Aja AB-1006. I have about 5 copies. Have not compared it to the AA but can't imagine anything sounding better. I can say it kills the Mobile Fidelity.
Edit, the AB 1006 I happened to pick up today had an AA record inside. So I guess I will get to compare them now.
Yes. Let me expound. He thought, at the time, compared to other copies he heard, that the Cisco revealed more of the recording. But later when he heard the AB-1006, he realized that the Cisco was obscuring quite a bit of what was on the original tape.
That doesn't quite make sense unless you take his "sound" rating scale to be random and completely relative. He gave the Cisco a 10 out of possible 10 in sound quality. Even if some years later he (finally) heard an AB-1006 and decided he "preferred" it, that doesn't (or shouldn’t) in any way diminish the sound quality of the Cisco and its accompanying sound-quality rating. The Cisco and ABC can sound different and BOTH be rated at 10, but preferring certain characteristics of one does not make the other one suddenly go from an astonishing 10 to something less. Anyway, the bottom line is that I prefer my Cisco to my ABC, but I think BOTH sound great.
Usually I'm not too fussy about aural differences between pressings but Aja sure was an exception. When I upgraded my UK 1st pressing to an AB-1006 it was almost like night and day. AB-1006 sounded significantly better, to the extent that even I noticed it.
I'd love to know specifically what is "obscured" by the Cisco. And I doubt Fremer ever heard the original tape. (But you know who DID hear the original tape? Roger Nichols and most of the people who worked on that 30th anniversary Cisco!!)
He DOES say that his ratings are relative. A rating of 10 for him is not an absolute rating but a rating relative to whether he thinks that the pressing has gotten the most out of the original tapes. So, for example, he gave a 10 to the MoFi reissue of Surrealistic Pillow. He knows that SP is not, in an absolute way, the best sounding recording ever made. He does know that compared to what he thinks is possible, that they made a distinct improvement. Go to his site and look at his record reviews over the past. He gives 10s to records that we know aren't the ultimate in recorded sound. His ratings are relative. I have chatted with him about this, in fact, about Surrealistic Pillow. I was disappointed that it wasn't a sonic blockbuster, which a 10 should be, right? But that's not the way he grades. There isn't a Goldmine-type grading system which essentially states that a NM copy should look close to new, and that a few surface marks that don't affect play might be a VG++, etc.
He guesses. What is obscured? The midrange to the top end. In comparison, the midrange in the Cisco is cloudy sounding and top end sounds like a blanket has been draped over it. The Cisco's bass is deeper and sounds like there is more low end presence. That's the part that is more impressive. But the rest of my AB-1006 sounds SO much more immediate.
If what you say about his rating system is true, and I take your word for it that it is, then I stand corrected. However, I now have even less respect for Fremer and, going forward, will take his ratings with an even smaller grain of salt.
In light of this discussion, when I get a chance I'm going to pull out my Cisco and ABC copies of "Aja" and give them a fresh comparison. It's been awhile.
I run across clean pressings of the AB 1006 quite often. I usually purchase them when I find them and pass them on to friends or vinyl junkies I see around. $10 to $15 is usually the price tag I see at my local brick and mortar shops. There is a considerable difference in sound when it come to the AA 1006 and the AB 1006 pressings in my experience.
So In keeping with the spirit of keeping stuff stirred up, I did an A/B test of these two albums last night, since it had been awhile since I listened to either. The Steely Dan "Gold" received some audiophile treatment in 1982 or so, and was pressed on TELDEC virgin vinyl, etc. I assume it's significantly different than the original "Gold" which has hundreds of these listed for sale on Discogs and goes for about $0.25. The "audiophile" version had exactly one for sale and is listed at $28. The copy of Aja is an AB-1006 demo pressing. We all pretty much know about this one. The songs in common between the two are Deacon Blues and Black Cow. Playback was on this system. Can't see the speakers but they are Alon 4's with 12" woofers, if you care about such things. Moderately inefficient speakers, but they can move a lot of air, get really loud and the midrange and soundstage is terrific. So long story longer, to my surprise, the MCA Reissue completely crushed the AB-1006 in almost every way. Midrange clarity, slam, bottom end etc, everything about it was better. Listening to the two for awhile, the AB-1006 sounded kinda "hashy" by comparison. It definitely didn't have the clarity or presense of the MCA Audiophile Gold. I wish I still had my Cisco to see how different it sounds in comparison, but it's gone for good. I personally don't believe that all things digital are inherently evil, but the MCA did get some type of digital treatment in its remaster process. Whatever they did, to me, they did it right. So there you go...
I wonder if there are other factors in involved, such as where it's pressed, how the copy was played prior to you owning it, etc. There's nothing hashy about my AB copy clear and open.
Yeah, I was initially disappointed with the Surrealistic Pillow as it wasn't an absolute 10. But I got to appreciate its virtues. I have a clean original mono, and it's good. The MoFi takes it to another level and is worth owning, but it's not a 10 on an absolute scale. Fremer told me that if I had a clean original, that I might spend my $50 elsewhere. I still think it's worth owning.
Ahh, I dunno. I know the 1006 sounded better than the Cisco I had, which is the reason I sold it... As far as I can tell, the MCA just sounds better to me. Also, I don't know how much credence anyone has really given to the MCA (audiophile version) meaning has anyone really given it a good listen? Since it was pressed on virgin vinyl and the records are not that far apart in age, it would stand to reason that the MCA would have a quieter presentation, overall, simply because the vinyl is better than the typical commercial grade. And what I meant, if I didn't outright say it is, the 1006 was hashy "by comparison"... I just found the MCA version a joy to listen to. Very 3 dimensional. Anyway, I've had that Demo for a long time and it's a good copy. Also, I have enough records and have been at this long enough to know what sounds good. Like Fremer thought the Cisco was great until he heard the AB-1006, I thought the AB-1006 was great until I really listened to the MCA Gold. But it only has 2 songs from Aja, so it's worth keeping an original around.
I have a yellow vinyl Aja album which sounds fantastic. Would have to look at the album, when I get home, to get more details on it.
I have one of those also. And one in Red, if I remember correctly. I didn't pull out all the stuff last night when I was spinning the wax. I think the Red one is a pressing from some other country.
Yeah, I think so... Sadly, I haven't looked at this stuff in many a moon. This thread has peaked my interest again.
I second your opinion on the Ludwig cut Greatest Hits, but I have only once found a copy with Masterdisk RL on all four sides. I have found others where either sides one and two were RL, and ones with sides three and four RL.
I have MCA 16009 which is Gaucho and received the same "audiophile" treatment as the copy of Gold that was listed above. I did not do any sort of shootout but the vinyl is extremely quiet and the mix sounds remarkable. I can't find much about the MCA Audiophile series and very few albums got that treatment.
I have a Mobil Fidelity Katy Lied - not sure if it bested the ABC I have I like the Cisco - more detail and clarity than the AB-1006 but it's been a while since I compared. Would love them to do Two Against Nature Yes I am aware of the digitally cd sourced boot and recently TaN was released in a 24/192 digital file
