Those prices are insane (and I'm not talking about the good, Crazy Eddie kind of insane). I got a bunch of them when Acoustic Sounds had their big 50% off sale a few years ago. $15 each.
Totally. They were even marked down for at least a couples of years on Acoustic Sounds site (probably trying to clear out their inventory).
Never imagined it would be easy to identify the AP Pet Sounds as clearly superior to the MoFi SACD. I use to hold the MoFi in such high regard. It wasn't even close. The top-end of the MoFi sounded meek and artificially thin compared to the top-to-bottom natural and powerful AP. WOW!
The AP series reign supreme over every album post-1964 (minus the PS DCC). The 62-64 is a little less clear. The Pastmasters and twofer MFSL are very competitive.
All Summer Long is not really a home run on the AP SACD. Frankly, the sound of the Pastmasters disc is much closer in tonality to the DCC Endless Summer. At least based on Wendy and Girl's on the Beach. The SACD has a more centered stereo image. But its dull.
The AP disc has both mono and stereo mixes and is currently available at Acoustic Sounds for $30. It's worth it for the great stereo mix alone. Lately I've been comparing the AP mono (CD & LP) to the Audio Fidelity CD and DCC mono vinyl and I think they sound really similar; the AP just has some extra space, clarity, and low end definition. It's not a big gap at all.
If you already have the Audio Fidelity or DCC mastering of the mono and you want the stereo, the MFSL reissue of the stereo mix mastered by Rob LoVerde is probably a better option than the AP SACD by Kevin. I kind of prefer Rob's mastering on that one, but then again, I generally play the mono mix if I listen to Pet Sounds. I can't even remember the last time I played the stereo version from start-to-finish in one sitting.
The 2001 twofers sound harsh to my ears. The earlier 1990 twofers, while far from perfect, just sound much better to me. I had never heard the phrase "ear fatigue" until I saw it on this forum (someone used it to describe a different disc, not these), but for me, the 2001 discs have a fatiguing effect on my ears over the course of an album. Which, considering it's the Beach Boys, is rather disheartening for me.
The AP and DCC Pet Sounds monos are very very close IMO. I love both and it's hard to pick a winner. The AP stereo is easily my preference over the MSFL, however. I don't like the high end on the MSFL and I think the AP stereo is the most "Pet Sounds" sounding of all the stereo editions I have personally owned. It's actually my go to for the album in general. I think buying the AP Pet Sounds is a no brainer given its price and the fact that it contains VERY excellent versions of both the stereo and mono mixes.
They are not fatiguing to my ears. I play them and ripped them through an HDCD player and the files sound nice to my ears. They were remastered a little bright to highlight the vocals, but they are not loud, nor do they have sibilance. So, they are not overly bright. The no-noise on the 1990 2-fers make the music sound dull and lifeless. Plus, I only listen through speakers. No headphones or earphones, as I am saving my hearing for old age.
I have since received all backordered SACDs including Surf's Up, Today!, and PS. Now I have them all. I feel better.
I think all of these SACDs, for better or worse, are accurate, well-mastered versions of the master tapes. If you think Sunflower is too dark, it's probably because that's how the master tape sounds, and Kevin Gray does a great job of mastering to bring out the best of the original tapes. There's a reason why Steve holds him in such high regard. If I see a release is mastered by Kevin Gray, it's basically an automatic buy for me. Man, I really wish they would complete this series. The gaps they left are painful. At least we have the Pastmasters for those.
Back when I still had them, I didn't have a player that decoded HDCD unfortunately. I have noticed since on my Oppo player that the HDCD layers of discs can sometimes make the music sound more lively. Usually not as much as an SACD layer, but often, depending on the disc, it's an audible improvement. The Cars' debut and Panorama come to mind as mediocre sounding redbook, but great HDCD layers. When it comes to the Beach Boys' original albums, I honestly listen to them mostly on vinyl. I do keep the 1990 twofers mostly for the car though. And I've got a few of their later albums on those old Japan CP21 discs, I forget what people call them. Those sound pretty good. I'd love to pick up a few of the SACDs, but it gets to the point where it's like, "where does it end?" Haha To have the same albums on so many formats, it can definitely get a bit crazy after a while.
How do the Pastmasters of Wild Honey, Friends and 20/20 compare to what's currently on streaming services/easily available Capitol two-fers? I own all of the AP SACDS and am interested in the Pastmasters versions of these albums, but have never heard anything from the series.
As others have described them, the Pastmasters are really close to how the vintage mixes presented on these AP SACDs sound, but the APs are slightly more polished.
