Tony L
Administrator
I'm currently enjoying finding my way around this work via the original 1984 silver-to-centre West German CD mastering. I've tried the ring before in other forms and never connected with it (e.g. I forced myself through some dreadful sounding Furtwangler vinyl and didn't enjoy the experience at all!), but I'm rather enjoying this.
So, mastering? I've read a lot of negative comments about the first digital issue (the one I have) being hard and thin, but it doesn't sound that way here via the Tannoys, it sounds very good to my ears. It was remastered in 1997 and apparently warmed up a bit, though it was de-hissed/de-noised through the then new-fangled Cedar process which, as usual, apparently stole much of the top end and ambience. I hate de-noising technology, it really is baby out with the bathwater stuff. Anyway, it was redone again in 2012 for a huge luxury set (now out of print), Blu-Ray & book and a budget CD box. Has anyone here compared this new mastering to the 1984 CDs? I get the impression that people like it and seem to think it gets closest to the original vinyl and even beats it in many respects. It appears to be taken from the 1997 digital transfer rather than a fresh mastering as apparently the original tapes are pretty shot, but thus time less buggered-up with Cedar and rather more care taken with EQ. Basically is it worth £30 if one can't really hear a lot wrong with the original CD issue?
So, mastering? I've read a lot of negative comments about the first digital issue (the one I have) being hard and thin, but it doesn't sound that way here via the Tannoys, it sounds very good to my ears. It was remastered in 1997 and apparently warmed up a bit, though it was de-hissed/de-noised through the then new-fangled Cedar process which, as usual, apparently stole much of the top end and ambience. I hate de-noising technology, it really is baby out with the bathwater stuff. Anyway, it was redone again in 2012 for a huge luxury set (now out of print), Blu-Ray & book and a budget CD box. Has anyone here compared this new mastering to the 1984 CDs? I get the impression that people like it and seem to think it gets closest to the original vinyl and even beats it in many respects. It appears to be taken from the 1997 digital transfer rather than a fresh mastering as apparently the original tapes are pretty shot, but thus time less buggered-up with Cedar and rather more care taken with EQ. Basically is it worth £30 if one can't really hear a lot wrong with the original CD issue?
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