IF it is 2 steps closer, then that is significant. If you have ever made a Xerox copy of a copy of a copy, you realize that you lose something in the process. From their description, I don't understand the new process. Are they somehow carving out a negative from the tapes and stamping from that?
I'll barely pay $40-50 after tax for the 2LP @ 45rpm albums. $100 for a single title is a no-go. I'm sure these have an audience but it's not me. Now watch them skyrocket in value
This sounds like an awful lot of faff. Couldn't they just avoid generational loss altogether and release this on high-res digital? (seriously)
Yes, exactly. Release it on SACD. No generational loss at all. I don't think they are going to sell many of these at all.
Wrong. They were Charging $50 back in 1982 for a UHQR. I specifically remember holding onto the UHQR of Sgt. Pepper, trying to decide if I should drop that kind of money.
I'm reading through these posts and most of y'all are coming across as knuckle-draggers. I understand the level of skepticism, but you haven't even heard it or seen a review. There are plenty of people who pay more than $100 to get the best sounding pressing. And they love the music! "What?!? $70,000 for a Porsche?!?? Sheesh, I have a $15,000 Chevy Chevette and it gets me around!" "Why would anyone spend $50 on a bottle of wine when I can get a bottle for $3 at Trader Joe's?" "Hey I can get a burger and fries at McDonald's for under 5 bucks. I see no reason anyone would want to spend 15 bucks for one at the steakhouse." "I've never seen an NBA basketball game, but I can't imagine it gets any better than my kid's high school game, and I can see it for free!" You do realize that this is an audio/music forum supposedly for audiophiles? It's supposed to be about finding out which pressings sound the best as well as which ones suck, and how to get the most out of them, which means discussing equipment that is possibly better than your own, and pressings that are possibly better than what you own. If you're of the mind that you're better off in the dark, and you've decided to pre-judge a piece of equipment or a pressing without hearing it, you're in the wrong blog. Harsh, but true.
Because there are people, such as myself, that still think that pure analog sounds better, surface noise potentially aside, than when any digital comes into the process.
I did not hear of anyone complaining about cost back in the day of the UHQRs. In fact, Dark Side of the Moon SOLD OUT entirely with pre orders! All 5000! No one ever saw a Dark Side of the Moon UHQR up for sale on a shelf new.
And?? The people who buy them believe that the sonic superiority is worth it. And, frankly, the price of a good Broadway show is $150. The price of dinner for two at a good restaurant is $100. If what you get off that new Abraxas pressing is extraordinary, and you love that album, I'd go for it at $100. You'll have that album for a long time.
One listen to the Mo-Fi SACD and it will tell you that the 46 year old tape is in excellent condition.
I could not have said it better myself. Let's wait for some reviews before bashing them. Yes, in the past, the UHQRs did fall short in comparison to great original pressings on some levels. Hopefully, the days of Equalizing the poop out of the recording (MFSL smiley face EQ) are gone. Maybe, just maybe, these will truly sound like a master tape on the right system. And maybe not. Let's wait and see.
The process has been used for a long time by some audiophile labels. Typically a lacquer is plated to make a metal "father" (the lacquer is then usually destroyed in the process), the father is then plated to make several "mothers", which is then plated to make maybe 5 or 10 stampers. With the 1-step process, the "father" is actually made into a stamper and records are pressed from that. So there is only one set of stampers for the run, made right from the lacquer. Obviously this will yield a better sounding record... worth the money though?
If what they are trying to do is secure more money for albums that are more expensive to license and some good albums could come out of this i guess thst would be a good thing.
But by 'disagreeing' without hearing it, you essentially prove my point. You're disagreeing without knowings its value? Unless you're not a big fan of the record to begin with, you have to hear it first before judging. The above scenarios are all based on people who believe that ignorance is bliss. No one can state as a fact that they believe a McDonald's hamburger is the same experience as a $15 one at a steakhouse. For me, there is a restaurant up in Rockland, ME, called Primo, which is a farm-to-table restaurant, and one of the finest ones on the entire east coast, according to critics. In the bar, they offer a $17 burger (with fries) which is THE best tasting burger I have ever eaten. The beef is juicy, deep and rich flavored, and beautifully cooked. If you're into burgers, the burger they serve up is pretty heavenly. And, to me, well worth the $17. I only go there one or two times per year, and I don't always get the burger, but the food there is one of the finest dining experiences I have ever had. I once had a leg of lamb which was rubbed with spices, sourced from the chef's backyard. The chef then charred them to the point of almost being burned up, then took the ashes of those spices and rubbed them on the leg of lamb. The leg of lamb was then slow-cooked. OMG! That dish was $35, but my jaw dropped when I took a bite. It was one of the most amazing combinations of flavors and mouth-feel that I have ever had. Similarly, they served up a drink where they took whole oranges and partially cooked them in their wood-fired oven. They took the smokey pulp and skin and pureed the oranges, then put them into a drink with other ingredients. It's worth it to me, a few times per year, to experience that sort of creativity and artistry. So what if this Abraxas pressing sounded 50% better than any other pressing? Or 25% better? At what price is it worth the improvement? The fact a $10,000 turntable isn't twice as good as a $5,000 one is not the point. A $10,000 one is going to better, if well set up -- blacker backgrounds, quicker stops and starts, longer sustain, more complex harmonics of instruments -- but perhaps it's 20% better. Is it worth it to your ears? You can only judge that by hearing it and deciding for yourself. If you think it is after hearing one, you have to decide on your priorities and your budget. I would guess, given that you're on this forum to begin with (and spending money on audio and music), that, push comes to shove, if it were your favorite album and read that it was a real, audible improvement over any previous version, you'd find the $100. I guarantee that I could find ways for you to scrape it up over a given period of time. Personally, I like the album, but it's not one of my favorites. But if a pressing of one of my favorite's came along, I might go for it.
Nobody said each store had to charge the same price. I totally believe the guy I know who bought a few. Sorry. And you had to bring up the freakin' Beatles...
We might have to start taking up a collection so you can afford one. And we'll need to upgrade that Crosley turntable of your's, along with the pair of battery powered speakers you bought at CVS. It's very clear that you are frugal.
