millifoo

Does anyone have the low-down on this yet? I see that it's a mostly 96kHz/24bit and a smattering of 44/24, but I'm mostly wondering how the mastering sounds for the "new" extended material. The main "disc" appears to be the 2015 mastering which appears pretty squashed from the DR report, but again, I'm mostly curious about the bonus content. Here's what's on loudness-war.info: DR Peak RMS Duration Track -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR5 0.00 dB -7.51 dB 4:38 01-Let's Go Crazy (2015 Paisley Park Remaster) DR7 0.00 dB -8.64 dB 3:53 02-Take Me With U (2015 Paisley Park Remaster) DR6 0.00 dB -8.53 dB 5:13 03-The Beautiful Ones (2015 Paisley Park Remaster) DR7 0.00 dB -8.78 dB 3:59 04-Computer Blue (2015 Paisley Park Remaster) DR5 0.00 dB -7.66 dB 4:15 05-Darling Nikki (2015 Paisley Park Remaster) DR8 0.00 dB -9.55 dB 5:53 06-When Doves Cry (2015 Paisley Park Remaster) DR9 0.00 dB -10.35 dB 2:49 07-I Would Die 4 U (2015 Paisley Park Remaster) DR8 0.00 dB -8.76 dB 4:23 08-Baby I'm a Star (2015 Paisley Park Remaster) DR7 0.00 dB -9.24 dB 8:45 09-Purple Rain (2015 Paisley Park Remaster) DR9 0.00 dB -10.37 dB 11:29 10-The Dance Electric DR10 0.00 dB -12.34 dB 4:58 13-Electric Intercourse (Studio Version) DR10 0.00 dB -11.56 dB 7:57 15-Possessed DR9 0.00 dB -10.32 dB 6:27 16-Wonderful Ass DR9 0.00 dB -11.28 dB 10:18 19-We Can Fuck DR13 0.00 dB -15.37 dB 5:30 20-Father's Song DR11 0.00 dB -12.88 dB 3:56 22-17 Days (7" B-Side Edit) DR10 0.00 dB -11.61 dB 3:48 23-Let's Go Crazy (7" Single Edit) DR9 0.00 dB -11.34 dB 7:36 24-Let's Go Crazy (Special Dance Mix) DR10 0.00 dB -11.02 dB 3:56 25-Erotic City ("Let's Go Crazy" 7" B-Side Edit) DR10 0.00 dB -11.08 dB 7:24 26-Erotic City (Make Love Not War Erotic City Come Alive) [Extended Version] DR11 0.00 dB -13.35 dB 4:05 27-Purple Rain (7" Single Edit) DR11 -0.07 dB -14.71 dB 4:03 28-God ("Purple Rain" 7" B-Side) DR10 0.00 dB -13.42 dB 7:58 29-God (Love Theme from Purple Rain) [U.K. 12" B-Side] DR9 0.00 dB -11.09 dB 4:54 30-Another Lonely Christmas ("I Would Die 4 U" 7" B-Side Edit) DR9 0.00 dB -11.74 dB 6:48 31-Another Lonely Christmas (Extended Version) DR10 0.00 dB -11.49 dB 2:58 32-I Would Die 4 U (7" Single Edit) DR9 0.00 dB -11.45 dB 10:18 33-I Would Die 4 U (Extended Version) DR10 0.00 dB -11.12 dB 2:49 34-Baby I'm a Star ("Take Me With U" 7" B-Side Edit) DR10 0.00 dB -12.08 dB 3:43 35-Take Me With U (7" Single Edit) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Howdy HDTracks folks, I purchased the Van Halen collection in 2013 soon after they showed up on HDTracks. I see now that they've remastered them again in 2015 - not 2 years later. I have to admit that I feel kinda bummed that my purchase has been superseded so quickly. Suggestion: much like the software industry, have an "upgrade" option for when new remasters come out for those of us who have paid once already. I might be willing to pay $20 or $30 to upgrade the the latest, but there's no way I can justify spending another $$110 for a collection I purchased recently. thanks for listening!

The Immigrant Song has always sounded odd - I don't think there's much that can be done without a full remix. The rest of the [new HD reissue] album sounds great though, IMO.

Pretty sure the previews are just vanilla mp3s, however - that's not what I was looking for, rather I was mainly listening for them having an overly compressed dynamic range (i.e. loudness wars) and didn't hear it, and any overly ridiculous EQ fiddling (again didn't hear it)... so I'm tentatively optimistic about these, and will probably take the plunge on one album off HDTracks for a full detailed review. I, on the other hand, these had come out as DR5, I'd have taken a pass.

