Heard the Remastered Beatles CDs?

motordavid · #1 09-30-2009, 08:12 PM

I bought Rubber Soul, Revolver and Abbey Road the other day...
I have listened to all 3 a few times in the X5, the Vette, and
on my home system, through both speaker systems we have.

I like them, but don't hear a remarkable diff; some parts are
seemingly "louder", some more compressed, some sound like
boosted highs, some parts are no different to my ears, and
some parts are just so-so, as in the same.

I am/have been a huge Beatles fan, (as a high school/college
kid from the '60s); glad I bought a few I guess, but not blown
away. Yeah, I'm 62, not 22, but I still consider myself to have
very good hearing and can usually tell the diff between mp3
and CDs. Maybe it is jes' me...

NE1 else hear some of their re-done CDs?!
BR,mD

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Thunder22 · #2 09-30-2009, 09:02 PM

Due to my past employment at EMI I have almost every Beatles album ever produced. Now they release the remasters so I'll have to hit up my buddies back at Capital for copies to re-complete my collection. They're raping the Beatles catalogue just as badly as they raped the Beach Boys. Have you ever seen how many "greatest hits" albums Capital Records released for the Beach boys? It's disgusting.

You can hear the differences if you play the old version and then the remaster back to back. The car audio system might mask the subtleties as well.

Ishniknork · #3 09-30-2009, 10:49 PM

I've been tempted to try one of those new 'versions' but have n-e-v-e-r been a fan of anything that's been re-mastered. I had been so excited when the Beatles One CD came out but was immediately devastated by how BAD it sounded. Only listened to it once and it's been collecting dust ever since. I would much prefer straight copies of the original masters than someone else's idea of how it should sound.

My sister, nephew and I have just about every original Beatles album on vinyl. I've been thinking about getting a USB turntable and copying them to CD myself. As many albums as there are I could probably buy the turntable and blank CD's for less than I'd pay for all of the re-mastered retail versions.

realchef · #4 09-30-2009, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ishniknork

I've been tempted to try one of those new 'versions' but have n-e-v-e-r been a fan of anything that's been re-mastered. I had been so excited when the Beatles One CD came out but was immediately devastated by how BAD it sounded. Only listened to it once and it's been collecting dust ever since. I would much prefer straight copies of the original masters than someone else's idea of how it should sound.

My sister, nephew and I have just about every original Beatles album on vinyl. I've been thinking about getting a USB turntable and copying them to CD myself. As many albus as there are I could probably buy the turntable and blank CD's for less than I'd pay for all of the re-mastered retail versions.

I have hooked the Yamaha turntable to the computer. Made respectable copies. Kinks, John Lee Hooker and JLH jr. My buddy has a USB turntable and has burned everything he has.

There is software now that seperates tracks etc... Also, alot of freeware is out that will .wav/etc.. to mp3 and vice versa with many quality levels. You will find an mp3 level that is indistinguishable.
www.analogx.com
CD's are adequate formats by nature. A quality mp3 can replicate the original cd levels.

Ishniknork · #5 10-01-2009, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by realchef

There is software now that seperates tracks etc... Also, alot of freeware is out that will .wav/etc.. to mp3 and vice versa with many quality levels. You will find an mp3 level that is indistinguishable.
www.analogx.com
CD's are adequate formats by nature. A quality mp3 can replicate the original cd levels.

I saved that link for future reference. Kind of late to really explore it tonight. Do you have suggestions on freeware/programs available there?

TIA

cmyX6go · #6 10-01-2009, 05:44 AM

I haven't heard the re-done CDs but...

I went on Beatles overload as a kid. My parents had the greatest hits series of 8 tracks

and wore those damn things out.

Fast forward 35+ years. I never bought a Beatles CD due to my overload as a kid. I heard a song by Paul I never heard before and went looking around in one of those CD stores. I came out with a Beatles CD instead. No specific album, but another greatest hits deal

Well, I was blown away. I heard things I never heard before and developed a new appreciation for the Fab 4.

chilliwilli · #7 10-01-2009, 07:54 AM

IMO the term remastered or enhanced is more of a buzzword marketing ploy to boost sales. You're right, the remastering process nowadays, as ordered by record exec's is simply to enhance sound by increasing the loudness...and compressing for tighter, sharper sound. This loudness factor has become common in general mixing and mastering of new records today. I heard the remastered records on studio quality Cerwin Vegas...the better the speaker quality the more noticeable the sound difference...also more noticeable is analog to digital remastering.

Personally, i think the loudness factor in remastering records is a terrible idea as it takes away from the emotional aspects and dynamics of certain song parts. I'm still a huge fan of original vinyl sound and prefer it over digital. All said and done, remastered records are nothing more than a new revenue stream.

realchef · #8 10-01-2009, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ishniknork

I saved that link for future reference. Kind of late to really explore it tonight. Do you have suggestions on freeware/programs available there?

TIA

Man, this is so personal, I don't even want to get started. Just do a search and find the program that will do what you need. Even Winamp will rip these days. (not free)

I rip vinyl into a .wav or .acm. I do not use an mp3 player and therefore don't need the format. I have AnalogX's ACM converter (free) if ever a need to create mp3 arises. The mp3 is a compressed format. You can burn high quality mp3's for great sound but by then the file sizes are appropriately HUGE.

Nero is good.

GL

BTW, I agree that the repeated remasterings are profit motives. Some remasters such as the MFSL (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab) Gold series are done by an independant comapany and really show an improvement. They only start with quality original tapes.

Most home steroes won't showcase the improvements. The accuracy of the monitors is key; Polk, Cerwin Vega, Magna Planar etc... However, a good set of headphones will. Jimmy Vaughn spoke in an interview about listening to SRV's amp on The sky Is Crying with headphones. The buzz is there but it so much more present on the MFSL disc that the original.

Ishniknork · #9 10-01-2009, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by realchef

Man, this is so personal, I don't even want to get started. Just do a search and find the program that will do what you need. Even Winamp will rip these days. (not free).

Ah, now I see what you were getting at. I shouldn't have a problem ripping them in any format I choose, I just need a turntable.

I think I'll buy one of the new CDs just to see how they sound, I hope it's not as big a mistake as that ONE album was.

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