Black versions arrived today here too. The records all look great, will listen to them later in the evening! Doc
Saw them at my local store today and they look beautiful. Got the email about shipping delays as well so definitely felt small regret over preordering but I know patience will hopefully prevail once I get the obi. Good to hear SQ is good and that's interesting about the new edits on MAQ. Anyone listen to the bonus content yet? Anything worthwhile?
Mostly falls into the "interesting" category rather than the "essential" but the missing 6th part of "Nihilist Assault Group", a MAQ-era take of "Melochord Seventyfive" and some bits and pieces that went into the making of "Jenny Ondioline" are the ones that have given me the most pleasure.
Playing the FLAC files of the Mars Audiac Quintet remaster right now on some desktop speakers I'm reviewing and it truly sounds great! Can't wait to get the vinyl here!
what I've heard so far (the entire Transient set and one disc of Mars) is definitely satisfying, although I have nothing to compare with, as my original UK copies are not with me anymore (Mars had two sides badly off center btw), and the pressing is stellar too. I didn't remember how much I liked Transient Doc
Is "Golden Ball" on the Transient album a different performance from the one on the Jenny Ondioline EP (also found on the Oscillons comp), or just a remix?
As someone who owns all the original CDs, can someone chime in on whether the remastered discs are a significant improvement?
I think you would like the upgrade but don’t think it’s essential. I opted for the vinyl but the digital files sound great.
I picked up the CDs this weekend but have not spent enough time with them other than to know it might take some more time. These seem a little less in your face and bright vs. last year’s Switched On Vol 1-3 box (same mastering engineer) which I was not a fan of; but this does take that same general approach. It seems it’s going to come down to a taste thing, openness and early digital vs. thicker more forward but maybe benefits of better transfer gear-- where then the mastering leads to it being more palpable/engaging perhaps at least initially. There is a good bit said on the state of the tapes, they were baked etc. in the liner notes (of Mars anyway, I didn’t check Transient yet) you can find on discogs Stereolab - Mars Audiac Quintet but having spent more time on the second album I didn’t get any sense there was an issue and certainly felt there was a payoff of a good modern gear transfer. I’ll try to get to these with some comparisons more this week.
Probably not a great way to judge but I just compared the stream of Transient on Google Play (says 2019 so I'm assuming it's the remaster) against my rip of the original disc. Not much difference tbh. Doesn't appear the remaster of Mars is on Google Play.
@bmoregnr the mastering notes are the same in both of the records. I’m happy with how they sound, not A/B’d the digital with original CDs though.
I A/B'd original CD vs. remastered "Mars Audiac Quintet" on TIDAL HiFi on a school Chromebook and original Apple earbuds (obviously not great equipment) and the remaster sounded more pleasing than the original CD, which sounds fairly flat and lifeless IMO.
Comparing the original UK CD of TRNBWA against the new FLAC, the latter wins outright, no question. I would assume the FLACs would be an accurate representation of what the new CD would be like.
A discogs comment on MAQ mentioned additional sound effects and suggested possibilities of a remix. Considering the new running times on some songs is a (at least partial) remix out of the question?
It absolutely isn't. Some folks on the other Stereolab thread have mentioned that there are some significant differences.
Very cool but also a little curious. It’s always weird to alter something in that way, especially without announcing it. I’m still waiting for my OBI vinyl to ship so I can’t personally compare but I’ll be curious what others find out
My OBI strip "Transient" CD shipped! Still nothing on the status of "MAQ" black vinyl from Duophonic.
Yeah, my OBIs haven't shipped either. Hopefully soon, I'm chomping at the bit after seeing all these positive responses.
Lifeless? Hmm. Listening to the original Mars Audiac Quintet disc now and it pops pretty nicely. But I'm running through a Yamaha A-S801 and Sennheiser HD 800S cans. I'm a little suspicious how much of an improvement could be made. I don't think I'll open my remastered disc just yet...
My last Stereolab marathon was 2016 when I listened to my entire collection over several months. Since then, the band has been in "hibernation" for me, while listening to High Llamas, solo Laetitia and Cavern of Anti-Matter has been filling that void. Regardless, I'm happy for all of you who have acquired these new pressings. They sound like they're well-worth it!