I know this is a suboptimal comparison, but just listened to the streaming previews on highresaudio and compared to my three copies: 1) BD's original CD 2) the Page/Marino remaster 3) Classic Records vinyl The previews sound similar to the classic records version to these ears. VERY different than the Page/Marino remasters. Still, I prefer the BD originals (though I do give them a tiny bass boost with the eq in iTunes). Doing a quick DR check on the highresaudio previews yields: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Analyzed folder: /Users/x/Music/Audio Hijack/lz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR Peak RMS Filename ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR8 -3.63 dB -13.58 dB 1.aiff DR8 -3.85 dB -13.76 dB 2.aiff DR9 -3.93 dB -14.82 dB 3.aiff DR9 -3.69 dB -14.11 dB 4.aiff DR8 -4.12 dB -14.16 dB 5.aiff DR9 -4.07 dB -14.28 dB 6.aiff DR8 -3.62 dB -13.41 dB 7.aiff DR9 -3.26 dB -15.81 dB 8.aiff DR9 -4.01 dB -14.56 dB 9.aiff ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of files: 9 Official DR value: DR9 =============================================================================== Here's my Page/Marino copy (sorry, somehow don't have all the files any more -- probably because I don't listen to this copy much) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Analyzed folder: /Volumes/3TB Backup Drive/iTunes/iTunes Music/Led Zeppelin/Led Zeppelin I [1990 Marino_Page Remaster] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR Peak RMS Filename ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR9 -0.13 dB -11.05 dB 01 Good Times Bad Times.mp3 DR11 over -12.78 dB 03 You Shook Me.mp3 DR9 -0.33 dB -11.13 dB 04 Dazed and Confused.mp3 DR9 -2.23 dB -12.28 dB 06 Black Mountain Side.mp3 DR9 over -11.00 dB 07 Communication Breakdown.mp3 DR10 over -12.48 dB 09 How Many More Times.mp3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of files: 6 Official DR value: DR10 ============================================================================= And BD's ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Analyzed folder: /Volumes/Big Music Drive/iTunes/iTunes Music/Led Zeppelin/Led Zeppelin I [1987 Barry Diament Mastering] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR Peak RMS Filename ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR10 -1.62 dB -13.00 dB 01 Good Times Bad Times.m4a DR10 -1.72 dB -15.17 dB 02 Babe I'm Gonna Leave You.m4a DR11 -1.29 dB -13.78 dB 03 You Shook Me.m4a DR10 -1.57 dB -13.85 dB 04 Dazed And Confused.m4a DR10 -2.24 dB -14.39 dB 05 Your Time Is Gonna Come.m4a DR9 -2.45 dB -13.06 dB 06 Black Mountain Side.m4a DR9 -1.37 dB -12.73 dB 07 Communication Breakdown.m4a DR11 -0.52 dB -14.23 dB 08 I Can't Quit You Baby.m4a DR10 -1.04 dB -13.44 dB 09 How Many More Times.m4a ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of files: 9 Official DR value: DR10 ==============================================================================================

Mmm, I disagree: I feel Taurus just barely sounds like stairway riff. I believe the one by Davy Graham is much closer. But you know what they say about opinions...

Exactly... indeed it's not THAT original a sequence of notes... just a riff of descending half steps down to the root. Exhibit 1 for the defense, from 1959:

I recommend hunting down the 3-cd box set (printing in the 90s), I think pressed in Holland. It has a slightly different running order for the first album, and the one big improvement is that the first guitar strum of "Something So Strong" isn't chopped (albeit it's only a few milliseconds chopped off on the domestic release - I never even noticed until I bought the box set). It looks like this: http://i.imgur.com/85Fgo27.jpg

Link? I can't seem to find it (HDTracks search abilities could use some work :-)

It appears that at least Hey Jude will be released seperatley: Amazon.com: Hey Jude (The U.S. Album): Music

Has anyone downloaded this yet [1]? I'm curious of course about the DR, but also how it sounds in general, especially considering the lauded IconoClassic 2011 remaster [2]. Indeed... might if be the same mastering? [1] Get The Knack - Top Best Sellers | HDtracks - The World's Greatest-Sounding Music Downloads [2] Iconoclassic Records... Reissues Done Right.

There's another thread on this same topic in the Music Analysis forum. I wrote in post #31: To my ears it sounds fabulous. If I had to guess, I'd say this was pretty close to a flat transfer. There's no monster bass bump (nor compression) that I can detect, if anything it's a little bit on the "airy" side. I only have two other versions of Tommy - the 1996 remix (ahem) and vinyl from a German pressing that came with the Phases box set (very early 80s, I believe). The 2013 HDTracks version is somewhat close to my vinyl in general, but cleaner & clearer. Anyway, two thumbs up from me.

Nah, you're not being argumentative at all - indeed I'd say you're insightful . The "old" HDTracks DR numbers, though, are radically different -- sounds like that's the one to stay far far away from. BTW, I didn't give my opinion of the "new" 2013 HDTracks version: To my ears it sounds fabulous. If I had to guess, I'd say this was pretty close to a flat transfer. There's no monster bass bump (nor compression) that I can detect, if anything it's a little bit on the "airy" side. I only have two other versions of Tommy - the 1996 remix (ahem) and vinyl from a German pressing that came with the Phases box set (very early 80s, I believe). The 2013 HDTracks version is somewhat close to my vinyl in general, but cleaner & clearer. Anyway, two thumbs up from me.

Well.. this is interesting. I just bought the 96/24 2013 HDTracks version, and it's different than the e-Onkyo. Check it out:

(how odd - I replied last night, but I don't see it here today. anyway...) Thank you both for the response! So this confirms that it's effectively the same mastering I Here's the CD: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR11 -3.20 dB -19.54 dB 1:01 01-01 Making Mirrors DR6 0.00 dB -8.33 dB 1:58 02-02 Easy Way Out DR5 0.00 dB -9.10 dB 4:05 03-03 Somebody That I Used to Know DR4 -0.20 dB -6.79 dB 3:11 04-04 Eyes Wide Open DR6 -0.12 dB -8.06 dB 5:13 05-05 Smoke and Mirrors DR4 -0.30 dB -6.95 dB 3:18 06-06 I Feel Better DR5 -0.59 dB -6.68 dB 4:39 07-07 In Your Light DR5 -0.20 dB -7.92 dB 5:22 08-08 State of the Art DR8 -0.20 dB -10.98 dB 3:19 09-09 Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You DR7 -0.59 dB -10.39 dB 3:07 10-10 Giving Me a Chance DR5 -1.09 dB -6.83 dB 3:53 11-11 Save Me DR9 -1.91 dB -13.87 dB 3:19 12-12 Bronte -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Number of tracks: 12 Official DR value: DR6