Led Zeppelin I-IV 2014 remasters considered the best?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Plissken99, Dec 5, 2014.

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  1. Slowpaw

    Slowpaw Well-Known Member

    Location:
    devon uk
    I have a set of the 2014 vinyl remasters and they sound very good indeed compared to the originals and they have the added bonus of the outtakes and live concert discs with them, very good value to buy. I also heard a few of the Quiex versions as well, very good but definitely not at the inflated prices they're going for atm! Better off getting the UK original pressings as there are still many on the used market, and still sound excellent.
     
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  2. Timbo21

    Timbo21 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London
    I'm not a fan of going back and remixing old material.

    Invariably the remixer loses the original vibe. Part of what I love about Led Zep is at's all from that time. I don't want a remixer to use any modern bass enhancer, or digital reverb. I just want a great copy capturing the original sound, warts and all.

    I really didn't enjoy Tony Visconti's remix of David Bowie's "David Live" album. My vinyl I bought about 37 years ago, and it really rocks. Tony Visconti's hi-res just doesn't do it for me. I have a different opinion when it comes to 5.1 surround mixes, and have really enjoyed DSOTM, AVALON and a few others.
     
  3. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    I have I thru IV and I think SHM-CD mini LP's sound good. I listened to III last night using my AKG Q701 headphones and had a good time. In my record collecting days I had UK plum's of III and IV and always loved those. I had I-IV of the 200 gram Classic Records releases and really thought those were good too. Still have my RL II.
     
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  4. gibsonfan159

    gibsonfan159 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC
    When you say boosted by 0.6, are you talking LUFS level or average frequency level? In my tests with a spectrum analyzer for the HOTH album the average frequency levels (across the board) were also boosted 0.4-0.6 between the 1994 and 2008 Japanese box set. However, the LUFS level (overall volume) was 11.39 and 10.09 respectively, making the 2008 box set the loudest version available. I have a theory that the overall volume wasn't increased, but rather the entire frequency range was boosted a little which in turn increased the LUFS level (increasing frequency levels does increase volume).

    Here's another mystery; The 2008 Definitive Box set version of TSRTS I tested is sonically identical to the Latter Days version of the same song. So this boost in EQ/volume was done 8 years prior.
     
  5. tmtomh

    tmtomh Forum Resident

    When I say boosted 0.6dB, I mean that I loaded up several tracks in Audacity, turned the 2008 Japan mini-LP box tracks down 0.6 (Amplify filter, -0.6dB), and the result nulled out with the 1994 CD versions of those tracks, except for the parts where the Japan tracks had been pushed to clipping by the 0.6dB volume increase.

    So my conclusion is that the volume simply was turned up. They wouldn't null out like that with a simple level adjustment unless that were the case.
     
  6. The Gomper

    The Gomper By Your Side?

    Location:
    Missouri
    Pretty sure the Diament Houses of the Holy uses the first-gen tapes.
     
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  7. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Correct.
     
  8. The Gomper

    The Gomper By Your Side?

    Location:
    Missouri
    Yes.
     
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  9. CowboyBill

    CowboyBill Forum Resident

    Location:
    Utah
    Keep the Diaments. The only suggestion
     
  10. john lennonist

    john lennonist There ONCE was a NOTE, PURE and EASY...

    I'm happy with my Diament I and II CDs, and the Sidore IV CD.

    I keep reading praises about the 2014 Davis III vinyl, but does the 2014 Davis III CD also sound good/great (the best of any III CDs)?
     
  11. Stefan

    Stefan Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal, Canada
    Not all versions, had a consistent boost. I recall doing a comparison between my copies of the 1993 Physical Graffiti and the 2003 European mini-LP version. There Custard Pie was boosted by nearly a couple of dB (IIRC) whereas The Rover was nearly the same, etc., etc.

    Someone obviously sat down and decided to change at least some of the levels before specific CDs were manufactured but we don't know who did it or if it was authorized by the LZ camp (so many attribute these decisions all to Page but all three surviving members plus the Bonham estate have to sign off on any such decisions).

    It's almost like there are two steps in the mastering; in the case of the 90's LZ CD releases, there are the basic files mastered by George Marino and then the "adjusted files" done by someone we don't know. Technically a level change is "mastering" but since the advent of the CD and especially the whole "digitally remastered" marketing bandwagon, the notion of mastering has changed from being the technical adjustments done whenever a recording is prepared for mass production to some big "event".

