Is the general consensus that the 2014 Mono White Album is fantastic? If so I need to grab one. It's even top-loading which is great..
I have both the 2014 mono and the 2012 stereo remaster/reissues. Which do I prefer? For me it's a mixed bag. Some songs sound better in mono and others in stereo.
Hmmm..well, my EAS pressing from the Blue Box is definitely bassier than my UK 2 box. I think you have to differentiate between stand alone EAS '76 pressings and those from the later blue boxes.
I have the AP Rubber Soul from 1973 and it sounds lovely to these ears. I also have the Pro-Use Abbey Road which is right up there with my minty UK first press.
I'm not sure which you have, but the AP Rubber Soul I used to own had a rigid cardboard cover, not the earlier laminated, lightweight flipback cover.
My AP-8156 is this one: The Beatles – Rubber Soul (1973, Vinyl) The cover has a matte finish, not laminated, no flip backs. It’s quite sturdy, very well made with the photo richly saturated. I love the sound and the dead quiet vinyl.
I only have the Red and Blue album compilations (EAS series) and they sound fantastic to my ears. Close to original Apple US pressings, but more dynamic and a bit more sparkle.
Don't know how the stand alone EAS is, but the blue box EAS sounds great! Maybe actually a bit better than the UK. Full, rich bass, akin to what people write about German pressings.
I'd love to hear certain tracks from your EAS boxed Rubber Soul...of the proper catalog uk albums, it is the one that stands out in the worst way. Norwegian Wood and Michelle downright distort. To another series, I have an AP 70's Apple Japanese of Capitol's Meet The Beatles....the worst I ever heard far as any Japanese pressing of any album by any band. Simply horrendous. Some tracks even have a left/right channel volume imbalance.
No. This one is dreadful. Avoid it at all costs. The Beatles – Please Please Me (1976, Vinyl) I had a big lot from the Japanese seller on eBay and I won this one relatively cheap just as an add on. It's horrible. The red vinyl box set of EPs that came out in 1982 are not very good either. The Beatles – E.P. Collection (1982, Red, Vinyl) All fold downs. I have the Beatles For Sale EP from the box. It's pretty and all but is not great sounding. The 1982 red vinyl LPs, however are fabulous. I have Please, Please Me, Revolver and the White Album from that run. And they are really stunning. I've mentioned on another thread about these pressings that our host dislikes these Japanese pressings and says that the more expensive your system the more you will hear the flaws. However, I get the feeling it he's talking about an expensive and new more neutral sounding system. While I don't claim to have the most expensive system in the world, it's exactly what I want. I'm still rebuilding an Empire 208 with a Linn Ittok arm, so at present my main listening system is a Micro Seiki DD40, McIntosh MX110, Marantz 8B (sometimes I swap out it out for the McIntosh MC240) to a pair of Altec 604C speakers. Purely a warm tubey system. And the Japanese pressings, especially those 1982 red vinyl ones, really shine on it. While I'm at it I'll rave about the Japanese pressing of Crosby, Still & Nash. Crosby, Stills & Nash – Crosby, Stills & Nash (1976, Gatefold, Vinyl) I won this at the same time as the Please, Please Me above and it is out of this world.
I've pieced together a complete EAS set. Indeed this version of Rubber Soul is the worst in the bunch. Super shrill, overloaded... Avoid it. Of course it has the best ever vinyl pressing quality I've ever seen, like the rest of the set. Whatever formulation they were using then must have been banned for sounding so good and giving them a competitive advantage, because sheesh they're dead silent. Less noise and general "whooshing" during quiet passages than even those fancy AP and MOFIs.
Yes, I have seen the comments about shrillness, especially on Michelle. The blue box has none of this. All the cuts sound very smooth, although vocals are a tiny bit recessed compared to UK, partially because of boosted bass. It must be a totally different mastering from the '76 EAS (I think that's the country flag obi?) series, all of which have received terrible marks. Catalogue for mine is EAS 50036. The later EAS 60015 on black Odeon label sounds identical to me. I'm sure you can find them individually for sale.
It sounds a thousand times better than an original US, which is an abomination. The EAS uses original UK versions. The US is fully Dexterized.
Yeah, the "county flag" EAS series generally don't sound very good for whatever reason. The 60's pressings and Beatles Forever reissues are a lot better.
I'm so confused as to why the EAS pressings get such mixed reviews. The post above yours says the EAS sound way better than original US pressings and use UK versions. I read others say the EAS Abbey Road sounds fantastic....?..
