Which "Kind of Blue" is Best?

So this is the only way to get this in mono? Is the newly released mofi vinyl mono?

 

Yes. and No.

 

Very good insight so far. I noticed that there seems to be some contention between mono vs. stereo releases - is there any reason to prefer mono releases over stereo releases (or vice versa) or is this strictly a per-mastering preference (a good-sounding mastering that happens to be mono/stereo)?

 

Any comments on this release?
http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/kind-of-blue-mono-stereo-cd-mr0003606708

 

Lol, didn't know it existed on CD, i've seen this one on vinyl but i'd say these are not official releases like WAY too many jazz releases. I haven't listened to them, but I assumed they were made either from needle drops or even fold downs. I know some people don't mind this, but I am sure a big portion of the members of this community (including me) would. I personally don't recommend pressings or releases from companies who release albums in the public domain, I've tried them and have been really disappointed in the past, so if I see DOXY, Waxtime, Not Now or what not, i usually tend to stay away.
I realise my reply could have sounded cold (borderline condescending) but didn't mean to.
That mono box set from Columbia is REALLY good, and you can have it for really cheap (£25 on amazon i believe), and i don't know if Kind Of Blue is the only title you're looking for, but it's all beautiful, spirit-lifting music.

 

In my opinion, of all the Miles Davis albums that came out in the late 1990s with the Columbia / Legacy series mastered by Mark Wilder, this album is the best sounding. I know that it is not considered audiophile, and without knowing the master tapes, I don't know if an improvement is possible. But taken on its own, it is breathtaking in its realism and imaging.

 

I have three of the speed corrected masterings on CD. I would put them in the following order:

Mastersound: This one has a nice rich and warm sound. It's engaging and smooth.

1997 Legacy single disc: This one has a lively sound but the muted trumpet can be a bit piercing. I have also read here about some clipping.

2010 Legacy double disc edition: This one is lower in volume than the 1997 single disc and some effort was made to reduce the shrillness of the muted trumpet. However, there is some kind of unpleasant sheen to the album that makes it sound icy and not real. This is especially evident with the cymbals.
The second disc is noticeably louder than the first. The muted trumpets on this disc unfortunately are particularly harsh.

 

I have most digital versions but I have to say the most recent ones are the best....the Mono 2013 and the HD Tracks version.

 

I haven't heard the 2013 mono CD. Have you had a chance to compare it to the Mastersound? If so, what do you like more with the mono?

The Mastersound that I have is the long box version. I don't know if it is any different than the one with the slipcase. I read somewhere that the long box version was pressed in Japan and the others were pressed in the US but I don't know if that is accurate. The matrix on mine is A3 *3-D* EK 66404 IFPI L431

 

I have the original Japan-for-US Columbia CD (CK 8163). How does this one stack up as far as digital versions go?

 

$3?
I wish mine cost that little!

 

This is probably heresy, but I think the HD tracks 24 - 192 in stereo is terrific. I have both SACD versions, and like the HD Tracks version better. I have heard the mono, but prefer the stereo. I had the mastersound CD, and in its day I thought that was very nice.

 

Both of the original master tapes with the original mono and stereo mixes are looooong gone.

Here's the story on the 2013 mono reissue (which also covers the stereo reissues):

http://www.analogplanet.com/content...ic-reissue-sonylegacy-analog-planet-exclusive

Unfortunately, the Kind of Blue mono master tape no longer exists...When KOB was originally recorded, Columbia ran simultaneous mono and three-track stereo tape recorders—two each, one of each being for safety back-up. Since neither mono tape surfaced it must be assumed they were repurposed or stolen. No point now crying over degaussed tape or whatever happened.

According to Steve Berkowitz, who, with engineer Mark Wilder, has overseen all of the Miles Davis reissues going back many years, both of the original 3-track tapes used in recent years to produce the SACDs as well as 2008's blue 180g vinyl 50th Anniversary Collection box set (which was poorly pressed on 180g with a lot of noisy non-fill, gee I wonder who pressed it? no I don't) are now in very poor condition even though they sat untouched in the vault from 1959 until 1992.

Wildler and Berkowitz recently decided to do another and perhaps final 3-track KOB transfer: to DSD, to 192/24 bit PCM (and probably other resolution digital) and at the same time, a two-channel stereo and a mono mixdown to analog tape. The two channel mix down will most likely be the source of a Mobile Fidelity stereo reissue coming later in the year as part of that label's Miles Davis stereo vinyl reissue project.

Back in 1992 Wilder discovered the KOB speed anomaly that resulted in side one of the original album being slightly sharp in pitch because the 3 track recorder was running slightly slow during the recording session. Of course this did not affect the [original] mono version, which was sourced from a different recorder, but for this mono reissue, the speed had to again be corrected [since it was created from the three-track tape that was running slow].

 

That's a European public domain release. I haven't heard it, but these releases generally are not reviewed favorably here. It's probably a needledrop since they wouldn't have access to the tapes.

 

That's a good one. I still listen to it often. It sounds very natural.

 

My stereo of choice is the 2010 2 Disc Sony Legacy set.

My mono of choice is the 2013 RSD LP.

You can't go wrong with either and they are both very affordable.

 

I posted the wrong matrix above,sorry (it was of a different Mastersound title). The correct matrix for my Mastersound is
SP-YOA CK52861

 

If I found one of those around here, it would be many multiples of $3! No danger of that, though. I never see old Miles LPs. eBay and Discogs is the only way to get them here.

 

The Mastersound I have is the Japanese card sleeve one which I always really liked SRCS9104...I will do a quick A/B later today...

 

I ran through a few discs today but just on So What.......I would say the newer ones are better in the following ways...they have a blacker background and the sound is more refined and focused-a lot less bloom and edginess and overall the sound is more musical-they are are also less shrill. In general the other discs are all very listenable in the context of the recording but they flag behind the new versions for the reasons stated

The one disc that is an anomaly is the K2HD version that has a different presentation it is more edgy and may appear more detailed-it sort of hits you in the face but I do know that one has quite loud tape hiss on headphones-I did consider this the best before the newer versions but my system was quite a bit different then on today's listen I would need to revisit that disc again-it's certainly not as good as I remember.....

 

I have several on CD and vinyl but I mainly play one of my two Classic 33rpms. I wouldn't like to say which is best.

 

Have to agree, was quite stunned by this pressing, perhaps one of the most significant sounding upgrades I've heard..

 

Cool, thank you for the comparisons.

 

I have an old Columbia cd, cat# 460603 2 (I think I bought it in the mid-90s). The booklet says it's mastered from the original analog tapes by Teo Macero. How well regarded is this mastering?