Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon - Best sounding CD (updated)

I don't think the Black Triangle sounds "dull", but it does sound "warm".

 

It would be that much better if it had been sourced from the master tape, though.

It will eventually be done, I hope. Audio Fidelity (or those UK-based SHM-SACD guys), get to it! There's a big market for that one.

 

Yes and No. There are 2 types of Blackface (TO and Non-TO). You need to find one which is "Non-TO" in the matrix.
The "TO" version is the Silverface CD mastering.

To re-cap, Sony did the first mastering/manufacturing in Japan(Black Triangle non TO).
Then TOshiba started pressing their own CDs-hence Blackface Made in Japan Cds with TO matrix. There was a switch-over period where Sony and Toshiba both made the Blackfaces, so what you are looking for is a Sony (no TO) pressed Blackface. If it is a blackface with TO that is a Toshiba pressing same as your Silverface, Peter.
What all this fuss is about, is getting the Sony mastering, not the Toshiba EMI mastering.
Later Silverface CD don't use Sony's mastering, they use Toshibas(and it doesn't matter if the CD is Swindon/ Holland/ Italy, silverfaces are Toshiba mastering).
Clear as mud, eh?

 

The only problem I have with SHM-SACD is that it's single-layer. AF should get it so they can do a hybrid SACD.

 

Oh, absolutely. It's important to have a Redbook layer if you want it to be the definitive CD version as well.

 

How about making your own cd from the 2003 SACD 2-channel mix? Isn't this from the original tape and isn't this mastering highly regarded?

 

To the pollester RE: Toshiba/EMI CP 35-3017 Black Traingle (TO or non-TO)

Why isn't the Black Triangle CP35 3017 non TO not broken out separately?

 

2011 remaster for me. The EMI 746 001 2 (made by EMI Swindon) and the European 1994 edition are also not bad. The redbook layer of the 2003 SACD is considerably worse. I once had the 20th anniversary, I remember it being good, but it's too long ago to remember it precisely.

 

I have compared a few, and for me it is the 2011 remaster in 96/24 found in the Blu-Ray that seems to get most of it right.

The Holy Grail is awesome too, but as it has Pre-Emphasis, it might not sound the same on every system.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like the Black Triangle and MFSL. They seem to lack the best traits of the other, however. The MFSL is missing some midrange and sounds a bit trebly at times (vocals sound thin), but has more definition and clarity than the BT as it was sourced from the original master tape. The BT, on the other hand, has more midrange (more body) but doesn't have the glimmer that the MFSL has due to its being sourced from a higher-generation tape.

If the MFSL hadn't (apparently) been fudged with, it might be the definitive version. As of now, I guess we're all still waiting for Audio Fidelity or another label to get it 100% right -- master tape, minimalistic mastering.

 

Thanks for that, Daz.







I think.

 

In my opinion, the 2011 has all the body and midrange lacking in the MFSL and also the clarity from the Black Triangle. The cymbals and vocals are just right on the 2011 - I don't have any preference guitar-wise, in that aspect, I like them all - that goes to show how good David Gilmour was.

 

This poll is totally inaccurate. The Harvest Blackface which was made in Japan for EMI (UK) circa 1984 is digitally identical to the Japanese Black Triangle CP 35-3017. It is a myth that only the Black Triangle CP 35-3017 is the best sounding version. It has 2 twins.
http://pinkfloydarchives.com/Articles/DSOTMCDM.htm

1) Mastering Number 1 – Sony (Japan) Mastering

Track Peak Levels: 39.9 / 43.3 / 70.1 / 55.2 / 72.3 / 44.5 / 53.9 / 54.6 / 61.2

The very first mastering of Dark Side of the Moon for compact disc. Believed to be done by Sony Records in Japan in the spring of 1983. This mastering was used to produce the very first copies of Dark Side of the Moon on CD, which were Japanese releases with the catalog number CP35-3017 and a black triangle on the label, and a matrix number that did not include a “TO.” These early Dark Side CDs were pressed by CBS / Sony Records at their CD manufacturing plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan for EMI Records. EMI did not have a CD pressing plant in operation at the time, so they outsourced the manufacturing of the CDs to CBS / Sony (keep in mind that these early Sony pressings still say Toshiba/EMI on the labels).

It is believed that this mastering was made from a 15ips reel-to-reel tape copy of the master tape that had been sent to Japan to produce the Dark Side Of The Moon-EMI/Toshiba Records Pro-Use Series vinyl LP album, which was the last vinyl pressing of Dark Side in Japan.

Known releases of mastering #1:

Australia first issue - Harvest Records, 7 46001-2, CD made in Japan

Japan first issue - EMI Records, catalog number CP35-3017, first pressings by CBS/Sony, indicated by no “TO” in the matrix

U.K. first issue - Harvest Records, catalog number CDP 7 46001 2, black Harvest label, Made in Japan on label, matrix has CP35-3017 with no “TO”

1985 was the last year that mastering #1 was used. This mastering is the definitive version of this album. Forget MFSL, the 1994 Sax remasters and everything else!

In early 1986, EMI Records created their own mastering of Dark Side of the Moon. These Toshiba-EMI pressings of the first EMI mastering of Dark Side of the Moon sound quite a bit different from the earlier CBS/Sony pressings.

 

2011.

 

3 twins!!!

Australia first issue
UK first issue
and add the non TO U.S. First issue - Harvest Records, catalog number CDP 7 46001 2, black Harvest label, Made in Japan on label, CP35-3017 in the matrix to the list.

And I agree 100%. You can listen to 50 different pressings of the Dark Side Of The Moon CD and this mastering is it. Hands down!

 

Amen! When you consider the fact that the master tape was only 10 years old, when the tape copy that produced the first versions of Dark Side were pressed, you then realize that no matter how many times they remaster this album, the master tape will never be in that condition again. And like just about any classic album from the 70's, if the master was used for a first CD pressing it will always be the best almost by default. And of course it's a flat transfer so it's gonna sound the way it was recorded. And with Alan Parsons at the board, in this case great!
By the way the first pressing has a DR 14 compared to a DR10 for the 2011 remaster. Another victim of the loudness wars yet people love it.

 

Can you post DR info? That DR14 release is not on the DR Database. Every release of DSOTM listed is between 9 and 11.

 

He is probably looking at it without decoding the pre-emphasis.

 

There is some truth in that, but it's not a hard-and-fast rule. It depends how well the tapes were maintained, and how often they were used.

My copy of the original Japanese CD measures an album DR of 10, after de-emphasis is applied.

 

I could never understand how people here reference the different versions of DSOTM. In my own comparisons, I go by Vernon's database, and EAC values.

 

DR 10 is a victim of the Loudness wars is it? I have the Black Triangle "Grail", MFSL, SACD, Sax remaster and others and they all sound very good to me. Not a dud...

 

Gotta agree, I have all of these also. Didn't like the 20th Ann. Edition though.

 

I haven't heard any that are inherently TERRIBLE but the first Japan is just warm and smooth as silk. Like buttah!