Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon - Best sounding CD (updated)

M

Maybe brittle would be a better word. I found myself irritated by the upper frequencies.

 

I wouldn't trust someone else de-emphasising it. I did a little research into what a de-emphasis curve should look like, and the Ozone preset more or less matched that and was easy to enable. So that is why I used it.
Also, because of a download, you never can tell if someone hasn't futzed with it somewhere, tweaking the sound already. EAC peak levels are in no way a proper finger print of the data. It is literally a record of the highest peak in each track or total album/rip. The same peak values can occur between two different sets of data, especially where an edit has been spliced in (CSN&Y Deja Vu), where the section containing the high peak is not edited, but another section is, and contains audio from a different source (in that case a higher generation dub).

It sounds bright without de-emphasis - that's what de-emphasis on playback is supposed to fix, but not when it is applied.

I think it would be nice for a few samples to appear from a series of tracks, say 30 seconds or 1 minute for each sample. These would have to be taken from an audible point in each, irrespective of exact timing, I mean like eg: "from second drum hit ~20s until keyboard ~53s". That way we could tweak and stretch and match in software too if we so wished.
I might run what I have through a spectral analysis to provide a visual graph. It won't tell us if one IS bright or not, but it will tell us if one is brighter or duller than another - which is correct who knows, who cares, just pick what you are happy listening too. I know this was done once before by member "foobar" I think.

 

Here's an interesting post from some years back:

It looks like the BTs indeed all sound the same, whether TO or non-TO. But here's where it gets interesting. The blackface non-TO JPN Harvests apparently sound different, while sharing the same mastering as the BTs. I can definitely hear the warmth that the above poster is referring to when describing his non-TO BF, and no brightness - again, consider that my Yamaha AV receiver naturally tends to play stuff a bit on the bright side - and this CD still does not come out that way! I agree with Jerry that the JPN non-TO BF has a very warm sound, in other words. Now, not having heard the BT, I obviously cannot speak to the comparison that he does (or to what you comment on, since I now see that we're referring to different discs), but perhaps the "clear[ness] . . . detail and soundstaging" Jerry is referring to are what you perceive as excessive brightness. Something else: "clearness" and "detail" are polite words occasionally employed when, in fact, brightness is being discussed. So maybe the BT is bright, after all

Again, I can only speak for the non-TO JPN Harvest. Smooth, creamy, warm, opposite of "bright" in every way.

 

It's hard work to compare audio really.

If you shove discs in a CD player, there can and often is something (jitter?) that can sway the sound. You also don't have the benefit of being able to precisely adjust volume with repeatability.
With a computer based playback (with ripped data) we remove the transport and keep a more level playing field in that respect. We do have repeatable volume adjustment, and they can all be cue'd up as various tracks with tweaked volume in a DAW. However, there can be some issue with regard to truncation (16 or 24 bit DAC vs higher bit float point DAW) and that can manifest itself in different ways.

I find it a lot easier to go the PC/DAW route, but I know my sound card (and it's internal DAC) and my speakers aren't up to the level of what we have in the lounge, and that rig isn't a pinch on what some of you guys have. I guess I could do the tweaks, dither and burn a CD-R and switch between tracks or audio samples - but that shoves in the issue of what dither algorithm and whatever. Sorry I steer the thread to a silly technical conundrum.

It is important to level match before comparing. A changing in level can sway apparent tonality.

 

I've stuck by my mofi for years even after having heard and compared most of these on there. Is it the best version? Not necessarily but I enjoy it. I also liked the latest remaster as well. It sounds different. Better? Not necessarily. Different.

 

I think it has the definitive cd version of Money. I like the non-TO JPN Blackface overall better (smoother, more midrange, less kick drum on Us and Them and Any Colour You Like). But I love the insane punch in the drum fills on MFSL's Money, and in the same track Roger's bass is even nastier than on the BF.

 

I am really surprised that the 2003 SACD redbook layer has been getting so many votes. I find it really harsh and the details are smeared. The other CDs have points to recommend them, but that one is just not good.

 

I don't hear any smearing. What SACD player do you use?

 

He said redbook layer, as in not the SACD layer, as in a regular CD player not an SACD player.

It has been said many a time that the SACD layer is actually quite good (I've yet to hear it, not owning an SACD player) but the redbook layer has been compressed and is loud! I thought it sounded the worst out of all of them, agreeing with Jason Michael's comment 100% there.

 

Okay, I read it too fast. For redbook layer, I like the Harvest silverface and the 2011 remaster.

 

I think its popularity has to do with the fact that it's easily obtained. Nearly every decent sized CD/record store seems to have one, at least around here. And then you discover why.

 

You are right there. But the 1992/3 Doug Sax RM can be had for practically nothing in used bins, and it's really abundant. Just look for the solid white filled prism design, and it'll have the triangle and topography etched disc in it. There were some CDP7460012 normal design artwork with the newer etched disc, because that's what we bought, the folks wanted to avoid a remaster (as we were discovering a few remasters sounding like poop at the time when we picked up DSotM on CD), but they got a remaster and it's actually a reasonable sounding disc, along with the rest of the Sax remasters (WYWH and Meddle in our collections).

