Byrds in Mono!.... Which Is Best "Sundazed" Vinyl or "MFSL" SACD

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by hodgo, Apr 29, 2010.

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  1. StirBlues

    StirBlues Forum Resident

    Location:
    Baltimore, MD
    I can't say I blame you, given the circumstances; I mostly stick to used vinyl because it's cheaper for me. As you now know, Sundazed issues are hard to beat for quality and price, in my experience :thumbsup:
     
  2. hodgo

    hodgo Tea Making Gort (Yorkshire Branch) Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    East Yorkshire
    I received the middle 3 byrds albums in mono yesterday and boy are they great, sound quality is fabulous and the vinyl is really quiet so overall I'm really happy with my first four Sundazed albums. I bought them from www.vinylera.co.uk/ they arrived well packaged not only that, the package had each album in thick quality polythene sleeves so I'm really happy.
     
  3. acjetnut

    acjetnut Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    I only have the MFSL's, but they are excellent. I think for this, it just comes down to whichever format you prefer.
     
  4. hodgo

    hodgo Tea Making Gort (Yorkshire Branch) Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    East Yorkshire
    As Much as I like my new Byrds LP's, I bought them due to there being no CD alternative and I think I'll try to afford "Mr Tambourine Man" & "Notorious" on SACD.
     
  5. zongo

    zongo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Davis, CA
    Vinyl versus SACD

    In response to the request to compare original vinyl of mono Byrds to the SACDS:

    I got out the vinyl and washed them on the RCM and cued them up. This is what I found.

    Mr Tambourine Man: my original vinyl first side has some record noise and is not appropriate for comparison in my opinion. The second side is OK from that perspective so I am using that to compare. The LP sounds very enjoyable, with just a bit of vocal sibilance in places that I would have preferred not to be there. The SACD is clearer, with much more solid and satisfying bass notes, and more of the low-level details are audible. However, this causes some aspects of the mix to stand out that were not bothersome on the vinyl. For example, the tambourine on “All I Really Want To Do” is like crazy loud and has no reverb on it where the other instruments and voices do have echo, which causes the tambourine to sound like it is completely separate from the rest of the music in a distracting and sort of irritating way. Of course, this kind of problem is with the original mix which the SACD is revealing, so I guess I shouldn’t complain, but it does change your experience of the gestalt of the music in places. Overall, the SACD also seems to have lost just a little of the really delicate treble information (tape aging? I don’t know) and has a very slightly harsher sound than the LP.

    Notorious Byrd Brothers: The original vinyl is fairly quiet, with just a few tics here and there. The recording comes across as quite dynamic, with some big volume swings in places. Very enjoyable and involving to listen to. The SACD preserves the original dynamics pretty well, and delivers close to the same perceived impact factor. It is also clearer-sounding than the vinyl, and you are able to hear a bit more of what is going on in some of the complicated sections. The bass is rock-solid on the SACD. The SACD sounds a little “shouty” on “Artificial Energy” in a way that I didn’t notice in listening to the vinyl. Again, we have just a little less of the high frequency delicate stuff than you get on the vinyl. So, you gain a little, you lose a little with the SACD compared with vinyl.

    Just for fun I also spot-checked the original stereo CD of Notorious Byrd Brothers and the 90’s reissue/remix CD of the album. Interestingly, both were a little darker sounding than either of the mono versions I had been listening to. However, the thing that really stood out was how some of the stereo stuff just didn’t work very well at all compared with the mono mix. For example, in “Dolphin Smile” and “Space Odyssey” almost all of the sound is panned hard right and left and there is almost no information in the middle, which makes it feel like there are two different bands playing in the room. I kept waiting for something to fill in the middle, but it didn’t. As an organic piece of music, I think the mono mixes work better in a lot of the cases. Also as a side note, when the 90’s remix came out, I felt that they were an improvement over the earlier CDs, but in listening now, I’m not so convinced.

