Dark side of the moon

James,

I find that PF's early 1990s remasters are their best sounding CDs. I prefer my 1992 remaster of DSOTM to more recent remasters. How will you play the CD? The SACD will play as redbook on a Naim CDP. If you plan to rip the SACD at 24 bit res then you might want that version, but I'm not a streamer.

I kinda like the 2011 remaster, as well as the MFSL (all on CD, which I've ripped to my server).

Best version I have heard is the original 1st Japanese pressing owned by a friend. I have a copy of the 2nd pressing and also the MFSL which I tend to play the most.

The Japanese 1st pressings of DSOTM and the 2 track WYWH are considered to be the Holy Grails of these 2 Floyd titles.

I have the 30th anniversary edition of DSOTM which is a hybrid SACD/CD. I can only use the CD layer. A friend recommended the 30th anniversary edition as an improvement over my existing 20th anniversary edition.  It was good recommendation with the CD layer of the 30th being head and shoulders above the 20th.  So on the narrow question of the 30th SACD/CD disc, yes, it's good.

That said, I'd be inclined to heed ewemon's advice here. I'm one of those who have benefited from his excellent knowledge of Japanese imports.      

Thanks everyone for the replies. Are the Japanese import versions easy to find? And what should I be looking for? 

I bought the 2011 discovery edition for £6 last night but more than willing to buy a different version if it's better!

James

Don't even try to get copies of the 1st Japanese pressings unless you are an absolute Floyd nut.

DSOTM might go for £100-£150 whereas WYWH goes for well over £200 and I have seen sealed ones go for £1000 +

I currently own 2 early US pressings made in Japan that I like sq wise but I haven't listened to most of the later versions apart from the SACD of WYWH which I also have.

You should pop over to Vernon Fitch's website as he is recognised to be one of the experts on Floyd discs. His site lists all variations of any Floyd release worldwide.

Japanese Black Triangle CD sounds the best I've heard it digitally.

John.

John is that a TO or Non TO version. I have a TO version but the Non To is better. TO for those not aware is the version printed by Toshiba and Non TO is CBS/Sony.

I am curious. How many people on here who have copies of DSOTM can hear the small snippet of the orchestral version of Ticket to Ride by the Beatles in between the last vocal and the heartbeat ending?

Just read this post back and meant to say that the 2 early US versions I have are of WYWH.

For DSOTM I have the MFSL and also Non To

Ewe,

I'm pretty well confused by what you've written here. Do you apply the term 'pressing' to vinyl as well as CD. Are you referring to CD pressings?

On Vinyl and for freaks: uhqr pressing by mfsl (very expensive) and for the wywh: Sony mastersound (japanese). Christoph 

and i own a "normal" german pressing from the eighties, and i find it is better than the later anniversary pressings. Christoph 

+1 Christoph. My early English DSOTM is better than the subsequent Anniversary editions as well

My original vinyl copy, bought within a couple of days of its release, still sounds the best I've heard. When I was younger & even more foolish than I am now I made the mistake of buying the 25th and 30th anniversary copies on vinyl. I've also heard the MFSL version on my system.

The HD digital copy on the Immersion box set (yes, bought a moment of madness) is the best digital copy I've heard so far. Think you might have this too Steve?

Yes the Mastersound is the best WYWH by far and there are particular stamper numbers that are better than others. WYWH is the album I went ott on and have far too many pressings.

MFSL DSOTM is great, but I've always wondered what the uhqr sounds like.

Agreed. My 24/96 rips from the blu-Ray discs of WYWH and DSotM sound great. I have many of the versions listed above on my server, but these Immersion versions are my go to for digital. Just wish they had done the same for "The Wall".  (Oh, Roger...)

BTW, just heard the orchestral snippet at the end of Eclipse for the first time (on the 24/96 version). Never noticed it before...

Yes sorry all I am talking about is cd's.

I bought a greek pressing (bad) when i was 15, but packed in a black plastic foil. I have thrown it away, thought it was rubbish

And for the uhqr dsotm: the holy grail, Same as the splhcb for beatles fans, i wish i could buy a copy for a reasonable price one day...

Just tried...twice...and can't hear it    

I can, but you have to turn the volume up really high to hear it.

You can be overly obsessive about these things but the truth is, there are more very good and above pressings of DSOTM. They have always been treated with care, so finding a goodie is not as big a problem as it is with other artists.

Best vinyl pressing is the first UK with the solid blue triangle, but that goes for a bomb in minty nick. I also rate the 1970s US Capitol "Wally", the 1976 Toshiba-EMI Japanese (which sounds very "wet" and lush, but I like it) and the early '97 "EMI 100" pressing.

There are only a few duffers - the '97 pressing that came in the vinyl box set; the MFSL, which is soft and dull; and some of the late 80s/early 90s vinyl pressings that were still being made.

As for CDs, why not just go for the 2003 hybrid CD/SACD or the 2011 master? Both were done by James Guthrie, a very good engineer and the man the notoriously fussy Floyd entrust with their recorded legacy. The MFSL gold CD is not really worth the silly money some people ask for it (and again, it's just too soft-sounding, almost polite) and to be quite honest I'm not sure there's that much of a difference between the '03 and '11 and those early Japanese CDs.

Just enjoy the music, and don't worry too much about/waste too much time looking for a never-end quest for "the best sounding" that may not even exist.

For those interested, BBC4 is showing John Edington's documentary on the making of "Wish You Were Here" at 11pm tonight.

Thanks for that.

Good spot. Just watched and enjoyed it.  Reminded me just how intense these guys were/are, especially Roger W.

I agree with Kevin.  DSOTM on cd --  I've not heard a BAD 'pressing' I don't think.  The differences are pretty subtle.  What I liked about the 2011 remaster is that I heard things in the background I'd not noticed before.