 

Very true, it's probably third in popularity to the 80s EMI for US and to the Sax discs.

 

I can't say I've found the same problem. Perhaps that may have something to do with your home stereo equipment? Or did you play it through your computer speakers. I find the non-TO BT/BF sound warm on my system.

 

Mohojo said: ↑

Is my purchase holier than thou?​

​

I recently bought an EMI blackface (Harvest CDP 7 46001 2; Made in Japan). The matrix is: CP35-3017 33D1 TO. The EAC track peak levels are: 39.9 / 43.3 / 70.1 / 55.2 / 72.3 / 44.5 / 53.9 / 54.6 / 61.2​

​

Now, is this the same mastering as the "holy grail"?​

vinyl diehard said: ↑

EAC levels for the original "holy grail" are:​

​

A - Black Triangle (first ever pressing)*:39.9 \ 43.4 \ 70.2 \ 55.2 \ 72.4 \ 44.6 \ 53.9 \ 54.7 \ 61.2​

You have the first mastering (holy grail), 2nd issue it would seem. See http://www.pinkfloydarchives.com/DJaCDPF.htm#DSOTMMFSL2​

for details.​

I thought the grail mastering is a non-TO BF/BT...

Not according to the pinkfloydarchives website. A couple of the TO issues are too. Check it out.

vinyl diehard said: ↑

This is a great sounding disc! Of course it should as it contains the original Japanese mastering.​

So does my non-TO BF contain pre-emphasis? I'm still confused about this. Played it on two systems (main and car) and it sounds the same on both. Thanks!

Again, check out the website. For yours, from the website:

The Sound Mastering


Mastering: The 1985 Toshiba-EMI Records issues still use the same mastering as the first Sony-pressed issues. Using Exact Audio Copy (EAC) software to read the peak levels for each track on the CD, the results are:

​

1983 Sony mastering track peak levels: 39.9 / 43.3 / 70.1 / 55.2 / 72.3 / 44.5 / 53.9 / 54.6 / 61.2​

​

Pre-emphasis: The 1985 Toshiba-EMI Records pressings of the Dark Side of the Moon CD have pre-emphasis.



TTR: The mastering used on the 1985 issues cuts off the very short segment of the Beatles song, Ticket to Ride, that appears for a brief instant at the end of the master tape. It is not heard on these CDs.

 

Right, well I am comparing these pressings. I loaded them all up into Reaper, and level matched the tracks to get gain in the right ball park. I routed the tracks into Voxengo SPAN to produce the graphs. Graphs are from an average time of 6 seconds RMS, with 6dB/Oct slope.
This is from a section in Money, the start of the guitar solo at approximately 3m:06s to 3m:12s.

A - Black Triangle (first ever pressing)*: Green
39.9 \ 43.4 \ 70.2 \ 55.2 \ 72.4 \ 44.6 \ 53.9 \ 54.7 \ 61.2[
* Using Izotope Ozone5 EQ "De-Emphasis" preset.

B - Harvest (Silver Face): Blue
87.8 \ 94.7 \ 100 \ 97.2 \ 100 \ 99.1 \ 100 \ 96.1 \ 100

C - Doug Sax 1992/3 Remaster (triangle and contour etching): Red
67.9 \ 69.1 \ 76.9 \ 75.0 \ 96.8 \ 69.6 \ 89.3 \ 75.7 \ 82.5

D - MFSL UDCD-512: Yellow
29.3 \ 34.1 \ 39.2 \ 40.3 \ 41.5 \ 56.3 \ 49.2 \ 57.8 \ 52.9 \ 60.0

Black Triangle VS Silver Face:


Silver Face VS 1992/3 Doug Sax:


1992/3 Doug Sax VS MFSL:


MFSL VS Black Triangle:


Take what you want from that. It's not the whole story, but it does kinda follow the same pattern throughout. I may do it in a few different places if people want (for what it's worth).

 

No, RE-2 and says mastered by EMI MFG.

 

If you hear any unpleasant brightness or brittle-ness on the black triangle mastering (DSOTM or Abbey Road), you are either listening to a different version or your equipment is faulty and is not de-emphasizing properly. They are not perfect, but they are very smooth and warm sounding.

 

OK....I think I have one that is NOT listed anywhere:

CDP7460012, DIDX 226
Matrix = CDP 746001+2 @ 8 + +, 3 5 CAPITOL JAX 39 C

Does anyone know about this?

 

It will be a variation from the jacksonville pressings. Vernon may be interested if he hasn't logged it.
http://pinkfloydarchives.com/DUSCDPF.htm#DSOTM12

 

I like the 2011 Remastered CD that came in the Immersion Box Set. Have not heard the MFSL or Black Triangle, so perhaps I have no frame of reference, but the 2011 I thought sounded better than my dad's 1992/3 CBS CD.

 

I think that's Gilmour playing the bass?

 

I have heard em all and I thought the 2011 was very well done.

 

I have several different versions and I don't have a favorite. I like bits and pieces of each one that I have.

Interesting that there is no real consensus in the poll. System dependent?

 

Ear dependent mostly.