BMG Steve's US: 100, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100 Jpn for US: 98.0, 100, 95.0, 99.7, 83.2, 91.6, 96.0, 99.4, 85.8 "Steve's" Cinram CA: 96.3, 91.5, 96.0, 96.8, 88.9, 99.4, 96.2, 90.7, 93.5 One irony for me is, I specifically picked up the BMG US disc, because I wanted Steve's mastering that was dropped by 3 dB or whatever it is. Guess it must be the CRC record club version ... *Still* like the BMG the best.
I think there are few different Japan for US’s to consider, the timing being a defining difference I believe if not the EACs. I think this post gets into the whole shebang. Best Sounding Who's Next CD ?
That is a very good summary, but contrary to stated belief, the non Hoffman mastered JVC Japan for US almost certainly came first in 1984, followed by the Hoffman mastered Denon Japan for US around 1986. AJ
I believe this quote is correct: Unfortunately, you can't tell by the catalog number. Some are SH-mastered, some are not.
No. As far as I know, there are two Japanese for US masterings: Steve's and not Steve's (which is the original release here in the states). Just looking now on the DR database, there is no listing for the Jpn for US that isn't Steve's, so I can't confirm that this one is the same as the P33P. (I will try to get the DR readings for my Jpn for US disc tonight, and maybe I can tell if those two Japanese discs are the same. My notes say that the WG Polydor might also be the same as the P33P ... (I might have that one too.) One other thing my notes say, the original Jpn for US that isn't Steve's, was done by Doug Sax. Straight transfer of the original vinyl mastering. That's the JVC Jpn for US. All of this is cut and pasted from other Who's Next threads.
I was looking at mine last night and itunes had it at 43:20 and Jriver at 43:24 so you might want to check a few players; that or run EAC or DR numbers on it.
One of these was delivered today and I gave it a listen with my headphones. Definitely the only CD I'll ever need for this album.
Not his mastering? Not according to Steve. Here is his quote: If you know something Steve doesn’t know and he is the one who mastered this, granted almost 35 years ago, perhaps address your discrepancies with him. I’ll stick with my Canadian Who’s Next and based on Steve’s extensive and detailed response describing his 35 year old mastering, I have confidence it’s his mastering. We don’t have much info as to what caused the eq changes between the digital and analog sources your graph is showing.
The Canadian disc isn't the same as the US disc. It was tweaked. By who, I can't tell. But the Canadian is NOT the same as the US disc.
Right! And why would it sound the same? Different sources. All digital sourced CDs show clipping. Even ones reduced in volume. Only the Canadian cd isn’t. It’s from a copy of the 30 ips tape or Dolby tape. Maybe one can’t make out the clipping, but it’s hard to accept that a cd with clipping and one without would sound identical. You didn’t even acknowledge Steve’s lengthy post which I quoted. Just seem to toss it off. The point is he heard the Canadian cd. If it was altered, wouldn’t he say it isn’t his? He’s done that before. Again, like I said, address that with Steve.
Exactly. And Steve himself said before the 1990’s there were two Who’s Next masterings out there: his and the Mastering Lab. So, I am moving on!
I don't care about Steve's post. I can only go by spectra analysis, and my ears. LISTEN. The Canadian disc has a little more low end than the US disc, and the top end is rolled off a little too. And btw, Steve cannot know if some Canadian engineer up there tweaked it in the "mastering" process from that tape, to what ended up on the Canadian CD. LISTEN. The CA CD is not the same as the US disc. And we know that the US disc has Steve's mastering. Lukpac has posted this elsewhere, but there are other "differences" with the CA disc too. One is that "digital" silence was added to the CA disc, in between the songs, and I believe there's a glitch somewhere in WGFA on the CA disc, that the US disc doesn't have too.
I have this cut and pasted into my notes. I don't know if this is an exact quote, or I paraphrased as I was putting it in there though:
This thread prompted me to blast the US Hoffman CD. I hadn't listened to Who's Next in years and now I wonder why. It's still fantastic after almost *gasp* 50 years.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but by virtue of the fact that the basis of the Canadian CD (through whatever means we’re employed) was a 1/2” 30ips tape copy of Steve’s mastering, would tape saturation not account for the very slight boost in the low frequencies, and a slight roll-off in the higher frequencies? If that’s the case, then it is 100% the same mastering. The digital silence between tracks could easily have been added at the CD prep stage without altering the mastering. Could be off-base here, but thought I’d offer up this explanation all the same. FWIW, I have the Canadian MCA CD, and it does sound great. That being said, my go-to version for this album is still the Classic Records version issued in the early 2000s. That version is just jaw dropping!!!!