Beatles "Abbey Road" .... Vinyl Pressing Comparisons & Black Triangle CD, etc

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Tone, Jun 10, 2009.

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  1. MILKEY

    MILKEY Forum Resident

    Location:
    NEW YORK
    The current still available Capitol LP is it any good for casual listening not critical analysis
     
  2. PhilBiker

    PhilBiker sh.tv member number 666

    Location:
    Northern VA, USA
    I have one that I bought in the 90s and I think it sounds fabulous. My opinion is the minority and I do not have a high priced / high end system.
     
  3. Thesmellofvinyl

    Thesmellofvinyl Senior Member

    Location:
    Cohoes, NY USA
    I have two copies with rainbow labels, one is SJ-383, which I gather from a Goldmine guide I found on-line is from 1984 and the other is SO-383 which according to that same guide is an '83 pressing. The guide values the '83 at $15.00 and the '84 at $30.00. Were fewer pressed in '84?
     
  4. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    According to Perry Cox's guide from a few years back, both pressings are valued at $30 in NM condition.
     
  5. Curiosity

    Curiosity Just A Boy

    Location:
    United Kingdom
    :agree: I came by a sealed copy cheap the other day and it is better sounding than the '87 cd even if if may not 'best' an early UK sourced vinyl copy. Much much better imho than any analogue Capitol pressed version in the bass and dynamic range dept coupled with very quiet vinyl.
    I would love to here a new copy cut from the 192/24 files done for the 09 re-masters. :angel:
     
  6. conception

    conception Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    I have one that's probably from the same batch, sourced from the '87 masters, which for better or worse is what it sounds exactly like. A/Bing between the two was startlingly similar. It's certainly not bad sounding, but after I got a legit vintage copy of Abbey Road and I could definitely hear a difference in that the "warmth" of the vinyl was there.

    It's really a matter of preference, but for somebody collecting vinyl partially to get a version that sounds characteristic of that medium, getting one that sounded exactly like the CD wasn't what I wanted. But "bad sounding" doesn't fit it, as the clarity of the vinyl wasn't bad and the overall sound was as good as the CD.
     
  7. PixieStix

    PixieStix Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    I find the 87 cd muddy in some areas (ex. guitar intro Something)
    where as the BT is sharper.Also there is a lot of tape hiss that i need to get used to (being used to the 87 CDs).
     
  8. Gary Freed

    Gary Freed Forum Resident

    1st UK LP then the BT and Remaster.

    Both BT and remaster get equal play. Depends on the mood.
    Sometimes that bass kick on the remaster fits the frame of mind.

    1st preference is the original UK though.
     
  9. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    Has anyone heard the UK green vinyl pressing? If so, any opinions?
     
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  10. Tommyboy

    Tommyboy Senior Member

    Location:
    New York
    I just found out a few months ago that there is a UK -2U cut for side 2 of Abbey Road. Does anyone have this? If so, how does this sound compared to the original -1 cut of side 2?

    Does anyone know when this side was cut?
     
  11. Tone

    Tone Senior Member Thread Starter

    Got one up on the site Tom. Compare for yourself. ......http://www.beatledrops.com/abbey_road.html

    Those -2U cuts sound excellent (only slightly less 'full' than the -1) and Much easier to find. For those reasons, this is my favorite UK Abbey Road pressing. The one to look for.

    All of these early UK pressings sound really good IMO. After the -2U matrix they lose a bit of dimension, but still so much better than the US.

    I just sold a true 1st Press -2/-1 Matrix on EBAY, though it wasn't in great shape.
     
  12. Thesmellofvinyl

    Thesmellofvinyl Senior Member

    Location:
    Cohoes, NY USA
    Just bought a -2/-1. Can someone say what significance the rest of the deadwax stamps hold? There's a vertical stacking of the letters G,L and P and what appears to be a B or an 8 (or a 3). The others side has what looks like either RD or P.D and a lower case g or a 9 (or 6).
     
