Bowie CD questions - STS (2010)/DD (2004)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Mark87, Jul 12, 2019.

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  1. Mark87

    Mark87 Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    London, England
    Apologies if this has been answered before but I was wondering if purchasing the 2010 Station to Station (3CD) and the 2004 30th Anniversary Diamond Dogs were worth it?

    I have the RCA WG CD of STS and both WG/JPN CDs of DD as well as the most recent ‘remasters’ for both albums.

    I understand the 2010 STS is the original analogue master but isn't this similar to the RCA WG anyway? Which one sounds better or more authentic to the original vinyl?
     
    Last edited: Jul 12, 2019
  2. sound chaser

    sound chaser Senior Member

    Location:
    North East UK.
    I have the WG RCA STS and it's only bettered by the 24/96 DVD audio original master, though maybe not easy to find.
    I think Japan RCA DD is the best option.
     
  3. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    I can answer the first part of your question. Yes on STS if it's cheap so you can compare for yourself and yes on DD for the bonus disc.

    Sound wise the RCA and 2010 are different but not majorly so (both very good, however, I have the big box and never listen to the 2010 because it's just too hard to get at). The Diamond Dogs 2004 is not as good (sound wise) as the WG RCA but nice bonus disc (if you do buy this then get the one made in Holland as it doesn't have copy control).

    David Bowie - Diamond Dogs
     
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  4. paletro

    paletro Forum Resident

    Location:
    paris
    My west germany RCA CD is very close to my Dynaflex vinyl.
     
  5. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc

    Location:
    England
    I agree with @scobb about the 2010 Station to Station CD. If you have the WG RCA CD they’re pretty similar: both very good and virtually as good as listening to any of the 1970s UK vinyl versions I’ve heard over the years (quite a few as it’s my favourite 1970s db album alongside Low).
     
  6. paletro

    paletro Forum Resident

    Location:
    paris
    Hi. Do you mean this one ? I have the Ryko CD and I'm not very satisfied with it.

    David Bowie - Station To Station
     
  7. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    The 2010 Station To Station is a flat transfer. It's very good, but IMO not as good as the WG RCA. It is from a better tape, though. A rip of the hi-res version re-EQ'd to match the WG would be the ultimate version of that album.

    The 30th Diamond Dogs is the same as the 1999 remaster. If you want good mastering for the album tracks, you've already got the best option. For the bonus tracks, sure, go wild. You can get samples for all CD versions here: Bowie - Diamond Dogs: Blind listening test And I really recommend listening before you check the results. Listen without bias. These are lots of fun!
     
  8. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc

    Location:
    England
    Yes, that’s the one. That discogs entry says it’s a 2CD set which is wrong - the live album in the box is a double CD so it’s 3CD total.
     
  9. paletro

    paletro Forum Resident

    Location:
    paris
    Thank you. I often see it in shops at a very reasonable price.
     
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  10. paletro

    paletro Forum Resident

    Location:
    paris
    Concerning the RCA CDs, I have Ziggy, Hunky Dory(german) and Aladdin Sane(japan). All three sound fantastic. Wish I could find the Berlin Trilogy one day !
     
  11. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    If you want to go down the RCA path, avoid the Japan-made Low and Lodger. They are astonishingly bad. Low has the left channel way louder and brighter than the right, and Lodger has, on top of bad EQ and inconsistent volume levels, about 40-50 seconds of digital distortion in "DJ". The WG Lodger is fine, the WG Low unfortunately fades each song in (or at least most songs) during the opening note. So "Breaking Glass" or "Sound And Vision" lose their attack when they first slam in. You might just want to buy a Rykodisc Low as the WG is very expensive.

    Heroes sounds decent on the Japan-made disc, but it's missing the very beginning of "Beauty And The Beast" and some of the instrumentals sound a bit unpleasant. The German disc is better overall, even though it is a little bit murky at times. I'd love to take the vocal sound from the former and apply it to the latter... but due to the cluttered production of this album, I think that would require a remix. Scary Monsters is fine on both versions.

    Also, the Station To Station box set (5CD/3LP/DVD only, not the 3CD) contains the WG RCA mastering as well as the 2010 flat transfer CD. And all things considered, the price difference isn't huge ($80 for the WG alone, $200-ish for nine discs including the WG).
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2020
  12. paletro

    paletro Forum Resident

    Location:
    paris
    Thank you, I'm gonna keep my Ryko disc of Low, Heroes and Lodger, and try to find a German RCA of Scary Monster. After all my french box of the trilogy sounds great on vinyl .

    David Bowie - Portrait Of A Star
     
  13. Vaughan

    Vaughan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Essex, UK
    The 2004 DD is worthy just for the bonus tracks - the CD of the main album is simply a bonus!
     
  14. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    If you don’t mind “heroes”/“heros” then it does sound good enough! My first copy of “Heroes” was a French lp bought in HMV Guildford. I didn’t know of or hear the all English version till the EMI/Ryko CD came out.

    I’ve been listening to this for years and never noticed that. Are you sure? Too late to listen to it here.

    not that either of these albums/comments are relevant to the original post!
     
  15. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    Someone said they'd like to try the RCAs for the Berlin trilogy, I thought I'd save them a lot of money and disappointment. :) The fade-ins on Low are quick, but they're there. I cannot tolerate them. If you can, then I sure wish I had your ears! :laugh:
     
  16. scobb

    scobb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    As am I glad, I haven’t heard them and don’t have your hearing. I must remember not to listen to this CD again till I’ve forgotten about this conversation. Otherwise I may notice it and that may make me dislike it!
     
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  17. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    I may have exaggerated them a little bit. To my ears, they're unforgivable. If you're not doing a critical assessment of the disc, you might not even notice them. Plus, "Sound And Vision", the worst-affected track, is on the RCA ChangesTwoBowie in comparable sound quality. Track down some samples from the US RCA if you're starting to get buyer's remorse about your WG. What they did to that disc makes fade-ups seem welcome. But since a poster was considering buying the RCAs, I wanted to warn them of the problems they might (key word is might!) face going in BEFORE they spent $150 on a disc. :agree:

    And despite that issue, the EQ on the WG Low is beautiful.
     
  18. InStepWithTheStars

    InStepWithTheStars It's a miracle, let it alter you

    Location:
    North Carolina
    I just listened to the tracks I have from it (don't own the CD, but I have four tracks that were sent to me). The fade-ups aren't nearly as bad as I remembered. "Sound And Vision" is by far the worst one, and you can take that from ChangesTwoBowie. I recalled "Breaking Glass" sounding totally ruined, but I just played it and it sounds okay to me. "Speed Of Life" starts with a fade-in anyway, so it's barely noticeable; "Be My Wife" is only missing tape hiss. Those are the four tracks I have from the disc. Two of them are negligible, one is tolerable, and the only one I'd consider bad has a readily available replacement.

    That said, buying a Ryko for $15 and doing a bit of EQ (boost below 800 Hz, scoop out 3k-8k, knock 10-12k down a bit) might be the better option than paying over $100 for the RCA when these problems are still there. And AVOID the Japan-made RCA Low, it's terrible.
     
  19. Magic Mountain

    Magic Mountain Stranger in my own home town

    Location:
    England
    I don't think the fades are that noticeable and they're so minimal as to be almost inconsequential. The WG RCA CD is still the very best option for Low.
     
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