So, would you say that the 2001 remasters are good. or just stick to the originals 80's cds?? thanks.
^ I assume you mean the 24/192 versions since the 24/96 ones are just as compressed as the 2015 CDs? I have all of the original US CDs except for Women and Children First and Fair Warning. For those 2, I have the 2001 remasters. The HDCD layers actually sound quite nice and dynamic. The 80's CDs are fine, even if they're from higher-gen tapes and are a bit bass-shy. 5150 and OU812 are good too, though I can see why people want them to be remastered. I've always wanted to get the DCC of the debut, but the prices are absolutely unreasonable IMHO. Is the improvement over the original CD really worth what people are asking for it? No offense, I'm just curious.
The 2001 remasters sound good to me, but others here will hate them. They are HDCD and sound better in a HDCD Player. They are very cheap to purchase, buy one and check them out. The originals sound thin and have weak bass. They are also cheap to purchase. There is also recent remasters of the Roth years also, I have not heard them though.
I play the HDCDs of Women and Children First, Fair Warning, and 1984. They are the only CD versions I own, and I think they sound good. I prefer my Quiex LP of 1984 to the HDCD because I think it sounds a touch less tinny and has a bit more bass, but I like them all nonetheless. Many of the Warner remastered get a bit of flack, I have noticed, but there are worse remastering campaigns of artists than Van Halen.
I have all the 80s CDs up to 5150 and like the sound of them. I do have the 2001 remaster of the first album and it sounds OK as well. Plus I have used some vinyl.
I use the DCC for S/T, and the originals for the rest. I also have the targets for Diver Down and 1984.
I have all the SHM, mini lp relicas from japan, which I believe are the 2001 mastering.. I got rid of all my orginals years ago..
I got into Van Halen just after the 2001 remasters were released. I had all six for about fourteen years before getting the originals cheap on eBay (including the Target versions). Comparing them back to back really reveals the harsh and compressed sound of the remasters. The originals sound much more natural, and although they don't have the response of the original vinyl (which I also own), they're crankable and sound better the louder you go. I've heard a copy of the DCC as well as the 24/192 HD Tracks and I just don't hear enough of an improvement to justify the cost. Go get the original CD or vinyl on eBay or other used retailer and enjoy six great albums!
I recommend the 80s CDs. You'll need to turn them up a little louder, but they sound very nice. I like these and the old vinyl. Both can be had pretty cheaply still IIRC. Haven't heard the HDTracks.
Well it's various vinyl pressings for me, but I love my HDCD remaster collection. Never understood why people crap on those, I think they sound awesome.
I wish we could just stop with the talk about downloads. I still have yet, ( I know I'm in the extreme minority here) to download one single song. I believe the op is talking about physical format only. I could be wrong but, that's what I got from it.
Those are the exact versions that I use! I think they all sound great except for the 2 albums on target being a little bass shy.
great read here, about remasters Sorry about the digression, but this is an important topic related to RUSH and the history of their releases on CD. While this thread isn't about the loudness war, it's worth noting the reasons why "remasters" were such a big deal in the mid-90's. A lot of folks may have forgotten this, but as the CD market expanded, the idea of including CD players as a standard upgrade in cars caught on with automotive manufacturers. It's also worth noting that that market peaked around 20 years ago. Unfortunately, two-way vehicular sound systems of that era were notoriously weak in mid-range performance and listeners were constantly subjected to extraneous road noises that further impinged upon listening pleasure. So, while marketing "new" remasters worked hand in glove with expanding the car CD changer market for road listening, there was little effort made to improve home listening. In theory, remastered music could compensate for road noise at lower volumes while providing more visceral impact in the two key areas where car stereos excell, bass and treble. Since most standard car speaker systems in the 90's emphasized treble and bass over mid-range, a compressed, louder CD would probably "seem" improved in that compromised environment. That said, the compression, clipped peaks and fatiguing brick-walled harshness would've been discernible in a home setting via A/B comparisons of original & remastered CDs, ...if listeners hadn't already been convinced to relinquish their earlier pressings. I suspect many folks sold off their early CDs, rushing out to purchase remasters based on the hyperbolic promises of sound improvements. Remasters today are geared more toward new technologies for sound delivery in home systems as car CD players are becoming an anachronism and home entertainment systems are the final frontier for disc formats. In any case, sound improvements are highly subjective and dependent upon a wide range of variables including source tapes, the skills and objectives of the remastering engineer and the flexibility/limitations of the chosen format. Naturally, the final words on this are caveat emptor & always trust your ears.
got all but one. I just need WACF, its kinda hard at this point to track down a good copy since all of them are old and used.. at this point in time.
I have the originals and 2000 remasters and one hi res release. My faves among them: S/T: Japan for US target original II: Japan for US original WACF: US original Fair Warning: US original Diver Down: 2015 hi res 24/192
Good grief. It's 2017. Even if one is still inclined to physical media late in the 2nd decade of the 21st century, the ability to burn a CD from a digital file has been accessible to the masses for...15 yrs or more. If you're not downloading, you're missing some really good versions of many albums. I have ALL versions of the DLR era VH (except the 2015 24/96 downloads). The 2015 24/192 downloads are the way to go - with the 2013 downloads and the original CDs in 2nd, but not a bad option.
Fair Warning always sounded lousy and very bass shy prior to the 24/192 release; at which point it came into it's own...IMNVFHO
