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

Happened to listen to DSOTM last week, and was cycling through a few versions. I have the Shine On Box version and a needledrop of a Quad Mix. The Shine On version has a very reliable sound & bass, but the weird Quad Mix sounds brighter and more accessible, especially in regards to effects (which I like).

 

Yes, almost all of the masterings in the Shine On box are slightly different than the stand alone releases. I'm not sure if it is just a level shift or not though. I think only Meddle is identical. Animals is also more dynamic than the individual release.

 

I had the German and British SQ quad versions. I think the German had a bit more treble. It was also a quieter pressing

 

I love the 2011 remaster. I have it in the Discovery box set. My question is: what CD's were used in the Oh By the Way box? I thought they came out a few years earlier, but maybe they were 2011?

 

Some are Doug Sax remasters, some original masterings, a real hodge podge.

 

They weren’t the 2011 remasters. As far as I know, the titles in the OBTW set were discovered to have been a mishmash of previous masterings.

 

Is a Japanese black face CDP 7 46001 2 CP35-3017 31B1 any thing to get excited about? I found one for $1.99 at Savers.

 

don't know. But for $1.99 I wouldn’t pass it up unless it was trashed.

 

Yes, as long as there is no “TO” in the matrix, this is very likely to be the original Sony mastering with Pre-emphasis, which many (myself included) consider to be the “holy grail” DSOTM on CD.

I’ve seen them selling for $15-$20 lately on eBay. Here it is on Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/Pink-Floyd-The-Dark-Side-Of-The-Moon/release/2020149

 

That’s a great find. First batch of DSOTM pressings with “holy grail” mastering: Pink Floyd Archives-U.K. CD Discography

 

Grab it! Yes, that’s THE one. And my Oppo handles the pre-emphasis correctly. Doesn’t handle my rip, though, no matter how much I edit the cue sheet. What’s your cd player?

 

A bit off topic, but what Oppo do you have? I would love to get a recent universal player that recognizes pre-emphasis.

Thanks!

 

Oppo 105 is listed in his Gear Profile. With Oppo having stopped selling Physical Media Players, I would think any Used ones would cost a lot of money on the secondary market, but keep checking EBay or the FS Section here as you never know if one might show up for sale at a decent price.

 

Oops, forgot I could look that up. I have been looking at used 105s, and yes they are pricey for an older player.

Thank you, now back to our regular programing.

 

105. Non-Darbee.

 

A used Oppo 100 series has more value than you might anticipate. They have Mediatek chipsets that can "hacked" to rip SACDs. So that way you can put your SACD collection on your server or personal audio device. One can also rip the SACD to DSF files which many receivers can natively decode. So besides being good universal players there are special side benefits.

I bought a used 103 for those features. Only downside is the older units like my other unit (an 83) can play SACD-R files and the 100 and 200 series can not. The only advantage to that is that a SACD-R can reduce the risk of messing up your SACD collection as one is basically playing a backup disc. I prefer the server approach, but since my receiver can't handle a native ISO I have to play the DSF files. And DSF files are roughly twice as big as the DST compressed files found on the original SACD.

 

Not sure if this was supposed to be directed at me or the OP who was thinking about buying the disc, but I have a Denon DVD-1940ci that I use mostly as a single CD player with analog output.

It’s strange that your Oppo wouldn’t handle PE on a ripped disc. If the “PRE” flags are in the cue sheet properly, it should read it like any other CD with pre-emphasis.

 

Will an Oppo BDP-83 play the Harvest non-TO with pre-emphasis?
I have one.

 

No, only table of contents (TOC) flag location.

 

All pale in comparison to the master tape copies unfortunately

 

What is that supposed to mean?

 

Perhaps I'm using the wrong terminology. There's a video on YouTube comparing various versions of the album. For me, the ones listed as 'master tape copy' which I'm sure aren't otherwise available, sound much better than any vinyl or digital release. Well, those featured in the video, anyway.

 

Oh it’s a reel to reel. I imagine the EQ has more to do with your preference than being a reel to reel - especially considering you’re judging from a YouTube video which would defeat any debatable opinion that an all-analog source is superior.

 

I think Doug Sax nailed it when he mastered the Shine On box. He was a very talented engineer who doesn’t use any “harsh EQ” as the person in that video claims often apply to later CD reissues. He also used the master tape which is closer to the source than an analog copy tape.

I saw you inquiring about other Pink Floyd releases as well. Just get the Sax mastered Shine On box and fill in the gaps with the stand-alone Sax versions as needed. They’re cheap, easily available and sound better than any other digital versions I’ve compared.

EDIT - just do some research on which Shine On box to get. I think the US one is the Sax one. There were some anomalies with the box issued in the EU I believe which didn’t always use the Sax masterings.