Beatles mono vinyl aaa box set

Replacement boxset arrived and the outer sleeve is now perfect. On the 1st boxset's sleeve, not only was there a 1" band air bubble across the back and side, now that I've had a chance to compare a perfect one, the whole sleeve has a slightly pasty appearance. The lettering should be pure jet-black.

This boxset's Pepper lp is still not perfectly flat, but good enough and it's slightly quieter than the last one.

Looking through the lps, few are perfectly centred both sides. 

Back home after a week away and just played the first two LPs from the box set and very pleased I am 

I had to smile as my wife commented on why do I have to have two expensive speakers if I am going back to MONO?

Then she asked me when I am selling the Stereo box set?...fair enough I thought as I can't see me playing them anymore!

Oh, and she liked the first two MONO albums as they sounded just like The Beatles 

Richard

P.s. Made me think: do you play your MONO source through a pair of speakers or just one?

Have just returned from a couple of weeks in Portugal. I had the box on pre-order at a local record store before I went away with expected release date of 9th September. Just switched on my computer and excited to read almost unanimous praise from all corners of the audiophile community. (Hilarious video of Michael Fremer unwrapping box set with dodgy mockney impersonations over on Analogue Planet). I got an email from store dated 6th September, set ready for collection and I see lots of posters here getting their copies before 9th September. Did UME bring forward the release date?
Cant get over to the shop until the 20th, aaaaaaaaargh!

Same here Richard. I've played three of the fours LPs where I have excellent mono first presses. 

Please Please Me - I'm surprised, given that the original tapes weren't in as good a state as the other albums, that the SQ is as good as it is. As others on the forum who have heard my original album will agree the SQ is astounding. The original is a louder cut and sounds more dynamic but I'd say this reissue is a very good 90% compared to the first press.

Rubber Soul and Sgt Pepper - both are much closer in SQ compared to the first presses. They do sound a little different but I think this has more to do with the different tape machines used and obviously the age of the master tapes. 95% compared to the originals.

I still have to listen to the White Album, where I have an original to compare with, but my first impressions are very favourable indeed and when compared with the previous Stereo box set there is no comparison. I'm looking forward to exploring the rest of the box set, including the book. All analogue reissues do make a big difference and hopefully other companies will take note of what I'm sure is going to be a successful venture with these Beatles albums. I hope that eventually the Abbey Road and Let It Be LPs will receive the same treatment.

The packaging is very good but not quite to the quality of the originals, I'd give it 85%. 

Richard,

We flew back from Faro early this morning from a holiday around the Spanish/Portuguese border. Where in Portugal were you? The box set is worth waiting for.

Steve

Welcome back both of you. I have been enjoying the box all week and hope like Steve that other company's are taking note. Look forward to the the rest of your reviews. Steve I think we both know someone who thinks the White Album is the best of the bunch 

Take Care Graham.

Hope you had a great time steve.

We was de-stressing in a little rural village called Rabaceira, nearest town Rio Mior, or about 28km from Obidos, or an hour or so drive from Lisbon up the A1.

Sounds good Richard. I hope it was as restful as you needed. I've played golf at Obidos. Lovely part of Portugal although the weather can be more unpredictable than down south.

Half of what I say is meaningless

Not a golfer myself but if I was its got to be a beautiful place to play.Our first visit to this area of Portugal but have previously stayed in a pine forest in the middle of nowhere, really get away from the rat race type of place, about 90 mins drive to Coimbra nearest town Arganil, but blisteringly hot! last couple of years stayed in a beautiful converted farmhouse right in the foothills of the Torres mountains, views to die for. Your right about the weather, we had a few variable days and got back just in time to miss return flight delays due to thunder storms!
My only negative comment about the Portugese is they are lunatics on the road, such a friendly laid back people turn into Mr Hyde when they get behind the wheel! Tailgating is a national bloodsport!
Now after all that holiday expense got to find the ackers to pay for the beatles box, the next round of Led Zeps are imminent, new Robert Plant, John Coltrane.........

Comparisons between CD and Vinyl editions are problematic as the comparison will be between two different audio replay systems. You would find it very difficult to judge whether any differences heard were down to the character of the formats or the hardware. Unless you could get a CD player and turntable both of exactly the same performance and both tonally neutral or invisible which I think would be impossible. Therefore any comparison would be purely subjective and system dependent, IMO

Thank you to Richard, Graham and others for your helpful replies. Not having any Beatles since the Vinyl departed years ago, and having no chance of being able to compare stereo to mono CDs let alone the mono vinyl, I have taken the plunge and ordered the mono CD set.

Working my way through the mono box set and very impressed with the quality. Out of interest I compared the new version of Beatles For Sale with my mint original Mono first pressing. 

First the cover of the new version is a very good facsimile of the original although the photos are not quite as sharp and the colours are slightly more subdued. Interestingly in the inside cover the Beatles For Sale title and PMC1240 are yellow on the original but white in the new version, so not an exact replica.

As far sound quality, the new version is very good although the original still has the edge. For example, on Lennon 's version of Rock and Roll Music the new version loses some of the raw dynamism of the original, with Lennon's vocal sounding slightly more rounded. But the differences are not great and certainly don't detract from the enjoyment of the new version.

I have just read the review in Mojo magazine of the box set which was reportedly listened to on a 108K system at Audio lounge. "I note with interest that the reviewer (Pat Gilbert) writes:
MOJO's first conclusion is that the new mono pressings are strikingly easier on the ear than their 60's forebears - smoother and fractionally quieter with reduced top end- bearing out Abbey Road engineer Sean Magee's claim that they've been created for the 21st Century ear and hi fi system" Pat Gilbert goes on to add that Paul McCartneys bass on Paperback Writer is noticeably "toned down".
So if Sean Magee has been reported correctly here, then these re-issues have been intentionally mastered to sound different from original 60's pressings. 

DON'T SHOUT!!

Thanks.

Now I really ought to buy it.

Alec

A word of advice. Check all the LPs. I'm having to return my box set because the second disc of the White Album has been pressed badly; it's off centre and the thickness of the vinyl is thinner on one edge than the other resulting in a kind of warp. It also sounds crap compared to disc one, which I enjoyed last night. Thank goodness I bought from Amazon.

Good advice Steve.

I visually inspected each of mine and they looked fine but the real truth is in the play back and so far I have only got as far as Revolver.

I think I will give the remainders a more intense visual check tomorrow and play them all by the end of the weekend.

I guess you had to send the whole box back and not the individual album(s) affected?

Richard

Yes, the whole set. The new one arrives tomorrow. It was the most bizarre mis-press I've seen, like the vinyl was pressed at an angle. I'll try and take some pictures to show it.

Which pressing plant did they use?

They are all pressed at Optimal Media in Germany.