and while I don't have any prior release of these recordings, neither the sound nor the discs are anything special.  Who knows, maybe the original was muddy and dull, etc.  Or perhaps SHM means Super High Markup.

I think that's the basic idea.

[karlhenning]

Sham-CD! ; )

[kishnevi]

As far as I can tell it's just a way to sell CDs at ridiculous prices.  I have my doubts that either the "new" plastic that is used or the "new" manufacturing process are any more expensive.  The only SHM-CDs I have are of Eric Heidsieck's Mozart on the Victor label (that's the only format I could find the recordings in), and while I don't have any prior release of these recordings, neither the sound nor the discs are anything special.  Who knows, maybe the original was muddy and dull, etc.  Or perhaps SHM means Super High Markup.

I think that's the basic idea.

Thank you.  My suspicions run the same way: high markup on something readily available elsewhere.  It is probably a good indicator that no newly recorded music seems to be among the Shm-CD offerings.

[DavidW]

Sham-CD! ; )

Free with a purchase of sham-wow!  Order today and get an amazing discount of $20 off of the small payments of only $9.95 per week for the next 3 years!

[Todd]

I think that's the basic idea.

You know, I'm thinking if I combine SHM-CD technology and Gold CD technology, I could sell discs at $75 a pop.  Maybe more.  Hmm . . .

[snyprrr]

A Shim-CD is what I use to keep the dresser level.

[snyprrr]

A CD that doesn't know if it's a boy or girl?

[snyprrr]

Two SHM-CDs walk into a bar...

[Mirror Image]

Two SHM-CDs walk into a bar...

[RJR]

Go to this website:
cdJapan SHM-CD CLASSICAL CDS

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/popular_formats/SHM-CD/genre.html?id=classic
There are over 500 cds to choose from, with US prices indicated at the top. On some pages the cd information: conductor, orchestra, etc. is listed at the very bottom of the page. I've listened to a few recordings already. Those of you with a good sound system should immediately hear the difference. Many of the prices average around $20 to $25 dollars US. There's a Knappertsbusch set of 12 cds at a cost of $280 dollars US, for example. Knock yourself out.

[Herman]

. Those of you with a good sound system should immediately hear the difference.

You mean a system with $1000 cables?

You can immediately hera the difference...

[Lethevich]

You mean a system with $1000 cables?

You can immediately hera the difference...

It also helps if they are surrounded by polished stones, blessed by Buddhist priests

[Todd]

I'm curious how one CD could sound better than another, given that they all meet the same red book specs.  Perhaps all the titles are newly remastered, in which case there could be a difference.  Differences due to using a "new" or "special" plastic, well, I'm a bit skeptical. 

If someone else wants to buy me some SHM-CDs where I already own old, outdated CDs of the same titles, I'm open to comparing the two.  (I'm confident my main system is good enough to reveal any difference.)  Based on my admittedly limited experience with SHM-CDs, I can't say I'll rush out to buy anything myself. 

[eyeresist]

It also helps if they are surrounded by polished stones, blessed by Buddhist priests

The zeroes and ones have never sounded so good!

[petrarch]

I'm curious how one CD could sound better than another, given that they all meet the same red book specs.  Perhaps all the titles are newly remastered, in which case there could be a difference.  Differences due to using a "new" or "special" plastic, well, I'm a bit skeptical. 

This was covered in some other thread; the quality of the pressing influences how the accuracy of the data read from the disc. A bad pressing will have the hardware doing a best guess at what is recorded, and different hardware will guess differently.

[Tapio Dimitriyevich Shostakovich]

Which leaves me completely in the dark as to what Shm-CD means.  "You're a SHMendrick if you pay this much for a CD?"

You're SHMendrick and want to buy "Brahms playing Piano" next, our new 4242424242424242424242 kHz SACD for only $120000!

[Grazioso]

You're SHMendrick and want to buy "Brahms playing Piano" next, our new 4242424242424242424242 kHz SACD for only $120000!

I just have to say: best avatar ever!

[Todd]

This was covered in some other thread; the quality of the pressing influences how the accuracy of the data read from the disc. A bad pressing will have the hardware doing a best guess at what is recorded, and different hardware will guess differently.

Covered by whom?  Engineers who manufacture CDs, or audiophiles and other internet experts who claim there is a difference between CDs?  If they meet red book specs they will sound the same.  That's one of the points of standardization.  It's possible to state that LPs sound different based on pressings, but it's nonsense to claim the same about CDs.  This is the same type of thinking that leads people to say that burned CDs sound different from regular CDs.  I believe the consensus among such people is that burned CDs sound better than pressed ones, though it could be the other way around.  I know from direct experience that they sound the same.  My experience with multiple versions of the same CDs, usually replacing single CDs with box sets editions, is that they sound exactly the same unless they are remastered.  Perhaps they all used the same pressing plant.