Why buy the DCC Gold 'Hotel California'?

I have both the DCC and the DVD-A. The 5.1 mix is good on the DVD-A, and clearly remixed/mastered. The stereo IMHO is not as good as the DCC.

To each his own I say.

 

If you don't buy it NOW you'll be sorry later!

C'mon, it's a good album and more than just worth the singles.

 

Well, purely on a musical level (as opposed to sound quality considerations) I have to disagree with most of the other comments here.

I don't think it's The Eagles best album and apart from the obvious 2 or 3 classic tracks I think the other tracks are below the standard of the rest of their earlier catalogue.

If you're not really an Eagles fan but feel like buying just one disc, go for the DCC Greatest Hits. It's not too hard to find on ebay and usually sells for a little less than HC.

 

Thom,
I was not a real big Eagles fan. I had heard my share of them back in the 70's when that was all that was over the airwaves.

The only DCC Gold I had- was Wheels Of Fire. I spotted Hotel California at a local chain for $27 sealed, and decided to buy it, mainly because I never saw many DCC's out there(this was 2 years ago), and I had known of Steve's reputation for "coaxing" the most out of tapes(he must have a double secret degree in which he bakes those tapes ).

I played it in my car on the way home, and was floored! No fuzziness, no tinniness(is that a word!!) no distortion, just great musical details that had been lost to my mind. It had a certain breathe and was very open and natural.

If you want a disc to ENJOY music- this is one of the ones you gotta have. I play this one more often than my other DCC's, and the difference over my 1986-1987 CD is tremendous. I even have a DTS version from the DVD-A- and as good as that sounds in surround- the DCC is my choice.

If you buy it and don't like it- as others have mentioned here- you could sell iti in a heartbeat.


Enjoy
Chris

 

Well I just picked up a copy of this on ebay and the day it arrived I had to go away for 3 weeks and didnt get a chance to play it! Now I can't wait to get home and hear it after the great talk up you guys are giving it

 

I agree with all the posts that recommend you to get and especially for such a good price. 'Hotel California' is one of those albums I think that should be in every music collection. I'm sure one day you will really appreciate it as a fine piece of music. I'm also sure there will be times when guests, etc. would love for you to throw it on. Steve's mastering is truly incredible and I believe you will never get the opportunity to hear a better version (unless perhaps he does a SACD).

Todd

 

How about a dissenting voice? I liike the recent remaster much more than the DCC. Sorry Steve. I know everybody on the forum thinks you're god and everything you do is perfect, but I don't. The DCC is too quiet. I like loud remasters. I make my own CDs and for the Eagles one, I had the DCC Hotel C on it. Whenever it came to those songs on the CD I could barely hear it. So I made a new one with the remaster. Much better.
I traded in the DCC at a used store and got four bucks.
I think if you're listening with headphones at home maybe the DCC is better, but I'm a train commuter and I like it louder.

 

I don't disagree with any of the previous posts BUT....it all comes down to the music YOU like.

If you don't like the music ...you shouldn't buy it... period.

Maybe someone else who truly likes this music will get a chance to buy it.

 

You're a brave person spice9!!

 

Re: Re: Why buy the DCC Gold 'Hotel California'?

Ben has a very valid point too. There are many people out there who would really appreciate this album and maybe leave it for them to pick up.....

Todd

 

Which used store by the way?
As he runs out of the door and fills his car with gas.......................

 

Sounds on St. Marks in the East village.

 

I actually like my CD's louder too BUT the remaster gets distorted as it gets louder (compression). I can jack up the DCC all the way and it still sounds clear as a bell.

 

SPICE9, I AGREE. IF THAT DCC HOTEL CALIFORNIA DISC IS TOO LOW YOU DID THE RIGHT THING BY TRADING IT IN. YOU NEED SOMETHING YOU CAN HEAR PROPERLY, LIKE A SANTANA CD. GOOD CALL!

 

It's an awsome disc buy it.... If you 'think' you don't like it, you soon will after a few listens. I do think as an album, Hotel California is overrrated though. ..... The DCC 'Eagles - Greatest hits' is an even better buy, IMHO.

 

Spice9,

A few thoughts:

1. None of us hear think that Steve is a god. I actually find that rather offensive. We like his work very, very much (part of the reason we hang out here).

2. The reason the DCC CD is not so "LOUD" is because of something called dynamics. The is room for the music to build and then relax, etc. It's an amazing concept that is sadly becoming lost in this post-modern world of extremes.

3. If music sounds too soft then try turning the volume knob up. It usually helps make stuff louder. Also, if it get too loud then try turning the knob in the opposite direction, that I believe decreases the volume.

4. There will most likely always be volume differences in a plain-jane CD-R taken from different sources. I recommend getting a program which will allow you to adjust the volume of different tracks to form a better volume match.

5. Very "LOUD" CD's (compressed) can seriously cause headaches after "x" amount of playing. The brain kind of rejects the unnatural lack of dynamics. Ears tend to ring after prolonged listening too.

6. I bet the CD store you sold the DCC disc to was very happy for getting it for a mere $4. I bet they sold it for a wee bit more.....

 

IMHO playing a well mastered cd (any well mastered cd) only on commuter headphones is like owning a shiny sports car and taking it 4 wheeling through the mud. You just don't get the performance you were expecting.

It's not only the cd, but how the sound makes it to your ears.

With making your own cds, and mixing in well mastered cds with loud remasters, I would agree with you that the well mastered ones will sound too low. You probably need it louder if you are on a train. As you upgrade gear though, the better cds sound better and better, and the loud remasters sound harsher and less listenable.

Also, I always thought Bruce Springsteen was God, not Steve.

Spice9, Welcome to the board!!! Take your shoes off and stay awhile

 

Oh, sorry, I forgot to comment on the actual post! My question would be why NOT buy it? You aren't going to lose any money on it, and you might find out that you do like it now that you've heard it remastered by Steve. The worst thing that could happen is you make a couple af bucks reselling it in the classified forum. Also, it is a good disc to show off your system, and your philosophy of music, to your friends who don't get what all the "fuss" is about.

Go for it!

 

Everyone is different, Gabe. I'm all about the music, AND what sounds good. I've bought a few of Steve's remastered albums, that I wouldn't have bought otherwise. This has led to a broader musical span for me, and I enjoy them all now!

 

'


That's what the volume knob is for, spice Some DCCs and MFSLs sound great, even though they are much quieter. But, you can also turn them up much louder than even the "normal" versions, and they sound wonderfully full, with no distortion. Just my opinion and on my system.

 

Yes, $4 was kind of an insult price from that dealer. I hate it when dealer's try to pull that crap and then charge a ton more (usually higher than market value).....

 

I was pretty much in the same boat as the original poster. I was never a huge Eagles fan and I much prefer most of the punk / new wave music from that era. As I was in college when that album first came out - in a pretty small town - I heard the entire album and certain cuts over and over on radio and at parties. Enough to last me a lifetime, I thought, and I never owned the album in any of its incarnations

However, I found a used copy of "Hotel California" about two years ago at a Warehouse Music store that I used to frequently browse on my lunch hour (now shut down...) for a ridiculously low price - $7.

I really, really enjoyed the CD. It's a cliche, but it was like hearing it for the first time. I highly recommend springing for it, and as other people have pointed out, if you hate it, you can always sell or trade it on the forum.

((fwiw, I had pretty much the same experience with Steve's fine work on Heart's "Dreamboat Annie" - another FM staple when I grew up that I got for a nice price at Warehouse.))