Yes - 90125: Blind Listening Test

Well I was sure C & B were reversed. Thanks for running this one, I had never heard Steve’s before and in the end it was the one I liked, so I’ve been trained well .

Just curious, was Steve’s HDCD decoded? I don’t know if it would have mattered here or how much peak extend was used, but as I’m recently decoding and comparing stuff myself, where I couldn't before, I’ve been noticing by comparison the undecoded stuff can at times have a weightier feel/bloom in the midrange.

 

So, is the mastering on C the same as the 1984 US Atco CD? Are the 90125 tracks on Yesyears the same also, does anyone know?

 

C (WG Target) is the same mastering as the early WG non-Target CDs. I am not sure about the USA CDs.

 

I was under the impression that all of the non-remastered Atco releases were identical. I know that the US version was the same as the Target when I compared them a while back. All of tracks on Yesyears were mastered by Joe Gastwirt and are unique. TTBOMK, the individual '94 remasters (which 90125 unfortunately wasn't a part of) do not sound the same as Yesyears.

 

I am shocked about B and C. That's what I love about these tests - it's a great way to shoot down our preconceptions and biases. I thought for sure the more "open" sound I was hearing on C was either a more modern transfer or Steve working his magic with the tubes or whatever form of alchemy he was using at the time. Maybe the more "veiled" sound I heard on B was actually the added processing step of the HDCD encoding... who knows? Did Steve use any of the peak extension or other tools in the HDCD encoder? I don't recall him giving a detailed answer on why he stopped using it - if he did, I would love to hear his reasoning.

Anyway, I'm glad that I'm going to save a few bucks that I would have spent hunting down the AF version.

I just dug out my ATCO US version and I'm going to rip it now to see if it matches the other early versions listed at the DR database

 

Thanks everyone for the information, and thanks again @Diablo Griffin for setting this up. I’d been curious about mastering on 90125 for a while.

 

Thank you Diablo Griffin for enjoyable test , I agree with you, I can enjoy from each mastering-- A,B,C
,except the hollow mastering of D which sounds strange. It's the second time that I vote for the West German cd ---- to c.

I mentioned that I like B and also A ( I prefer A with less treble, Like C which still have Sparkling Treble that I like. Sometimes you might like several different mastering , each one give you different listening experience , As an Example , One of my favorite albums - Tangerine Dream- Phaedra, I love the music so much so I have 3 different cds of Phaedra, Each one with Different mastering , The original UK cd , The original USA cd and the 1995 remastered cd, although one of them is my ultimate favorite -The original USA cd ... I enjoy the other two very much as well, This is exactly what happened to me in this test .

 

I would love to Participate in Yes ‎–Relayer cd test

 

B was my pick (which I don't have)
C was my second.
US JVC and the Japan for US have the same peaks 72.2/77.6 etc... Not sure if the WG carry the same.
This was fun DG, thanks
@bmoregnr
AF's use no peak extend.

 

My USA ATCO matches all the other 80s pressings

 

I would have been shocked if B and C were different versions, these two were clearly superior to me.

For those who like to complain that the forum's favorite is always the most esoteric, elusive and expensive pressing: The winner in this poll is the standard version that was available in the 1980s and probably most of the 1990s, without any worries about country differences, matrices or pre-emphasis.

 

Thanks @Diablo Griffin !
For the next album, can I suggest some King Crimson stuff? I've been comparing digital releases and masterings for years... while also enjoying the new remixes. I guess there will be some surprises on some albums. I've been wanting to prepare a blind test for Discipline, and maybe I'll do it in the coming months. I could also do it for Beat and ToaPP. For those albums I have at least 3/4 masterings.

 

It is pretty remarkable that a CD produced over 30 years ago, with early digital technology, can still sound better than much more recent attempts - even one by someone (SH) who is arguably the best in the business.

And yes it does seem unusual that this exact same master was used in every disc produced for over 2 decades - especially on a very popular title like this one. There must be millions of these “C mastering” discs out there.

 

It's even more impressive when you consider that both the AF and Rhino remasters used the original mix-down tapes, whereas the early CDs and the hi-res version used a production tape. But even then, the AF and Rhino are both excellent and worth owning if you're a big fan of the album. Hell, the Rhino's worth a look just for It's Over and Make It Easy.

 

I'll look into that. I don't have too much Crimson in my collection, but I've always been looking to add more. For the 3 titles you mentioned, I own the European HDCDs.

 

For the '80s albums, I own the Polydor mastering, the DE, the 30th AE and the 40th AE. We should probably exclude the 40th, because that's a remix. I think there are a couple of masterings I am missing for the old CDs form the 80s.

 

I couldn't resist, I started a new blind listening test on KC's Discipline. Here's the link if you want to give it a go...
King Crimson, Discipline on CD: a blind listening test