Led Zeppelin I-IV 2014 remasters considered the best?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Plissken99, Dec 5, 2014.

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  1. Phasecorrect

    Phasecorrect Forum Resident

    Location:
    WI
    Never a consensus on Zep. I sprung for 1 + 4 which were in my mind the ones needing the most improvement.Much.more detail, although 4 still sounds bass shy. I have the Classic records issue of 4 and even that lacks bass. I have decent Lps of 2 + 3.
     
  2. Mij Retrac

    Mij Retrac Forum Resident

    I think the consensus is most versions of the Zeppelin catalog are very close to one another and none blow another a way.(unless you love using hyperbole)

    Until Page relinquishes full control over the mastering there never will be big differences.
     
  3. tribby2001

    tribby2001 Forum Resident

    LOL - I could probably be your grandfather.
     
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  4. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    All fair points and I can agree with pretty much everything you said except my records are not noisy or distorted, most of them sound fantastic. I am glad you also enjoy vinyl. You are absoultely right in that there are many poorly mastered records although usually if the vinyl is bad the CD is even worse. My biggest gripe is that with the new mastering of today execellent music is getting ruined all the time, compressed to hell with no dynamic range. I also don't accept those that hate vinyl that have never heard vinyl. I am listening to the Coda deluxe MP3 right now, sounds pretty good. Lastly, just to add I do think that many times it is not a subtle difference in sound quality but as you state this is more a problem with the original CD mastering than the medium. Maybe I should buy an Oppo Cd player, not sure. I have a Onyko and a Denon.
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2016
  5. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    I would say they all sound great except the ones released from 2003-2007, Mothership being the prime offender. I never realized how loud How The West Was Won was until I saw the DR rating but still such great performances I love that one even if it is mastered a little loud.
     
  6. originalsnuffy

    originalsnuffy Socially distant and unstuck in time

    Location:
    Tralfalmadore
    Well I am particularly fond of the Hi Res versions that were recently released.
    Vinyl no longer floats my boat.
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2016
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  7. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    I am just getting into the HD download format and do love the medium. My main issue right now is storage, 160gb Ipod is full. I guess I could use the Iphone as a back up. I would love to own a pono player, put all my HD stuff on there and maybe keep the Ipod for all the stuff that won't fit. They need to be expanding the storage on these devices. I dont care about size, I want a giant media player 3-4 times the size of an Ipod would be no problem.
     
  8. originalsnuffy

    originalsnuffy Socially distant and unstuck in time

    Location:
    Tralfalmadore
    Head-Fi.org is the place to go to get the scoop on Hi Res players. I have a FIIO X3II unit that costs under $170 now that can take a 200gb microsdxc card and also can handle a usb stick using OTG. So the unit has access to 200 + 256 GB (PNY usb stick). It natively plays hi res up to 24-196 and DSD in addition. No, I do not work for FIIO. There are other hi res choices also; it is just that this particular unit has lots of storage options.

    You can also modify an old ipod 5.5gb unit to hold tons of music. Head-Fi has forums on doing the mods. That is a weird hobby unto itself. I sold my 256gb ipod a couple of months ago as the FIIO approach was working for me.
     
  9. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    That may certainly be a consideration. Do you use yours in the car? I have heard pono beats all due to internal components but that might be a complete load of B.S., not sure as I have not heard one. Many people do seem to love em though and I believe the pono can expand with a 128gb card plus the internal 64gb.
     
  10. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Bend, IN
    I've actually gone the opposite direction. From digital to vinyl, with needledrops of the same records I own (obviously accounting for stamper variations which I can't control). I would never be so bold as to say vinyl is always better. But, as I sit here and listen to a double RL Sterling HotH I picked up at a record show, I do prefer it to a needledrop (24/96 and actually ripped on the same table I'm listening to) but it's not a chasm of difference. Fact is, I appreciate having both! I can't speak to the HDTracks versions though. Personally I'd rather have an original mastering either ripped from very nice vinyl or on the actual vinyl itself. Is vinyl whisper-quiet with no sonic artifacts? No. But I don't mind a bit. And properly set up on a 10.5" arm, I can honestly say I don't notice anything of significance in sound quality from the first groove to the last.
     
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  11. Mr_Vinyl

    Mr_Vinyl Forum Resident

    My take as well. Besides the original vinyl from the 70's, the only Led Zep I can listen to without getting a headache are the Diament/Sidore remasters.
     
  12. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    I too prefer vinyl (obviously) but enjoy the advances the portable medium has taken. I would have a big problem shelling out big money for HD downloads as I have already invested a lot in my collection. Maybe I should investigate doing some vinyl rips myself. I have a turntable with a USB just never used it. It truly blows my mind how incredible a NM condition original pressing Zeppelin, Hendrix, or Floyd vinyl sounds.
     
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  13. toddrhodes

    toddrhodes Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Bend, IN
    I know I'm getting off-topic but my A2-B3 DSOTM is, to me, preferable over the SACD release which is very highly regarded by many. The last 3 minutes or so of Money are just, well the best I can describe it is it's a religious experience. Even in my small room I just can't turn it up loud enough. Same with the orginal UK The Wall - Comfortably Numb. I have a double RL SS LZ II on the way and, well I'm looking forward to that. I've got a PBTHAL rip of that one and it sounds incredible, can't wait to hear the real deal.
     
