Bowie Ryko Gold Discs, Etc.

Sorry Guys...I have been out of the loop....
I just sat down again last night and played the RCA, Ryko, Ryko Au20,
Virgin, & the new Anniversary edition of Ziggy.

GUYS!!!

There is no comparison! The RCA sounds 2 dimensional!
The Au20 sounds alive and VERY transparent...
I hear SO MUCH MORE of the recording..

 

Was there a gold Pin Ups disc?

 

No.
-D

 

Thanks, David.

 

My vote too is for the RCAs. Nicely balanced and smooth. Dave and I were butting heads constantly bidding on eBay, but I think we both have almost obtained a complete set. I also have the Ryko regulars, the Ryko golds and the EMIs. No comparison. The RCAs sound mighty fine. Steve could do better, but I won't hold my breath...

 

Yeah that was pretty funny. I kept losing by a few cents to this _ _ _, and then it dawned on me where I had seen the high bidders name before, it was here! So I PMed Kevin and asked him if he was just about done with his RCA David Bowie collection so that I could win some.

 

Luke, the RCA's are a flat transfer, the others have boosted eq.

Audiomixer, try cranking up the Au20's and see how long it is before the boosted top and bass start to become irritating to your ears. Then try the same volume with the RCA's. No audio fatigue at all with the RCA's.

 

The question is, flat transfers of WHAT? "Flat" tape copies? Or production masters with EQ already added?

Who mastered the Ryko discs?

 

Paul Stubblebine

 

I thought it was Dr. Toby Mountain? Or are those just the Au20s?

-D

 

I got lucky a few weeks ago and found a near mint copy of Fame and Fashion on a Japanese Lp in a used record store. Like the CD it had digital mastering and was on RCA, but sounds better to these ears than the CD version and anything from Ryko.

 

Listen to RCA version! It is flat & 2 Dimensional!
I can hear the "room" on the Ryko Au20.
Sonics are resolved on all the instruments.
I am listening to these discs on a pair of Infinity Prelude Compositions MTS.

 

Hi Uncle Al,

I also own the ChangesOne RCA CD. I must say that I agree with you with regard to the sound quality of the Diamond Dogs track. It just isn't quite up there with the rest of the set.

Overall the mastering quality of this RCA release is very good - although, has anyone noticed the slight "drop outs" on the Ziggy Stardust track?

The RYKO's are OK in my opinion..they have a certain something but not for the purist perhaps.

The Virgin's I haven't heard...quite frankly I don't really want to based on the comments here!

 

Luke,

Steve already stated, about 4 months ago, that these RCA's were done from 2nd or 3rd generation masters.

Audiomixer,

I'll give you the fact that the Au20's did sound more three dimensionable than the RCA's, but the overly added EQ settings ruined them for me.

 

You're not following...

"2nd or 3rd generation masters" can be different things. They could be flat copies of the 1st generation master tape, or they could be EQ'd production masters. Either way they could be a generation or two down.

A "flat transfer" from an EQ'd production tape isn't the same thing as a "flat transfer" from a flat tape copy.

 

Luke,

I would guess they are flat transfers from flat dubs. The RCA CD's supposedly sound very close to the original tapes, warts and all (someone, maybe Steve, made a comment once on the old forum that the tapes to at least a few albums didn't sound spectacular).

I think Steve gave his endorsement to these CD's the same reason he endorsed the 1988 uncredited remaster of Deja Vu and the first pressing of Rumors, etc. They don't sound amazing and may need some tweaking, but they sound just like the tape, rather than a "let's-try-to-fix-this-with-some-wacked-out-EQ" sort of sound.

 

I remember on the RCA CD of Hunky Dory you could hear a tape krinkling sound at the beginning of Changes.

Steve

 

And I wonder, how many here who read SH's opinions have now decided *since* then that , hey, those RCA discs don't' sound nearly as bad as i thought?

ah, the anxiety of influence.....

 

Actually before Steve had mentioned about the RCA's all that I owned were the EMI and Ryko versions (no not the AU20's). The RCA's definately blew away everything that I had. Then, Gary brought over his Ziggy AU20 and I did the comparison. Yes very 3D, but ouch waaaay too bright and the bass being thrown in your face just ruined the AU20. And we think the Mofi eq.ing was bad.