MFSL Boston Third Stage VS Japan CD

Just received my Japan "first pressing" Third Stage CD (from Ebay) and decided to compare to my MFSL CD. Here are my results.

Amanda - The MFSL has less bass. Treble "sparkle" is about the same, but the MFSL seems boosted in the 7-8k range, (gives a somewhat nasal tonality to the vocals) which is exacerbated by the lack of bass. The Japan is warmer and smoother, the MFSL was a bit "antiseptic". The MFSL has a tape glitch at the 0:48 second mark (vocal - "tonight") and some tape noise at 1:13 (vocal - "day"), neither of which are present on the Japan CD. It appears that some tape deterioration had taken place between the mastering of the MFSL (circa 1993) and the Japan (circa 1987), if the same tape was indeed used.

Note on tape glitches - my listing is not all inclusive, I just noted the ones that I noticed as I was doing my A/B switching.

We're Ready - Similar to Amanda. On this cut, I found the antiseptic sound of the MFSL somewhat agreeable - it seemed to suit the music. Very slight preference for the Japan.

Launch - To my surprise, the MFSL was suddenly duller here, by a significant margin. The Japan is much more open sounding. Bass was about the same. Once again, the MFSL has a glitch at the 2:00 mark that the Japan does not have.

Cool The Engines - The MFSL is now brighter again - WAY brighter, harsh and hollow. This track sounds too bright on both versions, actually, but it is much more offensive on the MFSL.

My Destination - Once again, the MFSL switches EQ - but this time it finds a good balance. Now it is the Japan that sounds a bit harsh and hollow. The MFSL is on the scoreboard with a win!

A New World - The MFSL veers into dullness again, similar to the sound on The Launch, but even duller! Terrible sounding next to the Japan.

To Be A Man - Close, but the Japan CD loses on this one - it sounds just a bit more veiled than the MFSL. Another track where the MFSL strikes a nice balance.

I Think I Like It - This has a washed-out sound on both, but the MFSL wins here - the soundstage seems deeper and it has more "life" than the Japan.

Cantcha Say/Still In Love - Odd track - it seems like the master tape gets duller as the track progresses. So, the Japan starts out too bright, then settles down, whereas the MFSL starts out OK, then gets too dull. Overall, I prefer the Japan. The MFSL seems to be EQ'ed to make Delp's voice sound more natural, but they went too far (especially towards the end) and neutered the sound. The instrumental passages were inferior to the Japan. I didn't really like either one, though - if I was remastering this track, I would start with the Japan, do a cut and paste EQ on the vocals, and leave the rest alone.

Hollyann - As on the previous track, the MFSL sounds neutered. Vocals sound pretty good, but all the "air" is gone. The vocals on the Japan are too bright, but the instruments sound better - for example, the organ solo is superior. I'd have to go with the Japan here also.

In conclusion, the Japan CD wins. If I wanted my own "ideal" version, I would go with the Japan on all cuts except the three MFSL winners, and do a bit of my own remastering on the last two cuts. Also, the Japan seems to have used a better tape source (less glitches).

I was very surprised by all the EQ changes on the MFSL. The Japan was much more consistent!

 

Interesting read there Dob...I like this CD. When you say Japan first pressing, do you mean on the normal USA MCA label, pressed in Japan , or a CD imported from Japan?
Thanks, Danny.

 

Some of the tapes for Third Stage were a mess. Read the liner notes!

 

The USA MCA label, pressed in Japan. That's why I said first pressing - I am assuming that any later MCA pressings were made in USA, but I could be wrong.

 

It is possible that the MFSL is a flat(ter) transfer of the master, which certainly was a mess. That might explain the wide EQ variations. Which would mean that the Japan CD has actually been "doctored" more than the MFSL. No matter - the Japan CD sounds better to me!

As far as the USA MCA CD goes, I gave my copy away long ago, shortly after doing a comparison with the MFSL. I remember the USA MCA as being painfully bright, from start to finish. I preferred the MFSL by a wide margin, but my comparison was much less in depth.

 

I would tend to agree with you Dob on this one. The MFSL Boston is not a flat transfer and suffers from the the old MFSL smiley face eq. settings, harsh in spots and dull in others. The 3 dimensional imaging is really great on the MFSL, but other than that I don't have anything good to say about it.....until I actually hear the Japan pressing that is!

 

When you speak of "glitches", what does it sound like?

 

How do you know it's not a flat transfer? Not disagreeing, just asking.

A "smiley-face EQ" means, to me, emphasized treble AND bass. I don't feel that the MFSL has emphasized bass - in fact, it sounded a bass shy on some tracks.

 

I am not "studio savvy", so I use "glitches" as a catch-all description for drop-outs, noise, etc. For "Amanda", the first glitch sounds like a drop-out. the second sounds like distortion or noise. Both are very momentary, and the first is easily heard. For "Launch", the glitch is another drop-out - again, easily heard.

 

Dob –

Thanks for informing us about this. Tonight I found a used copy of Third Stage made in Japan with a smooth-side jewel case for seven bucks! Just did the A/B comparisons to hear what you found. Hmmm, I may sell my UD now...

 

On my system the smiley eq. setting stands out like a sore thumb (now that my ears are educated). Admittedly it is bass shy on some tracks but Boston is notorious for that problem, but those added treble frequencies. Ouch!