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  14. fluffskul

    fluffskul Would rather be at a concert

    Location:
    albany, ny
    The DSOTM SACD sucks. I usually don't find drastic differences when I do A/B listenings honestly. So I don't do it often. I clicked this thread because last night I did Led Zepp I Barry vs newest CD... and couldn't come up with anything definitive... I A/B'd the DSOTM SACD and the "holy grail" harvest CD. And the SACD loses by a lot. No offense to anyone involved with the DSOTM SACD, as I know it was a talented team. I just think they tried to get this "audiophile-y modern sound" that didn't do the album justice. Please don't judge SACD/digital music based on this release. Sorry I know that was off topic.
     
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  15. bhasenstab

    bhasenstab Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    I still have my Crop Circles box, and as far as I can tell it has two big strikes against it: 1) Slice-and-dice track listings, and 2) Marino's EQ is Zep for the cloth-eared. However, I think this chaotic thread may be the one that pushes me to order those darn remasters. Guess it's time.
     
  16. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    It's got nothing to do with proper setup, it's a matter of physics. The linear velocity of the outer grooves is over twice that of the inner grooves. Or to put it another way, the inner grooves are squashed into less than half the space of the outer grooves. The closer you get to the center of a record, the harder it is to store and retrieve high frequencies.

    That isn't to say it's impossible for records to sound pleasant towards the inner grooves. But "inner groove distortion" isn't a term that somebody just made up.
     
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  17. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    I was wondering if you could elaborate on your points about the sound quality as I really like it and always have. I feel the Crop circles Cd's sound absolutely fantastic and can't wait to hear the vinyl. I agree you absolutely should order all of the remasters as they also sound incredible. I just got Coda yesterday and I have now listened to all of the Coda bonus material twice and that stuff is amazing. Buy the deluxe Coda set and you will be impressed!
     
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  18. Jonboy

    Jonboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cape Town
    The more I listen to the new Zep remasters, the more I keep going back to the Diament/Sidore versions. Although they lack some of the detail, they are just so much more crankable ;)
     
  19. bhasenstab

    bhasenstab Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    I can't be as precise as some of the members here, in my critique, but the Marino/Crop Circles box has a muted quality to the mix that has left me a bit unimpressed since the late '90s. It's probably the mid-range emphasis from his EQ settings. It feels like a mastering that might work wonderfully for Nick Drake records, but something essential to the abandon of Zep gets lost in such a polite presentation. Anyway, those are my two cents. I know others feel like the Crop Circles box is the cat's meow, but I'm looking forward to these newer discs. I think it will be like throwing opening the draperies and letting the sun shine in!
     
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  20. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Thanks, yeah I like the newer ones as well and don't feel they are so harsh or compressed as a few others have stated. They may be brighter but not fatiguing for me and the clarity is outstanding. I would say recording that come in a DR7 or below start to give me some ear problems which is unfortunate. I have the original Mothership vinyl and even like that one which probably rates in the DR9-10 range, not sure. I never noticed the Crop Circles Cd's to be muted but possibly they are. I will let you know what I think of the Crop Circles vinyl once received. I don't think to many people have it as it is difficult to find. Cost around $140 from Greece, let's hope it arrives in one piece! You still need to get the new ones anyway if we are talking about the actual albums, all of which are necessary.
     
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  21. Mr_Vinyl

    Mr_Vinyl Forum Resident

    Not only that, but they are also - to a certain extent - how Led Zep sounded in the 70's, with a seventies sound. What I personally find disappointing in a lot of ''remasters'' is that they try to make the music from a certain period sound contemporary. Sean Magee, in my opinion, did wonders with his Beatles and Rush by improving certain aspects of the recording while leaving other aspects alone. Led Zep's catalogue wasn't recorded in a day. The new remasters make them sound alike (sound-wise), as if they were all recorded in 2002. For some people, that's ok. For me, when I hear Led Zep 1, I need to feel that 69-70 vibe!
     
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  22. originalsnuffy

    originalsnuffy Socially distant and unstuck in time

    Location:
    Tralfalmadore
    There was a question about the FIIO. It does have a line out. But then again one of the most highly rated devices this year does not have an official line out so I would not let that necessarily deter you. A company where I did consulting has a Pono and I did check it out. Sound was certainly good but I did not care for the user interface. The balance output would be irrelevant for car use and for most listeners in general.

    Until the recent remasterings it was generally agreed on these forums that the Diament - Sidore versions were preferred. Personally I think the new crop, especially the hi res versions, beat those out but like everything else on these forums, mileage will vary.
     
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  23. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Question- I received Physical Graffiti deluxe edition vinyl today and as others have mentioned the three records are in the cardboard inner sleeves, which is not very cool but ok as I was expecting it. My question is do the other deluxe edition after this one come with nice inner sleeves or is it cardboard or paper from here on out? To comment on the sound- absoluely fantastic! Not sure why someone would be critical of this for sound quality.
     
  24. tmtomh

    tmtomh Forum Resident

    The other ones do have proper poly (or whatever) lined inner sleeves. The PG ones should have them too, but they don't - and I assume the reason is that PG's sleeve design is unique, in other words inner sleeves (albeit paperboard ones) are part of the original album design.
     
  25. Jam757

    Jam757 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Yeah they messed up on that, small complaint as three nice sleeves cost about $1.50. They whole PG cover felt a bit on the cheap end. I would have been more happy with an all new triple gatefold with awesome new pictures. Now that would have been incredible. Speaking of incredible got Coda deluxe triple vinyl today and what an awesome gatefold! That's the way to do it! Still all in all a great run of releases.
     
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