Beatles Stereo or Mono Box Set?

I'm about to buy one, and stereo has conviced me, but I may be missing something from the mono set? (Apart from the mono sound)

 

You'll end up with both eventually, so just pick one and enjoy.

 

Plenty of info on this forum already. The mono is the one to have but all Beatles fans need both.

 

Both.

 

Get the mono, no question, and then do some research here about which stereo versions are preferred and assemble a stereo collection from the old and new CDs.

 

Simply different flavours of the same thing. If you don't have a favourite, pick one and get the other later. Some albums sound better in stereo while others in mono. Experiment and enjoy the process.

 

Mono!

 

Abbey Road, Let It Be, and Yellow Submarine are not on the Mono box.

 

If you buy the Mono you'll be missing Abbey Road, Let It Be [album] and the songs Old Brown Shoe, Ballad Of John & Yoko and Let It Be [single version].

But most people around these parts will tell you Mono is the way to go for the early material, so....

Both.

 

The Yellow Submarine songs are on Mono Masters. The George Martin orchestral pieces are not included in the box.

 

To answer your question, if you get the stereo box, it will have all the songs. The stereo box is the complete catalog, with several songs in mono if there was no original stereo mix.

 

The mono is so overrated. We don't listen with transistor radios anymore. Some of the early cuts are maybe better in mono but overall? Not even close Stereo blows mono away. I've tried 10 times to get into the mono. What's the big attraction? It all comes from the middle speaker? I agree that if it's all voices on one side and all instruments on the other than mono is right, but most of the stereo sounds just fine. I will take Revolution in mono. Little else.

 

Mono vinyl.100% Analog.

 

It depends on how big a fan you are perhaps, but if you can find them for a reasonable price, I'd suggest getting both.

The Mono Box is a remarkable object, the packaging is mini-replicas of the original British albums along with a book.

The Stereo Box is well packaged and contains all of the albums, however unlike the mono CDs, the stereo albums are available separately if you want to get them over a period of time.

 

Mono.

Please Please Me, With The Beatles, and Rubber Soul are essential in mono, as is Mono Masters.

The 1965 stereo versions of Help! and Rubber Soul are better than the versions in the stereo box.

You can buy individual stereo titles to supplement.

 

Actually, we sort of do. The tendency in the last decade has not been towards stereo equipment but bluetooth speakers and multipurpose devices like Alexa and Google home that offer at best minimal stereo separation and basically sound mono from further than two feet away.

I disagree with the rest of what you said, too. Mono all the way. Ironically, the music sounds far less antiquated in mono, without voices flying in from a single speaker and the rest of the band jamming awkwardly by themselves off to the left.

 

I would say both but what are we talking here? CD or LP? I have both sets on both formats and reach for my Mono LP set more often than anything. It's absolutely stunning. If the Stereo LP set was AAA, it might be a harder choice. They sound fine and I enjoy them, it's nice to have the last albums included there but I sure wouldn't want to be without the Mono set.

All that being said, if you're a big Beatles fan, it's true you will most likely end up with both. There are enough differences between the mixes that you need both and will enjoy both for different reasons. I play the records more than the CD's.

 

The mono box is AAA, the stereo box is not.

Having the mono box is as close as you will get to having brand new vinyl that is very close to the original.

For the albums that are not in the mono box you can just buy them individually.

 

This aside (which is not unimportant) and assuming no preference for mono vs stereo, the mono vinyl box is the better product.

 

The two step is required. BOTH

 

The stereo CD's are available individually, they are the mainstream releases, they are on all streaming platforms, and there's no danger they to become obsolete or out of print anytime soon. The mono's are available only in physical format, as part of a box, that can be discarded anytime. So better make sure that you have the mono box, and you can always buy/hear the stereos in one form or another.

 

I think this is the best piece of advice.

 

The MONO CD box is mastered at lower level and has the original STEREO mixes of Help! & Rubber Soul...

 

CD's ? Both. Go with mono first as it seems to be deleted, the price will only rise the longer you leave it. Stereo is available separately and in a box, so you can take your time and collect individually if required.
Vinyl? I only have my late eighties pressings in stereo so I can't offer any advice on the more recent pressings...

 

Buy three of each set.