Dark side of the moon

Posted by: Jamesw1 on 25 November 2014

Hi everyone,

 

I currently have the 1994 remaster cd of dostm on my hard drive, but I was wondering if there is a better version i should be looking for...Maybe the 30th anniversary edition sacd?

 

I'd appreciate people thoughts on this.

 

Thanks!

 

James

Posted on: 29 November 2014 by christoph
Originally Posted by Kevin-W:

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.

But it's part of the fun  And i think you compared many different pressings... Ps.: i like the sound of the mfsl lp. Christoph 

Posted on: 30 November 2014 by Kevin-W
Originally Posted by christoph:
Originally Posted by Kevin-W:

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.

But it's part of the fun  And i think you compared many different pressings... Ps.: i like the sound of the mfsl lp. Christoph 

That's because I am/was a collector, Christoph. Minute differences in covers/labels/posters stickers etc were more important than variations in sound quality

Posted on: 30 November 2014 by ewemon

Personally I think why have a Hi Fi thats costs you thousands of pounds and play any old bad sounding cd through it. 

 

There are too many badly mastered compressed cd's out there

 

Re the Japanese 1st pressings Kevin of the Floyd discs they are both far better than anything that has come since especially WYWH. 

Posted on: 30 November 2014 by lutyens

Like several above, i don't think the vinyl MFSL is a duffer at all. I like it a lot. The one vinyl i really dislike is the 20th Anniversary pressing. It is very strange and bass heavy. I think I have enough pressings to keep me going although if someone offered me the original blue triangle vinyl or one of the Japanese cds above i would be very interested to hear the differences.

Posted on: 30 November 2014 by Kevin-W
Originally Posted by lutyens:

Like several above, i don't think the vinyl MFSL is a duffer at all. I like it a lot. The one vinyl i really dislike is the 20th Anniversary pressing. It is very strange and bass heavy. I think I have enough pressings to keep me going although if someone offered me the original blue triangle vinyl or one of the Japanese cds above i would be very interested to hear the differences.

There wasn't a 20th Anniversary vinyl pressing, unless you count the crappy coloured vinyl bootlegs masquerading as Capitol releases. Do you mean the 30th anniversary one of 2003, or the 30th anniversary (of Floyd on EMI, not DSOTM) of late 1997?

 

The blue triangle is amazingly good, although you'd have to be potty about the album to pay the daft prices asked in some places...

Posted on: 30 November 2014 by Kevin-W
Originally Posted by ewemon:

Personally I think why have a Hi Fi thats costs you thousands of pounds and play any old bad sounding cd through it. 

 

There are too many badly mastered compressed cd's out there

 

Re the Japanese 1st pressings Kevin of the Floyd discs they are both far better than anything that has come since especially WYWH. 

I spent thousands on a stereo to make my music sound better, not to fret over "bad" recordings (isn't that what Dire Straits were for? Discs for hi-fi buffs who don't like music? ).

 

I agree that there are a lot of terrible compressed CDs about, I've got a few, but none of them, to my recollection, are by Pink Floyd - and certainly none of them are DOSTM that I've heard.

 

I'm not as convinced by the Japanese first pressings as you obviously are - I have both DSOTM and WYWH and think Guthrie's 2012 SACD of WYWH is the best, and all the other CD "pressings" of both albums sound fine to me, with variations in SQ being quite small.

Posted on: 02 December 2014 by Gale 501

Kevin,

The 30th anniversary DSOTM is well documented as being the worst sounding CDs of them all.

 I can attest to that.

Posted on: 02 December 2014 by Gianluigi Mazzorana
Originally Posted by Gale 501:

Kevin,

The 30th anniversary DSOTM is well documented as being the worst sounding CDs of them all.

 I can attest to that.

 

Do you mean the Harvest or the Emi edition?

Posted on: 02 December 2014 by GraemeH

I've an early black label 'Harvest' CD which sounds fine to me. Better that the softer MFSL 'Gold' version I had for a while.

 

G

Posted on: 02 December 2014 by Gale 501
Originally Posted by Gianluigi Mazzorana:
Originally Posted by Gale 501:

Kevin,

The 30th anniversary DSOTM is well documented as being the worst sounding CDs of them all.

 I can attest to that.

 

Do you mean the Harvest or the Emi edition?

Hi Gian,

Its been a long time man.

Any of the the 30th editions, The light blue cover being the worst offender. 

Posted on: 02 December 2014 by Gianluigi Mazzorana
Originally Posted by Gale 501:
Originally Posted by Gianluigi Mazzorana:
Originally Posted by Gale 501:

Kevin,

The 30th anniversary DSOTM is well documented as being the worst sounding CDs of them all.

 I can attest to that.

 

Do you mean the Harvest or the Emi edition?

Hi Gian,

Its been a long time man.

Any of the the 30th editions, The light blue cover being the worst offender. 

 

Is it that Stuart? The one who sent me Led Zep?

Posted on: 02 December 2014 by Gale 501
Originally Posted by Gianluigi Mazzorana:
Originally Posted by Gale 501:
Originally Posted by Gianluigi Mazzorana:
Originally Posted by Gale 501:

Kevin,

The 30th anniversary DSOTM is well documented as being the worst sounding CDs of them all.

 I can attest to that.

 

Do you mean the Harvest or the Emi edition?

Hi Gian,

Its been a long time man.

Any of the the 30th editions, The light blue cover being the worst offender. 

 

Is it that Stuart? The one who sent me Led Zep?

Yes Guilty as charged.

Posted on: 02 December 2014 by Gianluigi Mazzorana

 

Stu! How are you? Did you repair the White Falcon? I put the system back together about a month ago and.......down in the flood again! Hope you're well!

Posted on: 02 December 2014 by Gale 501
Originally Posted by Gianluigi Mazzorana:

 

Stu! How are you? Did you repair the White Falcon? I put the system back together about a month ago and.......down in the flood again! Hope you're well!

Yes had it re-built by a specialist,A real craftsman that used to build some wonderful one off guitars for a living.

Alas arthritis kicked in around the same time on my hands So sold it to a good friend who still uses it lovingly.

Good to see you have put another nice system together.

Hope your health is better than when we last skyped? and your flood reference didn't mean you have been flooded?

Have seen on BBC world news you have had a shed load of rain over there. 

Seeing your new system room posts,I thought you might have moved home?

Posted on: 02 December 2014 by Gianluigi Mazzorana
Originally Posted by Gale 501:
Originally Posted by Gianluigi Mazzorana:

 

Stu! How are you? Did you repair the White Falcon? I put the system back together about a month ago and.......down in the flood again! Hope you're well!

Yes had it re-built by a specialist,A real craftsman that used to build some wonderful one off guitars for a living.

Alas arthritis kicked in around the same time on my hands So sold it to a good friend who still uses it lovingly.

Good to see you have put another nice system together. 

 

Boxes are the same and i hope to swap 180 for a 250. And a supercap for the 82. Changed room btw. Now SBLs wotk fine even if i have to keep volume down to keep an ear on what happens in the house. I became the father of two 75 old children!

 

SORRY folks for long OT!