    For example, as I pointed out in the thread on the vinyl releases, those who think any LZ vinyl from the 70's or 80's is going to be be default superior are in for a nasty surprise as there were tons of variations and masterings done every time vinyl was repressed, new stampers created, multi-generation tape copies used (the hiss levels on a a late-70's sealed LZII I once bought were atrocious!) and so on. I've heard some great pressings and some really mediocre ones. This sort of inconsistency changed once CDs came along but as these uncredited level changes indicate, it's wasn't always the case.
     
  12. gibsonfan159

    gibsonfan159 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC
    Here's the comparison between TSRTS from 94 vs the Latter Days release just to back up what you're saying.

    TSRTS frequency analyzation TSRTS frequency analyzation
    [​IMG]

    It's a consistent boost in all frequencies.
     
  13. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    Which is just a volume shift.
     
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  14. gibsonfan159

    gibsonfan159 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC
    So a volume shift increases frequency range? Wouldn't that be like increasing the volume on a stereo but leaving the EQ settings the same?
     
  15. Stefan

    Stefan Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal, Canada
    Exactly.
     
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  16. gibsonfan159

    gibsonfan159 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC
    Forgive my poor wording, but my point is that a volume shift shouldn't affect EQ levels. Just like increasing the volume on a stereo doesn't. Whereas a boost to frequency will boost volume a small bit. I've done amateur home recording and I've never seen a volume/gain boost change EQ settings. That's why I believe the actual EQ was adjusted for the post-1994 releases.
     
  17. lukpac

    lukpac Senior Member

    Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
    What exactly are you talking about? You said the EQ *wasn't* changed. A "consistent boost in all frequencies" just means the volume was adjusted.
     
  18. Stefan

    Stefan Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal, Canada
    I've never seen any indication that the EQ was changed on the post-1994 LZ releases based on the transfers done for George Marino. Even the first 2007 Mothership release, which was mastered by John Davis using the transfers done for Marino, did not have any significant EQ changes on the tracks I checked using EQ matching software. I didn't check all tracks and David told me on here in a PM that he used "judicious EQ" but I don't buy it. The only difference was some significant boosting/compression with more modern peak limiting.
     
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  19. HiResGeek

    HiResGeek Seer of visions

    Location:
    Boston
    I personally like the original Japanese Atlantic discs (Diament mastering - except for IV where I prefer Sidore as noted above). But the 2014 remasters are pretty good if you don't want to pay stupid amounts of cash. Definitely less midrangey than the 1994 Marino remasters, with better low end. I grew up with the Marinos and was surprised to hear the more prominent bass and drums on the Atlantic CDs (also true of the 2014 remasters), with less of a spotlight on Page's playing (the Marinos are, IMO, very guitar heavy.)
     
  20. Wasn't the first 'Mothership' mastered by Stan Ricker? And, the second by John Davis?
     
  21. gibsonfan159

    gibsonfan159 Forum Resident

    Location:
    NC
    No, the EQ looks to be different between the two releases. At least according to the program I used. Probably enough to tell a difference in sound.
     
  22. Stefan

    Stefan Senior Member

    Location:
    Montreal, Canada
    Stan Ricker cut the first vinyl version of Mothership but it was from the John Davis digital master (Stan Ricker also did the the remixed TSRTS vinyl cut from Bob Ludwig's digital master). Davis did the digital and vinyl master for the second Mothership and all other Zeppelin releases digital and analog since 2012.
     
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  23. HotelYorba101

    HotelYorba101 Senior Member

    Location:
    California
    I quite like the Diament CDs of HOTH and PG however find the Davis remasters of the rest a vast improvement - especially on III and Presence
     
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  24. Chooke

    Chooke Forum Resident

    Location:
    Perth, Australia
    I prefer the Davis remaster of III to the previous versions.

    As far as I am aware the Davis III vinyl uses the same master as the CD. Any difference, or preference, would only be due to the artefacts of vinyl production/playback.
     
  25. Vinyl Fan 1973

    Vinyl Fan 1973 "They're like soup, they're like....nothing bad"

    Hmmm, we’ll i just picked up today a used Sidore IV and I’m not sure what all the hype is about. Pretty underwhelming if you ask me. I much prefer the 2014 remaster for this one, or the songs available on the crop circles boxset.

    It was $4 so no big loss, but not sure I’ll be playing this much. Why, when you have the excellent 2014 and bonus disc?
     
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