DCC Archive Bluesbreakers w/EC - MoFi vs. Astley CD

This was a (recent) reply to a conversation I had with somebody a long time ago, and thought it was worth posting here.

Funny, I just pulled out the MoFi and Astley issues of this again. If anything, my preference for the MoFi is even stronger now. The drums in particular are a *lot* clearer on the MoFi. The Astley CD seems halfway to AM radio, with almost no frequency response in the highs and with an exaggerated midrange. The vocals are also a lot more lifelike on the MoFi.

Here's how I'd describe it in simple terms - the MoFi sounds like I'm actually listening to the band in the studio (more or less). The Astley CD sounds like I'm listening to the band over speakers.

Now, it does vary. On the first 3 cuts, I'd say that impression stands very true. I'm listening to Double Crossing Time at the moment, and that actually seems a bit more open on the Astley CD. The MoFi seems a bit clouded here. What'd I Say leaves a similar impression. Not quite as different, though.

It seems very interesting that the EQ is so different on the first 3 cuts of the Astley CD. Those sound bad to me, but the rest sound a lot better. Also interesting is that while Astley usually uses noise reduction, it doesn't seem as if there's any on this disc. Many cuts on his have more hiss than the MoFi.

Something to keep in mind - the Astley CD is a lot louder than the MoFi, which can lead to false impressions. Whenever you A/B discs like this make sure you even out the levels between them...

Summary - for the first three cuts, there's no doubt in my book - the MoFi is the way to go. After that, it's not as clear cut. In places the MoFi is less harsh, but it also seems more clouded. If I had to choose, I'd probably pick (GASP!) the Astley CD for the rest...

 

Luke... do you have heard the regular US remaster??? Sounds aweful against the Astley remaster. The US CD sounds very muddy... although no No-Noising was used.

 

Haven't heard the newest US disc, but people have told me it's bad. I kind of doubt Bill Levenson would let anyone use noise reduction, but...