Rush Atlantic Studio Albums 7CD Box

Yes, there was some distortion IIRC. It wasn't as prevalent as the Rupert Hine tracks on Retrospective III, but it was still there. I'll get into it more when the biz arrives.

The improvement in bass and lower-mids was noticeable enough for me to ultimately ignore the original CD other than for collector's purposes. The highs have been tapped up a bit, but not in a harsh way. If you can find the Presto remaster for less than $10, I'd say that it's worth checking out. If you don't mind the extra $15-$20, then the AF is another great mastering. It has the least high-end, but this makes it sound very warm and crankable, IMHO. The bass level is about on-par with the '04 remaster.

 

Thanks for the info...I had no idea that Retro III also has clipping/distortion issues. I was actually thinking of getting Retro III but ultimately decided the 2013 box offered more value for about $10 more, so I went with that.

The AF CD sounds like a winner, but I don't plan to spend more money on that, so I'll try out the '04 Presto remaster one day. My local B&N has it for $7.99.

 

Agreed, The '93 sounds great.

 

The Eagles set arrived yesterday. Warner's logo is on the index ring of each CD and the artwork seems sharp and detailed enough on the discs and sleeves. I think it's legit, so the Rush set should be too.

 

OK, glad to hear that. When you receive the Rush set, please let me know if your opinion has changed regarding the SQ on these remasters...for better or worse?

 

I just got the Rush set today. I'm planing on giving each disc (except for Vapor Trails Remixed) a casual listen before I compare them to the other masterings.

 

OK, sounds good...looking forward to hearing your comparisons, especially for Presto.

 

It is legit, shipped from the UK for $6.59, on the same day I got my new Feedback and Snakes & Arrows LPs. Wonder which ones will sound best?

 

After doing some comparing with other CD masterings and the 2015 hi-res versions for 2 albums, here are my current thoughts on the set:

Presto/Roll the Bones - There's a good amount of low end thump, but not enough to hide the flaws of Rubert Hine's production values. The highs are boosted to the point of sounding artificial IMO. The compression is immediately noticeable, with RTB suffering more than Presto in this case. Neil's drums don't have the same impact that they do on the original CD's and 2004 remasters. I also noticed that Geddy's vocals were a tad buried in the mix compared to the other masterings, particularly on The Pass. I'm afraid that the CD's in the Studio Albums box set are still my least favorite versions of the 2 albums.

Counterparts - Nice EQ for the most part; the bass is deep and rich, the mids haven't been sucked out, and the highs aren't too crispy. The compression is about on par with the original and '04 CD's, but I feel that the box set mastering is easier on the ears than those 2. To be honest, I actually like this CD, despite the compression. Even though the Audio Fidelity hybrid-SACD is my overall favorite for having good EQ and dynamic range, the box version is still a good alternative. Both the original and '04 CD's sound too "edgy" in the upper mids and highs in comparison.

Test for Echo - This is the weakest version of the album that I've heard so far. It's not even harsh sounding; the main problem here is that it's just too muddy and lifeless. Part of that may be due to the compression, but both of the older CD's sound far more clean and "exciting" even with similar DR IMO. I only listen to the 2015 hi-res mastering of TFE anymore, since it's the only one with good dynamics. I don't have the vinyl, but I've heard sounds even better.

Vapor Trails: Remixed - I prefer the remix for many of the songs. For other tracks, such as Secret Touch and How It Is, the original version is my go to. Perhaps I'll rip my own custom CD with my preferred mix of each track, as I've done on my laptop and phone.

Feedback - This one is still pretty brickwalled, but it is a bit more dynamic than the original CD. Both have pretty bad EQ that emphasize the highs. As far as CD's go, I'll take the box set version since it's ever so slightly smoother. As with TFE, the 2015 hi-res mastering is my favorite version due to the better dynamics and more balanced EQ.

Snakes & Arrows - Casual listening showed that there was little to no difference with the original CD, but a more critical listen of both revealed that neither one of them sounded all that great. The box set has slightly higher DR numbers, though I think the increase in the highs accounts for that. Both versions are just too harsh to listen to all the way through. Unlike TFE and Feedback, I don't have the 2015 hi-res or vinyl, so I'll have to pick up the reissue some time in the near future.

Overall, I think Andy Vandette's modus operandi for the Studio Albums set was to make the albums sound exciting and prepared mobile-device listening, but aside from Counterparts and Feedback, none of these masterings surpass the originals. Well, I suppose Vapor Trails: Remixed does for the most part, but even that one isn't perfect. I can see why I sold the set in the first place, but for the $10 or so that I paid for it, I can't really complain. Even with all of my complaints, only Snakes & Arrows sounds truly bad. The rest range from mediocre to average for the most part. I guess that I'll keep the set for the time being and do more casual listening in the coming weeks.

 

Thanks for posting such a detailed analysis! I guess I'll definitely be springing for the '04 Presto soon as it's apparently the best sounding one. I already own the original 1991 RTB CD though so not sure if I should get the '04 remaster for that one?

I was surprised to hear that you prefer the 2015 Counterparts CD though, as I personally think it's the worst sounding CD in the set...I have the original 1993 CD and feel that it sounds completely normal for the most part, while the 2015 sounds way too compressed and murky IMO. I thought TFE sounds slightly better than Counterparts but it's also a drop too dark and murky for my liking as well...the original 1996 CD sounds more normal of course.

Yes, the new Feedback CD does sound borderline brickwalled, which really bothers me, as the cover songs are all fantastic, but I'll stay away from the original CD since you feel it's even worse.

Overall the main problem with these remasters is that they are too compressed and loud...the only truly great sounding CD is the VT Remix and the packaging is cheap also, but luckily I only paid $17 for this set.

 

What program did you use to make these graphs?

 

I used Google Sheets. Here's a thread I made which details how you can make the EQ graphs: Tutorial - Making EQ Comparison Charts with Google Sheets

 

Thank you!