Bruce Springsteen BORN TO RUN, final comparison of 3 CBS/Columbia CD versions by SH..

Yesterday, after searching and searching, I finally found a used copy of this, with all of the exact info that you provided above, for $7 bucks. I'm looking forward to giving it a spin in the next few days! Thanks to you Steve and all other members, who took the time to provide the information regarding this all-time classic album! Of course, all of this could have been a lot easier for all of us, if COLUMBIA would have just had you remaster it, once and for all!

 

I found mine in a quick search on ebay a few weeks ago. It does hit the sweet spot from what I remember in the 70s.

 

Damn you!!
I've been doing periodic searches on ebay for probably a year now, and keep coming up empty handed. Thought I found one and ordered it, but it turned out to be a DIDP 050021 with the "0" at the beginning and not the DIDP 50021 which seems to be near certain a #2 master.

 

On the day I received an actual copy of mastering #2 from a forum member, I also found what I thought was another mastering #2 in the wild, but alas, EAC reveals it to be a #3. Has the Manufactured in Japan label on the back cover and insert along with on the CD: Made In USA Digital Audio Disc Corp with matrix DIDP-50021 21A10 which can be added to the list of #3 masterings. All of the text/printing on the 2 CDs is exactly the same although the text on #3 appears just a touch bolder. Listen to the forum-ites, it really comes down to the matrix info and the EAC timings.

 

Is this conversation relevant with the new HD release of BTR? What do folks who've spent a lot of time with mastering #2 and the new HD releases think?

 

There's a thread on the new Springsteen CD/Vinyl box set here. I haven't heard the new version, but if you check that thread there have been a few comments saying more listenable and crankable than the 30th remaster but still not as good as the #2. But I get the sense that it is closer to the remaster than #2.

 

A nearby musician friend of mine texted me the other day, going on endlessly on how great the new "Albums Collection" on CD sounds and I said, yeah well, let me play you the Steve Hoffman recommended "Mastering #2" of "Born To Run", where the vocals are in the spotlight, where they should be and then get back to me. My friend is twenty years younger than me and he has recorded demos at my house and he always wants everything recorded "near levels in the red", but, he is the artist and I comply with his wishes, but not first without trying my best to sell him the "idea" of having to "turn it up" rather than "turning it down". With that said, he read that disclaimer on that new box set, that says that it was mastered using some new process and he was sucked in, much like the dirty word in my vocabulary, regarding CD's these days, (unless Steve Hoffman or Vic Anesini are involved) and that is the word "REMASTERED"!

 

Overall, the set is getting very good reviews by people here especially the first 2 albums and the River.

 

So did he like mastering #2 better?

Yeah, I've seen much of that thread, but not much comparing it to master #2. I'm asking people here who I assume are more familiar with master #2 what they think.

 

I was also sure that I bought a #2 off of eBay as well for less than $10. It had CBS on the spine and no "Now Made in the U.S.A." on the back cover - I thought it was a certainty because of this. Unfortunately, it was a 21B1 3rd Mastering. I ended up purchasing my #2 off of Amazon Marketplace for a bit more than I wanted to spend, but not too bad of a price.

 

My friend doesn't have the mastering #2 and I don't have the "Albums Collection" CD box, so we have to get together and compare them both. They can call it a new mastering process, but in 2015, that almost has to mean, "louder" and I highly doubt, even if the new masterings brings out things that we never heard before, it probably won't address the "vocals" situation, that the mastering #2 CBS does?

 

A question for those fortunate people who own mastering #2. (I only own mastering #1).

On mastering #1 on Meeting Across The River Bruce's voice breaks up at times (I suspect it's clipping).

Does mastering #2 share this problem?

 

Well, at least he doesn't sound like this...

 

Thankfully not. I could only bear to listen to the first 50 seconds or so!!!

The reason I asked about Bruce's voice clipping is that it's this that really annoys me. If mastering #2 shares this problem then I'll spend my money elsewhere, otherwise it looks like I'll be placing a WTB.

 

Hopefully, on Thursday, I will have mastering #2.

 

Please let me know what you think.

 

It's arrived and it's mastering #2 (just check the EAC to make absolutely sure). I'll give it a listen tonight. It's a rare disc - USA for Europe.

 

Bump

 

How does the Sony Mastersound gold compare?

 

FWIW, in the original post of this thread, Steve wrote:

I do not like the Gold "Mastersound" CD version, don't bother me about it.​

You can search this thread for various other comments about it.

 

The best-sounding production on there is easily the title track - the one recording that did not have Landau involved.

 

Matt, those values match my copy of "Mastering No. 3," although mine is US-pressed with "DIDP 050021" on it, as opposed to my copy of "Mastering No. 2" which says "DIDP 50021" (no leading zero). I think the style of matrix numbers in your photos indicate a Matsushita (a.k.a. National/Panasonic) pressing, but I could be wrong.

Below are the values from my copy of Mastering No. 3:
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Analyzed folder: /Bruce Springsteen/Born To Run [DIDP 050021]
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DR Peak RMS Filename
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DR12 -0.73 dB -15.19 dB 01 Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road.aiff
DR15 -0.35 dB -16.45 dB 02 Bruce Springsteen - Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.aiff
DR12 -1.48 dB -14.46 dB 03 Bruce Springsteen - Night.aiff
DR11 -1.32 dB -14.77 dB 04 Bruce Springsteen - Backstreets.aiff
DR12 -0.73 dB -14.20 dB 05 Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run.aiff
DR12 -1.73 dB -15.43 dB 06 Bruce Springsteen - She's the One.aiff
DR11 -5.85 dB -21.79 dB 07 Bruce Springsteen - Meeting Across the River.aiff
DR12 -1.72 dB -16.65 dB 08 Bruce Springsteen - Jungleland.aiff
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of files: 8
Official DR value: DR12

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And here are the values for my copy of Mastering No. 2, which does indeed sound kick-a$$:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analyzed folder: /Users/rxcory/Desktop/Born To Run [DIPD 50021]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DR Peak RMS Filename
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DR11 -2.87 dB -16.39 dB 01 Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road.m4a
DR12 -1.07 dB -15.41 dB 02 Bruce Springsteen - Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out.m4a
DR11 -3.32 dB -16.34 dB 03 Bruce Springsteen - Night.m4a
DR11 -2.84 dB -16.30 dB 04 Bruce Springsteen - Backstreets.m4a
DR11 -3.59 dB -16.47 dB 05 Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run.m4a
DR10 -4.41 dB -16.24 dB 06 Bruce Springsteen - She's The One.m4a
DR12 -5.13 dB -21.09 dB 07 Bruce Springsteen - Meeting Across The River.m4a
DR12 -2.73 dB -18.11 dB 08 Bruce Springsteen - Jungleland.m4a
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Number of files: 8
Official DR value: DR11

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