Post your experience on Reissue Vinyl quality!
Posted by: kuma on 03 December 2011
We all know that not all reissues sound good. Some of them down right atrocious.
I thought this thread could be an interesting data bank to see various folks experience with new vinyls. ( good or bad )
I know that most of them are going to be hit and miss. But I would love to share the experience with others with outstanding reissues as well as Hall-O-Shame releases.
I'm gonna start from my recent purchase of...
Sony/BGM Reissue of Beethoven Symphony No.5: Glenn Gould:88697148061
This is a reissue of Columbia Masterworks MS7095 Made in EU
Sound Quality:
High self noise. Sounds veiled and laid back compared to my original reissue from the 70s ( orange/brown label )
It lost the presence and some note decays from the original pressing.
Packaging Quality:
Poor 4 process colour label compared to the original spot colour Label. Disapointing that they couldn't bother to reissue with the original 2 Eye label. ( used the 70s version Label )
The outer Jacket is thin and printing looks faded out compared to the original. Some spine splits.
Record itself is slightly heavier than the 70s reissue.
I very much doubt this is made from the original tape. If it is, it's not a very well kept.
I was hoping this issue would sound good enough to replace my rather noisy original copy as well as, if this one works out, I was thinking replacing the Stokowski/Gould Emperor Concerto. But after this, forget it! I am better off keep looking for decent shape original issues or reissues even.
Bit of a 'curate's egg' this, good in parts. The music is fantastic, however the SQ is a bit strange. Its on the Doxy label, which is Italian I understand. I have read some rather uncomplimentary reviews of other albums on this label. Usual stuff digital sounding, poor pressing etc. My album does not sound too digital, it has a nice and warm sound, but it has a strange 'bass bump' on some of the tracks, but not all? Which spoils the mood somewhat. It comes with a CD which also has the same effect, which overall makes it difficult for me to recommend it whole heartedly, but Etta' voice is so good I am inclined to forgive the pressing faults. I think it is a case of you pay's your money and you take's your choice. However, wish I could find an original copy, so guess it will have to do for the time being, better than nothing!
Graham.
I've been very amiss in not posting on this thread. To make amends;
Nick Drake 'Pink Moon' Deluxe vinyl box set. Universal Island Records 2012.
Packaging:
A nicely presented box set including an analogue remastered LP, facsimile of original poster, handwritten lyrics, coupon for digital high res downloads printed on a circular card depicting the original BASF tape.
Album cover:
Non laminated gatefold sleeve being an accurate reproduction of the original. If it wasn't kept in the box this sleeve, like the originals, could soon become scruffy with use.
Vinyl:
180g beautifully flat vinyl with reproduction of original Island centre. Silent with not pops or clicks.
Sound Quality:
This album is an analogue remaster from the original Sound Techniques Master tapes as the first generation tapes had deteriorated. This is a fine reproduction of the original album. I don't have the original first press but a friend has and I've played it on my system. This reissue is as good if not better. There is still a little discernible tape noise but this is not distracting. The frequency range is all there and there is no clipping or compression heard on many digitally remastered LP's. The vocals are smooth and the acoustic guitar is lifelike.
Music:
This is a classic Nick Drake album. This was his third and last album and considered by most to be his best. It was recorded in two 2hour sessions. Simple tunes with just vocals and guitar apart from overdubbed piano on the title track. Sensual would be the best word to describe the music.
Value for money:
This box set cost me £32. It's nicely presented but the album is quite short in running time at about 25 minutes. However this is a very good analogue remastered pressing and compared to the cost of a good quality first press this makes it, to me, reasonable value, especially as the music is excellent.
Steve
Graham & Steve.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Here's my recent experience with an EMI Testament reissue vinyl. They claim using only the original EMI master tapes, cut onto lacquer at EMI's Abbey Road Studios and mastered using full analog techniques throughout production. I have not dealt with this Label but I own several of CD reissues and found them excellent in terms of remastering. I have their 2001 CD reissue as well as '68 Seraphim reissue.
