"Don Pearce" wrote in message
news:4aae7abe.98332562@localhost
On Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:36:35 GMT, Rob
wrote:

I find that vinyl can sound pretty good.

I think the expression "damning with faint praise" covers
it.


It sounded a whole lot better to me before I had the opportunity to listen
to 15 ips tapes.

Then came the CD with much more variety, albeit with occasional ******* that
were obviously mastered by numbskulls.

"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message


In article , Keith G
wrote:

A better 'trick' might have been to realise that they'd
go out of business and be replaced by 'foreign'
manufacturers if they couldn't be bothered to deliver the
same level of quality and reliability at competing
prices.

But some UK makers of LPs simply assumed that they owned
the artists that people wanted to hear and would put up
with crapping manufacturing at the prices the suits the
makers. I recall that EMI refused to produce CDs for a
long time. The real reason probably being that they
didn't want to invest in being able to make them, or the
QC required. Easier to try and get people to go on buying
ever more poorly made LPs at lower prices, so they
thought...


The really scary part is where US music lovers and audiophiles were gaga
over "European Pressings", even those made in the UK.

In article , Arny
Krueger
wrote:
"Jim Lesurf" wrote in message



But some UK makers of LPs simply assumed that they owned the artists
that people wanted to hear and would put up with crapping
manufacturing at the prices the suits the makers. I recall that EMI
refused to produce CDs for a long time. The real reason probably being
that they didn't want to invest in being able to make them, or the QC
required. Easier to try and get people to go on buying ever more
poorly made LPs at lower prices, so they thought...


The really scary part is where US music lovers and audiophiles were gaga
over "European Pressings", even those made in the UK.

I recall reading about that and being baffled by it. I could understand
preferring some of the German/Dutch pressings as in my experience they
tended to be vastly better than UK ones. But my experience with EMI UK
pressings habituated me to decide in advance when it would be convenient to
return to the shop when buying one. Thus pre-planning the usual need to ask
for a replacement in the (often vain) hope it would be better made.

I did wonder if this was a 'brown eggs' effect. That someone at EMI was
selecting the better pressings to sell to the USA at higher prices, and
leaving us with the 'rejects'. ahem Sort of the reverse of what we do
with whisky. ;-

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

Don Pearce wrote:
On Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:36:35 GMT, Rob
wrote:
snip

I find that vinyl can sound pretty good.


I think the expression "damning with faint praise" covers it.

d

No no, that'd be praising with faint damnation.

Bit of good news:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/r...-catalog_N.htm

" . . . a long-overdue digital reparation that restores the original
vinyl's wider midrange, pin-drop clarity and rhythmic heft."

Now, I wouldn't go quite that far but at least they're listening.

Have you/anyone heard these remasters? While they sound quite good, I
can't help thinking something odd's going on. Certain instruments seem
to have been brought forward in the mix.

Rob

"Rob" wrote in message
om...
Don Pearce wrote:
On Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:36:35 GMT, Rob
wrote:
snip

I find that vinyl can sound pretty good.


I think the expression "damning with faint praise" covers it.

d

No no, that'd be praising with faint damnation.

Bit of good news:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/r...-catalog_N.htm

" . . . a long-overdue digital reparation that restores the original
vinyl's wider midrange, pin-drop clarity and rhythmic heft."


What is a "wider midrange" when it's at home?

Now, I wouldn't go quite that far but at least they're listening.

Have you/anyone heard these remasters? While they sound quite good, I
can't help thinking something odd's going on. Certain instruments seem to
have been brought forward in the mix.


Were these just remasters, or remixes?

David.

David Looser wrote:
"Rob" wrote in message
om...
Don Pearce wrote:
On Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:36:35 GMT, Rob
wrote:
snip
I find that vinyl can sound pretty good.

I think the expression "damning with faint praise" covers it.

d
No no, that'd be praising with faint damnation.