    Also just for fun, I have one single one of the Sundazed reissues of the monos, “Turn Turn Turn” so I decided to check that out. First, it is a heavy, thick platter, heavier actually than the original LPs, and visually looks quite nice. Side A was punched very slightly off center, but side B is perfectly aligned. In listening, there are a few tics here and there but it is generally very quiet vinyl. As a matter of fact I monitored it on the Alesis and the noise floor was on average a good 5 dB’s lower than your average LP – noticeably good! The sound is pretty much in keeping with the character of the original issue mono vinyls. There was a little bit of vocal sibilance and a tiny bit of brightness, but the original vinyls sound a little like that also. Generally a very pleasant sound that was easy to listen to. The record jacket was printed on thinner cardstock than the original LPs, but the colors were great and the printing was great and it is really nice to look at. Overall, I think if all of these Byrds Sundazed issues are like this one, then they are very good deals and provide great listening and really nice physical presence.

    OK, that’s my report!
     
    marcfeld69 likes this.
  6. Adam9

    Adam9 Русский военный корабль, иди на хуй.

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Thanks for the comprehensive report, zongo! :wave:
     
  7. hodgo

    hodgo Tea Making Gort (Yorkshire Branch) Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    East Yorkshire
    Zongo thanks for the feedback and taking the time out to do it so comprehensively. On first play of The 3 Byrds LP's I bought "Turn Turn Turn", "Fifth Dimension" & "Younger than Yesterday" I did immediate needle drops, although I noticed on first play the vinyl was very quiet, it wasn't until I played back my newly created needle drop sourced CD' that I noticed sibilance on "Turn Turn Turn" the first 3 tracks particularily, thinking it was possibly the quality of my needle drop I played the vinyl back and noticed it there too, although noticable it hasn't spoilt my enjoyment of these LP's in any way, in fact I think I'll end up buying both The Sundazed LP's & MOFI SACD's of Mr Tambourine Man" & "Notorious Byrd Brothers", I know my preference will be for the SACD's but these Sundazed LP's are lovely too and nice to have in my collection.
     
  8. MerseyBeatle

    MerseyBeatle Martha my dear (1995-2012)

    Location:
    Charleston, SC
    Graham,

    I too wanted The Byrds in mono and wasn't sure if I should go all Sundazed vinyl or a combo of vinyl / SACD. I decided to go with the Sundazed vinyl and the other two on SACD. I'm very happy with my decision and on the plus side, with the SACD’s, you get the mono mix and bonus tracks not on the LP.

    Cheers.

    :wave:
     
  9. 926am

    926am Senior Member

    Location:
    rochester, ny
    Question: For The Byrds Mr Tambourine man/Notorious Byrd Bros MFSL SACD. Is the MONO mix only available on the SACD layer?

    My understanding is the redbook layer is stereo only, the sacd layer is either mono or mono and stereo......
     
  10. 926am

    926am Senior Member

    Location:
    rochester, ny
  11. Maggie

    Maggie like a walking, talking art show

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
  12. Driver 8

    Driver 8 Senior Member

    Yes, the Sundazed Byrds mono singles double LP is one of the greatest vinyl reissues of all time.
     
  13. dyno guy

    dyno guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    st.paul, MN, USA

    No, the MFSL redbook layer also presents the MONO mix of the MTM album, and the 45 MONO mix of bonus track #17 ("All I Really Want To Do"). The other bonus tracks on the MFSL are of course in stereo, both in redbook and SACD, just as they are on the Legacy cd.

    The SACD layer obviously has more detail, deeper bass, while revealing some brief tape flaws. The redbook layer is still solid, sounds good to me.

    I remember when I first listened to this superb MFSL Ultradisc 6 years ago, on the redbook layer, I was blown away by the mono mix of "We'll Meet Again": the full-bodied sound, the superb mixing, the articulation of the guitars, etc. The mono mix of that song just slays the lame stereo mix, whether original Columbia cd or the Legacy remaster, IMO. I still prefer the original stereo mixes of the MTM album from 1A vinyl-except for a few tracks-over the mono mixes but that's just my personal preference, and another story.

    It's all good.
     
  14. Scope J

    Scope J Senior Member

    Location:
    Michigan
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