  13. DrJ

    DrJ Senior Member

    Location:
    Davis, CA, USA
    See this thread, post #3, for an explanation:

    http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=56088
     
  14. MikeyH

    MikeyH Stamper King

    Location:
    Berkeley, CA
    Don't bother.

    It looks like it should be like the white vinyl Beatles, hand written matrix, but the one I had was first of all noisy and through that I heard nothing special. I returned it and got my $25 back.
     
  15. MrRom92

    MrRom92 Forum Supermodel

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    This. I wasnt a fan of it either, yet I've read here from those who swear by the sound. It SHOULD sound like a nice solid state cut, but it sounds just too muddy for my ears. I'll be selling mine off soon.
     
  16. Ymer

    Ymer Forum Resident

    Are either of the versions avaialable now (EMI or Capitol, the only ones I can find in stores) decent sounding and from analog source?

    Thanks
     
  17. cement_head

    cement_head Forum Resident

    Location:
    Oxford, Ohio 45056
  18. Jeremy B.

    Jeremy B. Forum Resident

    Location:
    NYC
    I have this pressing. The sound is incredible. Even in less-than-stellar shape (VG), it's one of my best sounding LPs. Picked it up in Prague for $30 US.

    EDIT: Which I realize is a bit high, but when was I going to run across another of these? Plus I'm a sucker for that album art.
     
  19. John Bliss

    John Bliss Forum Resident

    My favorite is the Pro-Use. I do not have a UK early press to compare. I only have vinyl versions. I have an original German Apple, The aforementioned Pro-Use, 90s US LP, 90s UK DMM (HTM cut), 2012 LP, and MFSL LP (non boxed set copy), and a UK green vinyl (which has surface noise). Most are in VG+ or better shape except for the green vinyl one. I love the Pro-Use, not sure if it would be worth it to get another Abbey Road on vinyl.
     
  20. JP Christian

    JP Christian Forum Resident

    I have so many copies of this LP it's getting confusing!

    I can also report the Japan AP series Abbey Road is great sounding, in fact, in my opinion it trounces the Japan Pro-Audio which you would think would be better.

    Also, I can highly recommend the later HTM -4/-3 Uk cut, I prefer it over an original -2/-1.

    Don't waste your money on a MFSL, it's thin sounding and suffers from 'smiley' EQ - I prefer my French '73 Marconi over it.
     
  21. Ben Sinise

    Ben Sinise Forum Reticent

    Location:
    Sydney
    The separately released MoFi Abbey Road LP is anything but thin sounding, smiley face EQ sure, but huge bass boost on that sucker!
     
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  22. jacksonwalker

    jacksonwalker Forum Resident

    A Wally side two will knock your socks off.
     
  23. John Bliss

    John Bliss Forum Resident

    I have so many copies, don't know if it's worth seeking out an original UK LP. My original German LP pressing is also pretty good, but I usually go to my Pro-Use.
    I like the MFSL also. I can't say that for every Beatles title, but I can for AR. My setup seems to mellow out the highs of stuff like MFSL and DMMs which helps.
     
  24. JP Christian

    JP Christian Forum Resident

    Thin sounding compared to a UK or Japanese (AP) press...

    Yes, the smiley EQ coupled with the bloated bass, means there is no mid-range whatsoever - as I said - thin sounding.
     
  25. aarsonbet

    aarsonbet Forum Resident

    I have owned both a single-release and boxed set release of the MFSL Abbey Road. My first time hearing it, I was blown away, although I do recall thinking that it sounded a bit tame compared to another pressing that I had, and still have. I have since sold both copies of the MFSL.

    The other pressing that I had, and still have, is an original Canadian Apple. It's in VG to VG+ condition, with a bit of surface noise, but not anything that is overly offensive. At forty-six years of age, that pressing still rocks my world every single time I play it! I think I bought it when I was about fourteen years old for about $10.00.
     
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