Bit of good news:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/r...-catalog_N.htm

" . . . a long-overdue digital reparation that restores the original
vinyl's wider midrange, pin-drop clarity and rhythmic heft."


What is a "wider midrange" when it's at home?


It means the bit in the middle of the sound is more expansive. Dunno! I
was listening to some Nina Simone LPs the other day, and her voice
sounded pretty special - perhaps it's a reference to vocal 'fullness' as
opposed to 'thinness'.

Now, I wouldn't go quite that far but at least they're listening.

Have you/anyone heard these remasters? While they sound quite good, I
can't help thinking something odd's going on. Certain instruments seem to
have been brought forward in the mix.


Were these just remasters, or remixes?


It says 'remasters' - 5 years' work apparently. I should think one
person's remaster is another's remix - whatever sells. Not sure of the
technical distinction.

Rob

In article , Rob
wrote:
Don Pearce wrote:


Have you/anyone heard these remasters? While they sound quite good, I
can't help thinking something odd's going on. Certain instruments seem
to have been brought forward in the mix.

So far I've only heard the 'new' Please Please Me CD. The obvious
difference between it and the earlier CD is that the 'new' one is in the
same kind of 'stereo' as the original 'stereo' LP. Not done any serious
comparisons (as yet) because I'm busy with something else on that front,
but just enjoyed the music. At present I plan to get the first four in the
series as the initial CDs were mono. May then get the others if there seems
any reason to do so.

FWIW The 'video' seems to be in quicktime format, but FFMPEG gave me a
more convenient version in MPEG format. :-) That said, if you have seen
the recent programme on BBC4 then I guess you have seen what is in the
video on the CD. Can't say that 'bonus' seemed to me to be a reason to buy
new copies of the CDs if you already have decent CD and/or LP versions.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me.
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html
Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html

In article ,
Rob wrote:
Bit of good news:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/r...-catalog_N.htm

" . . . a long-overdue digital reparation that restores the original
vinyl's wider midrange, pin-drop clarity and rhythmic heft."

Now, I wouldn't go quite that far but at least they're listening.

Have you/anyone heard these remasters? While they sound quite good, I
can't help thinking something odd's going on. Certain instruments seem
to have been brought forward in the mix.

More I hear of these the less I'm tempted to buy them. I have all the
original LPs and all the original CDs. And in general, the CDs are what
you'd expect of a good transfer from an analogue master tape.

If these new transfers sound radically different it's because they've been
screwed around with - and therefore unlikely to be 'improved'. Apart from
perhaps those used to modern over bright over compressed pop music.

--
*A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it uses up a thousand times more memory.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Rob" wrote


Bit of good news:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/r...-catalog_N.htm

" . . . a long-overdue digital reparation that restores the original
vinyl's wider midrange, pin-drop clarity and rhythmic heft."

Now, I wouldn't go quite that far but at least they're listening.

Have you/anyone heard these remasters? While they sound quite good, I
can't help thinking something odd's going on. Certain instruments seem to
have been brought forward in the mix.


If you like the Beatles you'll probably like the movie 'Across The
Universe':

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445922/

In article ,
Jim Lesurf wrote:
So far I've only heard the 'new' Please Please Me CD. The obvious
difference between it and the earlier CD is that the 'new' one is in the
same kind of 'stereo' as the original 'stereo' LP. Not done any serious
comparisons (as yet) because I'm busy with something else on that front,
but just enjoyed the music. At present I plan to get the first four in
the series as the initial CDs were mono. May then get the others if
there seems any reason to do so.

The reason they are mono is because they weren't made in stereo. Twin
track mixdowns were done for production reasons, but weren't stereo. I
have both mono and 'stereo' versions of the original LPs, and the stereo
ones are of interest only. And it wouldn't be possible to produce anything
approaching even decent pan pot stereo without re-recording the original
sessions.

--
*Speak softly and carry a cellular phone *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.