New Springsteen Box "Album Collection '73-'84'" (Part Two)

If you are a SH mastering, or an original CD with tons of dynamic range—because it got mastered well before they knew any differently, and that original CD, while maybe not serving the music all that great say compared to a good vinyl copy, but no matter that original CD has tons of dynamic range and that is all I really care about anyway— acolyte then you probably would want to move along.

I spent yesterday with The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle and it breathed a little better than BTR which has a DR 8; the WIESS Qobuz 24/44.1 was a DR10 and that is what this felt like as well. I don’t have any other version of WIESS so I am not comparing it to itself but rather to other music so as to try and answer your question—I must fess up it was the first time I had ever played that record from track one through track seven, yet of course as an east-coast red-blooded American boy I know most of the songs.

So say if a SH&KG CCR SACD is the epitome of the zero compression audiophile rock bliss experience—and it should be if it is not—on the one side, and say my prior reference to the REM anniversary remasters being war crimes, your ears just cannot breath, on the other side, then this is somewhere in the middle. BTR 30th, Queen ’11, Kinks '11 DEs, these might be others on the spectrum closer to the REM pole; YMMV. My prior reference to the ’11 Smiths remasters stands as being pretty exactly in the middle. Certainly not its original CD dynamic range but you are not having a hard time listening if in fact that is what you want to do instead of worry about how much dynamic range was lost. Plus you might after calming down about the dynamic range loss actually consider that it is being done to serve the music; YMMV. Those Smiths remasters, somewhere in the middle, that is what WEISS reminded me of yesterday. I listened to the music fine and didn't think about much more than the music after determining ok this is in the middle of the spectrum but it works; I did not feel that way about BTR 30th, it got played about twice. I might also say this is closer to say an average Sundazed remaster, no AF remaster, but no Who earlier deluxe editions that were just headed in the wrong direction from the original music.

Finally, you may want to consider that, at least in my opinion, this artist seems pretty reticent towards anything too audiophile-y. He likes good sounding music I am sure, but he isn’t really interested in reading these threads and would rather just put out a gut kicking ballsy record. So bear in mind that I doubt anyone other than Bob Ludwig is going to get a crack at his stuff since he trusts Bob to give him what he wants and not what some needle-neck audiophile wants. YMMV.

 

This doesn't really make sense to me-these albums have their own sound-the productions on each album is unique-The River sounds nothing like BITUSA, Nebraska nothing like Greetings etc etc.........A range of albums over a decade and you seem to want an uniform sound-it doesn't exist.

What you have here is remastered versions that in the main I think will be accepted as the best versions available however Springsteen and his producers didn't approach his albums with the "audiophille" benchmark you seem to be wanting-he has pretty much always went for a sound that in certain regards wouldn't please purists-I doubt over the whole these recordings would please you whoever mastered them.

 

How close is this to being a genuine question?

 

And then do what?

 

More importantly, who is her favorite Beatle wife?

 

Did you roll down your window and complain to him about the remasters?

 

Read what they have to say about a certain release and not much what others write. If you can't find any reviews from people who's ears you trust, look for "danger signs" to find out who's ears you definitely can't trust.

 

Amazon.com has the CD set for $60.99 with AutoRip.

 

Surely it's roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair.....

 

That box was really bad. I wonder who demanded that it be so insanely loud.

I was not trying to tar and feather anyone. It was really helpful to read here that the new discs are significantly louder and somewhat more compressed than before. I can, for my own use and play, fix all kinds of unfortunate eq that appears in a 2014 reissue. Multiband peak- limiting is one thing I can't fix at home. So these reissues are not for me. I really like the sound of the original 'River' cd anyway. You just have to turn it up.

 

Yeah, I totally get/agree with that part.

But where does this process ultimately lead after you've had to notice these "warning signs", because nobody with "ears you trust" has reviewed them?

 

Yoko

 

Well then I am surprised she cannot take all the harsh noise of this box!

 

No, but he let the wind blow back his hair which is both more poetic and fitting...

 

His window was rolled up I doubt he would have heard me

 

The original CD of The River sounds abysmal! Don't just take my word for it, it's notoriously bad. You may be able to turn the volume up, but it still sounds flat, brittle and lacking in bass. The new CD remaster isn't perfect, but it does fix a few things and is far superior to the original CD IMO.

 

It's a huge upgrade - you can finally hear the drums!

 

Blasting the remastered WIESS CD (Kitty's Back, right now) and watching a football game with sound off. Respectfully, keep your DR figures and just enjoy the music, which sounds incredible.

 

I bought the box set mainly for The River and Born In The USA. The first two didn't interest me at all but after listening to them I am glad I bought the box and didn't just purchase the individual ones via download. A great box set in my opinion.....sound and value.

 

Has anyone compared the CD with the LPs?
I bought the CDs the other day, but reading Ludwig's comments, it does seem like the significant remastering improvement is for the LPs.

 

You probably can't trust mine because I smile when I see waveforms and DR #s. But these LPs sound really good. Especially the first two.

 

he actually stated you'd hear the biggest improvement with the vinyl

 

yes... and has anyone had the opportunity to compare CD and LP?

 

Yes. The vinyl box costs over three times the CD one.
After the comparison, I opted for the latter.