Best sounding Yes albums on CD

Time to start a thread regarding the best sounding Yes albums on CD - I'm limiting my choices to the mid period of Yes and original mixes only, starting with The Yes Album. Feel free to chime in.
The Yes Album - Barry Diament's original Atlantic CD - a nice transfer without NoNoise or compression. Clean, dynamic and easy to turn up loud.
Fragile - MFSL, by far. Barry Diament's mastering was from a bad tape he was given, and is too dull and has peak related distortion throughout (and the Japanese HDCD is a smiley faced version of that). The Joe Gastwirt was good, but No Noised and maximised a little. The Rhino is too bright and maximised a lot. MFSL is uncompressed, from the best master tape, minus Noise reduction and very clear. A great job.
Close To The Edge - I was going to buy and include the original Atlantic for comparison, until Steve H. decided to remaster this. Nice midrange (as per usual for an SH mastering), with an excellent bass that is missing from the Gastwirt remaster. The Rhino is too bright again.
Yessongs - I used to like the Joe Gastwirt, then the Japanese HDCD, then the SHM-CD, then the SACD hybrid, until finally re-buying the original Atlantic, after advice here. Whoever did that one got it right - brightening up the sound of the tapes doesn't improve them. Barry Diament says he didn't do the mastering, but whoever did knew to leave them alone.
Tales From Topographic Oceans - as per Yessongs. The original IS the best.
Relayer - tricky one. Still evaluating this as I've never really liked the sound of this album much.

 

Have you heard the flat transfers on the Blu-ray releases?

 

I had no idea the Gastwirf version of "Fragile" was no-noised. I thought that was highly regarded.

 

Just what we need, another thread about the best sounding Yes CDs. Oh well...so far I have only stated my preferences in about five other threads so why not.

The Yes Album: MFSL

Fragile: Gastwirt remaster. I don't notice any no-noise on it. Never heard the MFSL

Close To The Edge: Audio Fidelity (but the Diament is great too)

Yessongs: Original Atlantic

Tales From Topographic Oceans: I have come back to the original Atlantic on this one. For a while I favoured the Rhino but it's just to compressed for extended listening

Relayer: Original Atlantic

 

Later issue favorites-
90125-Japan for US, have not needed to search out another title on digital, nice tone, spacious
Big Generator, this was a tough one for me, between the US IFPI RE-01 (Secret Remaster) and my Alsdorf German SRC-01
I gave both a good listen after giving them a break for a few months, and as @Futurecity put up a good fight against the RE-01 I'm going to agree with him, my Alsdorf trumps it no doubt

 

I have the Japanese 1989 2-CD issue of Yesshows (fatbox with OBI & the whole bit). Delicious peak levels. Ritual in two parts as on the vinyl (I assume - never owned the vinyl). I must admit I've had a hard time getting into the first generation Close to the Edge that I have, but having been through both the 2003 re-masters, the 1994 re-masters and the first generations (the only ones I now own) I'm fairly satisfied.

I know Yesshows was re-mastered in 1994, but not in 2003, and also there isn't any standard US or European first generation of it (correct?)

I wonder if Steven Wilson would ever re-mix Tormato.

 

Always room for updated opinions on classic albums, even if they have been discussed before
Sometimes its good to start a new thread to bring in fresh opinion.

Close to the Edge - Audio Fidelity. I remember how excited I was when Steve first announced this.
Yessongs - original. I sill love my Japanese 55XD; shame about the lack of Roger Dean artwork though
Tales - Rhino
Yes Album and Fragile - MFSL
Relayer - I never cared for this album much either

 

I am leaning back towards the MFSL for The Yes Album. I think I need the thump. The Diament is great, but as I go back and forth so often between these two, I find each time with the Diament I want more oomph, and when I listen to the MFSL I don’t feel the same amount of need for the flatter transfer and more dynamics. Its an odd battle for me.

I have to track down Fragile on MFSL, I have the DVD-A but I know it could be better so look forward to getting that.

Close To The Edge I love the AF; I don’t have blue ray but I am sure those are nice.

I have the originals of Yessongs and Tales and am happy enough with them. I don’t have Relayer yet.

I would perhaps add Going For the One to your list especially since the AF for it is just as great as CTTE.

 

I like The Rhino Tales best. The eq choices add some life to an otherwise often dull recording (the original vinyl was no great treat either). And I'm a big fan of SH's Close To The Edge.