Maurizio Pollini: Chopin Piano Concerto No.1
Label: EMI Testament
180g Vinyl/ Stereo/ UK/ASD370
Re-Mastering by: No credit given but they claim mastered using full analog chain.
Engineered and Mixed by: N/A
Pressed at: N/A
Release date: 2011
Sound Quality:
The Seraphim reissue I have is in a pretty decent shape albeit there is a slight break up at finale but overall this is a well balanced recording. Frequency extremes are slightly truncated but I like the warm tonal balance.
Bad bits first:
Right off the start, I hear a slight instability in pitch on a sustained note. Sure enough the tone arm shows a slight lateral movement. ( So much for a QC ) Also, I find its self noise is low but tape hiss is present throughout. Which is normal in analogue recording but it seems higher than normal. There's a lot more background noise on this than Speakers Corner reissues, too. Also, the massed strings get a tad peaky where I don't hear this from the CD reissue.
Now for the good bits:
Strings still have some bite but noise floor drops significantly from the Seraphim reissue. Also, a missing low end is back and this mix has more up front perspective compared to the Seraphim reissue but not as quite a upfront as the CD. More vivid tonal colour and better dynamics. Piano has been brought up to the front or at least equal balance to the orchestra. Altho, there's still a slight haze and doesn't have quite a presence in the midrange. The better fidelity does justice to the performance giving well deserved dynamics and weight particularly on the final movement. Vibration and surrounding atmosphere are felt at the intro.
As a side note, the 2001 EMI digistal remaster is indeed excllent.
As the vinyl this CD has a warm tonal balance and natural presentation. The massed strings are less peaky than vinyl and low end delivery is also as good as vinyl. Played via Krell kps25s or Naim CD555, there's a good amount of scale and low end authority. More forward balance than the Testament vinyl which feels more intimate particualrly on intro, the piano takes on a bolder presence. It is however, somewhat mellower presentaion and string plucks are not quite lively or vivid as vinyl. Excellent on macro dynamiscs but a slight trade off in micro dynamics. And the vinyl sounds a tad more open sounding, too.
Anyway, the vinyl had to be returned for obvious factory defect of *off center hole*. I have ordered the latest pressing of Pollini's Chopin Etudes vinyl to see if the production quality is better on this. I think this reissue is *good* but not outstanding. And for a 35$, I'd expect the record to have a dead on center hole.
Packaging Quality:
Comes in plain medium weight cover stock with gloss varnish. Plain white inner with no extra liner notes. Printing colour is good but the image is slightly blurry and registration is off on the text. The Label does not have gold colour accents and not as vivid as the original EMI label.
Thanks Kuma. I have a few Testament reissues that I bought about 10 or more years back and can't say I was hugely impressed - certainly not a patch on the Classic RCA reissues, which remain a benchmark. One of them was the De Vito Mozart/Bach on ASD 429, which was probably the rarest EMI issue of all, clean copies of which change hands for thousands of pounds - at least the Testament reissue allowed me to hear why it was so rare, it was dreadful! Anyway, I don't have an original to compare with that one but not sure I could face a second play anyway.
However, I do have a mint original issue of the Pollini Chopin PC No.1 and it's lovely - a real favourite. It was justifiably popular so for the the price of the Testament reissue you might well be able to pick up a mint original.
Richard,
You weren't kidding about the ASD 429. The last copy sold at Ebay went for 3500$! :0
I bet your Pollini's EMI original sounds wonderful. Likable performance, too.
His Testament Etudes LP is coming. Thins one hasn't been released is what I understand so I won't have anything to compare to but I am curious about how he played them.
Their catalogue seems to be skewed towards violin music so nice to see piano pieces for a change.
Unfortunately in the US, the original issue seems to be harder to find. I would love one.
The Clifford Brown/Max Roach Emarcy Albums (Mosaic 3004) -- 4LPs
Another home run from Mosaic! As always, very nice book and packaging. The pressings are super clean. I wish Mosaic would reproduce the original album art and track order, but that's not who they are. As with all of their releases, they re-group takes for the sake of a complete discography.
