Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases made through links in this post. The SACD player links are for reference; I know you’ll probably be hunting for the disc on Discogs.

Listen to the opening synth bass of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." On a standard CD, it’s a punch. On the SACD, it’s a physical presence . The depth of field is staggering. You hear the reverb tails of the drums in Studio A, the subtle bleed of the headphones into the mic. It is not remixed; it is simply... more .

Does it make Thriller a different album? No. It still has the same tracklist. But it makes you remember why this album changed the world. You hear the sweat, the money, and the madness that Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson poured into every single second of tape.