 

The Yes Album: Flat transfer from either HDTracks or the Wilson set (I believe the former was released well ahead of the latter, but these could be the same mastering?). I do like the MFSL despite the reduced dynamic range; at the very least, it's a good one for the car.
Fragile: MFSL. The Joe Gastwirt is second.
Close To The Edge: Audio Fidelity.
Yessongs: Original Atlantic fatboy 2CD set.
Relayer: Flat transfer from the Wilson set, although the remix he did (for me) is so much better than the shrill, congested-sounding original mix in any form.

 

This thread was started because I couldn't find any threads on anything but individual CDs. I was after something like the "Definitive ELP on CD" thread.
The MFSL Yes Album sounds great, until it gets loud. Check out the DR database for an apparent lack of dynamic range there, compared with the BD master. There is far too big a difference to be explained by simply more bass in the MFSL. There simply must have been a problem with decoding Dolby A encoding here, or the wrong tapes were supplied. Shawn Britten has stated that here was no compression applied by MFSL during mastering, so it's the only logical conclusion. It doesn't look brick walled, but rather like analog compression or peak limiting has been applied to the recording - the ebb and flow of the waveform has been unified. For example, the DR of the various releases are:
Barry Diament: 11, 15, 12, 10, 11, 11
Joe Gastwirt: 8, 15, 8, 7, 10, 8
MFSL: 7, 12, 7, 6, 8, 7
Rhino: 9, 13, 9, 8, 10, 9
The MFSL Fragile is excellent. I should have saved my Atlantic gold CD packaging though - Atlantic did an excellent job there. I normally really like Barry Diament's style of mastering (it's similar to our host' s), but he really was supplied with an awful tape and told to use it.
I can't comment on the sound of the BD master of Close To The Edge, as I never listened to it, but the Audio Fidelity is so good and wasn't too expensive.
Yessongs and Tales From Topographic Oceans are examples of where I was led by the boom and tizz "improvements" up a garden path. I'm sorry for any recommendations I gave in the past for these - the Japanese HDCD and/or the Rhinos - the originals are the best.
I haven't heard the flat masters, despite having them all so far on the CD/DVD-A combos. I rather like the remixes. The flat transfers will be particularly interesting in the cases of Fragile and Tales From Topographic Oceans.

 

I am curious how others feel about the Gastwirt mastering of Tales... It is the only version I have owned and maybe isn't great but has never sounded bad to me. Every copy of the original Atlantic I have seen has been too expensive for me to try and I am not a fan of any of the Rhinos I have heard so I won't go there. Does anyone else like the Gastwirt Tales from Topographic Oceans or at least find it satisfactory?

 

Here are my preferences for the classic period:

The Yes Album - Diament. If I had the MFSL, I'd probably choose it, but the Diament serves me well for now. I also enjoy the Gastwirt and Rhino remasters when I'm in the mood for some more "sparkle" in the sound.
Fragile - Tie between the Diament and Gastwirt. The former is very crankable and has good EQ, but I don't like the distortion that's present in South Side of the Sky. The latter doesn't have as much distortion in SSOTS, but the EQ is a bit brighter. Once again, I need to get the MFSL someday. The Rhino is a little harsh with the boosted upper-mids and compression, so I can only listen to a few songs at a time without fatigue.
Close to the Edge - AF SACD. The Diament could use a touch more midrange, while the Gastwirt and Rhino are both way too bright for me.
Yessongs - Diament. It's the only version I have, so I guess I don't really have a choice.
Tales from Topographic Oceans - Original. Actually, the HDCD would've been my choice, but I sold it. The only other mastering I have is the Rhino, and I don't care for it since it has too much upper-midrange.
Relayer - Rhino. Not counting the extended intro to RSOG, I don't understand why the bright/somewhat harsh Tales Rhino gets a pass from many people, while Relayer is criticized for being muddy/undetailed. I guess I'm going against the grain with this, but the Rhino is the only version that I can listen to without having my ears get pierced by the high-end. The Zal and Marino discs are too bright, hissy, and congested. I don't have it anymore, but the HDCD was decent and not as harsh as the other CD's. Keep in mind that I've not heard the Wilson remix yet.