Clifford Brown's trumpet is juicy and amazingly expressive. You can hear Max Roach's drumming with sparkle from the cymbals and kick from the kick drum. Sonny Rollins joins the group on the last LP. Amazing playing on tenor from Harold Land, who's new to me, on first 3 LPs.
The recording quality (and condition of tapes?) does vary a bit. the 4th LP sounds a bit muffled, but in a way that I've heard on other mid 1950s recordings. I have some Max Roach on CD, but don't own any Clifford Brown, so this is a real discovery for me and great addition to my collection.
Please let me know if anyone gets this. From Music on Vinyl. I love this album, but almost $40 for it seems a bit extreme.
Slightly disappointed. Sounds clean, but a bit hollow. Is it the original sound? Age of the tapes?
Can anyone comment on their experiences? Would like to know if I should take it back:
Unlike my previous post, the price for this one - about $20 from my local record store, is appreciated.
Please let me know if anyone gets this. From Music on Vinyl. I love this album, but almost $40 for it seems a bit extreme.
Slightly disappointed. Sounds clean, but a bit hollow. Is it the original sound? Age of the tapes?
Can anyone comment on their experiences? Would like to know if I should take it back:
Unlike my previous post, the price for this one - about $20 from my local record store, is appreciated.
Please let me know if anyone gets this. From Music on Vinyl. I love this album, but almost $40 for it seems a bit extreme.
Just took a look at the CD, and don't see any ADD, DDD, etc mark (forget what their called.)
This album was recorded in 1996 so the master will undoubtably be digital.
If the recording was made in high res. digital then if MOV did not dumb it down to redbook resolution, it's possible the vinyl will sound better. ( like their excellent Hooverphonic release )
I've got my copy but haven't had a chance to compare to the original CD.
Slightly disappointed. Sounds clean, but a bit hollow. Is it the original sound? Age of the tapes?
Can anyone comment on their experiences? Would like to know if I should take it back:
Unlike my previous post, the price for this one - about $20 from my local record store, is appreciated.
Is this the Sony Legacy reissue? Stereo or the recently released Mono version? I have the US Stereo reissue which sounds good compared to my slightly crackly original. I don't have the Mono version.
Slightly disappointed. Sounds clean, but a bit hollow. Is it the original sound? Age of the tapes?
Can anyone comment on their experiences? Would like to know if I should take it back:
Unlike my previous post, the price for this one - about $20 from my local record store, is appreciated.
Is this the Sony Legacy reissue? Stereo or the recently released Mono version? I have the US Stereo reissue which sounds good compared to my slightly crackly original. I don't have the Mono version.
This is the new, mono version. Needs another listen
Anyone have the AC/DC Back in Black reissue from Epic? Weather is heating up, so up goes the volume. Thanks
Blood on the Tracks
Well, at the risk of posting to myself on this thread - here's a quick review of the MOFI reissue of Blood on the Tracks.
The only originals I've heard are hopelessly beat up, so I don't have a good comparison other than the CD version (and cassette before that...)
The Good - It sounds like vinyl. You can clearly hear there's an ensemble playing on Tangled up in Blue. Percussion and bass sound real. Is there a fiddle in the background? Guitar strings ring. Harmonica has body & air, not just squeal.
The Bad - does have a bit of that smoothed out MOFI sound that other's have discussed, though I can't tell if its on the original or a product of the MOFI treatment. Mainly this comes from Bob's voice being set back and centered. The CD vocals are much more forward, but in comparison to this release its stupidly harsh and flat. The percussion "pops" on the vinyl, and its not flat by any means. This just means I keep turning up the volume, though I need to turn it up at least 20% more than most other albums to get the same volume level.
Not as quiet as the best new pressings I've heard recently, but good - exacerbated by the need to turn it up more than usual.
Over all - I'm happy. HUGE improvement over the CD.