For the heck of it, here are my preferences for the other albums up to Big Generator:

Yes - Original. The Gastwirt is good, but it's slightly compressed and it may have a HINT of noise reduction. The Rhino is bright, but okay if you don't have another version.
Time and a Word - Rhino. I bet nobody expected that, huh? The Rhino may be a bit compressed and trebly compared to original, but it sounds like it came from a much better tape. Overall, it's surprisingly listenable given that it has the standard Inglot/Hersch EQ moves. The original can be a tad muddy in certain spots, plus Clear Days and the title track have some "tape problems" (which I couldn't detect). The less said about the High Vibration SACD (and CD layer), the better.
Going for the One - AF SACD. This is the only version that comes close to perfect. The Zal and Rhino CD's have too much high-end, while the Marino is too bassy and murky.
Tormato - Zal. A very fine-sounding disc. The HDCD also sounds good if it's properly decoded. The Rhino is okay, but it begs for more low-end.
Drama - Original. The original is balanced, smooth, and crankable; what more could you ask for? The Gastwirt is too loud and has lots of clipping, while the Rhino is a decent alternative if you can't find the original.
Yesshows - Early Japanese CD. The Gastwirt sounds bloated and compressed.
90125 - AF CD. Without exaggerating, this is one of the best sounding discs in my collection. Very smooth and detailed at the same time. The original is a great alternative for those who can't justify paying for the AF. The Rhino may be bright and compressed, but it's highly worth checking it out just for It's Over and Make It Easy.
9012Live - Early Japanese CD. It's the only version I have...
Big Generator - Secret remaster. I haven't found a copy of the original yet, so this is only a tentative choice. The CD in the Studio Albums box is brickwalled and smiley-EQ'd.

 

I believe this thread would fit your criteria :
The Yes CD Mastering Thread - (New Version)

 

I never liked Gastwirt's Tales. YMMV. At one time I recommended the Rhino for Tales, but since hearing the original George Piros cut lp, I'm backing off that. I suspect the original Atlantic cd is best, but I haven't heard it in so long (replaced it ages ago before traveling down the audiophile golden road) I can't say.

 

Thanks for that. Couldn't find it in a search and I've actually contributed to that thread!

 

GOSH !!
i just received the CD of the first yes album (not "The Yes Album", but the first album of Yes entitled "YES" ). The reference is 7567-81447-2 (Atlantic printed in germany ) and as i own the Gastwirt remaster of 1994 (reference 82680-2) , i have compared them. The mixing is slightly different , but the sound of the first pressing is revealing a lot more of details ! i honestly loved the remaster made by Gastwirt, but the first pressing and master is far better, more warm and analog. Anybody knows who did the master as no one is mentionned and barry diament is sure not having worked on it ? As i also owned the rhino version (which is certainly one of the best remaster of Yes they did), i can now give my "top of the pop" for the best sounding CD of Yes/YES:
1/ the first atlantic pressing
2/ the 1994's Gastwirt remaster
3/ the rhino remaster
of course, even if the rhino is not bad, i'm sure that if i'd compare it to the first atlantic, i'll be astonished by the differences...

 

When you guys talk about old original Atlantic Yes CDs, you're talking about Japanese ones, West German, US, what? Could somebody tell me the catalogue number of those Atlantics talked about here?

 

In most (all?) cases, original Atlantic CDs from Japan, Germany and the US are identical.

 

Pretty much stuck with the original Atlantics except Gastwirt's Fragile.

What's another copy of CTTE to my already-ten-or-so copies of it on CD and record? Might as well pick up the AF over at Record Den near Cleveland. They do carry it...right at the counter.

 

yes they are.

 

In for a penny, in for a Selling England by the Pound! Ach, wrong band!


Yes: original Atlantic

TAAW: Only have the 2003 Inglot, which is okay.

The Yes Album: Original Atlantic

Fragile: Original Atlantic

Close To The Edge: Japan for US Matsushita Atco (pink perimeter ring)

Yessongs : Gastwirt remaster. Original Atlantic okay, but muddy

Relayer: I only have the original CD and the Inglot 2003 remaster which I like

GFTO: Original Atlantic

Drama: I only have the Gastwirt remaster which I like
Yesshows: Again, just the Gastwirt remaster. Might get the original set one day, but the 1994 is just fine for me. I like what Joe Gastwirt does anyway usually, so it's no hardship enjoying his Yes work.

90125: Target


Yes is one of those bands where you can't really go wrong, for the most part at any rate, with the original albums. The SW releases are okay, the MFSLs patchy though, so the big money releases aren't necessarily the way to go here.

 

I am a fan of Rhinos. Immaculate clarity. Go for original Atlantics if you're interested in a sound closer to vinyl.

 

I think you'll find that the clarity on the Atlantic discs, Yessongs apart, is absolutely fine. No concerns here. The Yes Album, for instance, bettered the vinyl considerably, IMO.

 

When the Gastwirt remasters were released? They're only available in a boxset?