Thanks for the review. It's possible the SQ is the result of not being able to use the original master which was found to have disintegrated. I think this is the main reason BOTT is the only Bob Dylan LP not to get the 45rpm treatment. The SQ of these is better than the original pressings IMO.
Steve
mutterback,
Thanks for your report!
I am waiting for their few Sinatra LPs (to possibly replace my excellent yet noisy original ) forever! Curious how much *editing* is done to it. But so far most of their new MOFI Sinatra sounds good.
Meanwhile, these showed up today!
Hope I get to listen to them later if there are no thunderstorms tonight.
Kuma,
What was your final verdict on the Blade Runner reissue?
Thanks
Matt
Matt,
I thought I've posted my impressions elsewhere but here it goes. Turned out I do not have the original pressing as it seems this might be the first time they released the *original* soundtrack on vinyl. There was a CD box set released a few years ago but I do not have it.
Vangelis: Blade Runner Soundtrack Original
Label: Audio Fidelity
180g virgin Vinyl/ Stereo/ US/Limited Edition of 5000 ( my copy: No.3049) AFZLP 154
Re-Mastering by: Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
Pressed at: Quality Record Pressings US
Release date: 2013
Sound Quality:
I now realised that the KG version is *the* original soundtrack from the film which wasn't released in the market till '94 on CD. ( i haven't seen a vinyl version on this )
The '82 release of Blade Runner album is the *adaptation* from the film with different orchestra, different scoring, different performers as well as different program entries.
1982 release:New American Orchestra
1. Love Theme (4:12)
2. Main Title (5:01)
3. One More Kiss, Dear (4:00)
4. Memories of Green (4:50)
5. End Title (4:17)
6. Blade Runner Blues (4:38)
7. Farewell (3:10)
8. End Title Reprise (3:08)
1994 Original Official Soundtrack release: Vangelis
1. Main Titles (3:42)
2. Blush Response (5:47)
3. Wait for Me (5:27)
4. Rachel's Song (4:46)
5. Love Theme (4:56)
6. One More Kiss, Dear (3:58)
7. Blade Runner Blues (8:53)
8. Memories of Green (5:05)
9. Tales of the Future (4:46)
10. Damask Rose (2:32)
11. Blade Runner (End Titles) (4:40)
12. Tears in Rain (3:00)
The arrangement of the '82 version with New American Orchestra is more *Hollywood* I'd say with punchy jazzy feel which I still prefer them to the original '94 Vangelise version for the different reasons. ( I prefer Tom Scott's rendition of Love Theme, for instance )
The Original Score version is more shadowy, darker with a few dialogue and sound effects from the film thrown in which sets the right mood for the film without any visual aids.
And of course the sound is just magnificent on the KG reissue. Turn down the lights and play it in a big system with feel in your butt deep synth.
A total stoner's delight.
The Vangelis version really is like a beautiful tone poem which needs to be listened from the beginning to the end rather than a collection of catchy tunes of the 1982 version. I actually like them both for the contents but the sound wise KG release easily wins.
Ultra low noise and flat vinyl. It's a miracle they could keep the cost down to 30$USD. Worth every penny.
Packaging Quality:
Bright printing on a gate fold format with additional movie stills inside. House in a heavy gloss laminated cover stock. White paper inner and translucent red vinyl.
Thanks Kuma. You may well have posted your impressions and I simply forgot.
matt,
Did you get your copy?
mutterback,
Thanks for your report!
I am waiting for their few Sinatra LPs (to possibly replace my excellent yet noisy original ) forever! Curious how much *editing* is done to it. But so far most of their new MOFI Sinatra sounds good.
Meanwhile, these showed up today!
Hope I get to listen to them later if there are no thunderstorms tonight.
How do you like them?
i don't have the Ida Haendel but I have the Kogan and the Cantelli and love them both, especially the Cantelli. I have not an exhaustive comparison of Beethoven Sevenths, though; I leave that up to you.
matt,
Did you get your copy?
Ordered it this week.