Quote:
Originally Posted by dave790
Finally got around to spinning the 2019 PB vinyl last night. I think it is great!
Super clear but loses none of the original's charm - i.e. the 'dirtier' sounding samples still sound that way. I'm not sure of any of the technical terms...but to me, the vocals sounds clearer - more separation is perhaps what I mean to say - and I picked up on the slight reverb on the vocals a lot more on certain songs. The separation between sounds in general is great, although that may partly be down to a new (but old) 90s Pioneer system I picked up second hand recently. I feel like very little gets lost in the mix, although I suppose that is maybe not the best thing for some people.
I didn't get the 2009 vinyl (just the CD) so I can't really compare, but for someone who has only ever had the 89 PB vinyl, it is a massive improvement. Bass is thumping but not overly so - aside from Hey Ladies where it seems to be completely absent (aside from the obvious Hey! Hey! Hey! Ladies break) - and you can hear so much without having to crank it up too high.
The best thing about any good remaster is that it can make you feel like you are listening to a song for the first time (or certainly with a different set of ears). High Plains Drifter...I don't know, it just seems to have real menace to it which I never really noticed before, both instrumentally and vocally. And A Year and A Day could almost be a different mix!
There were other things I meant to make notes of but overall I think it is worth every penny. I haven't been that intoxicated by PB in years. The 2009 CD is good but I feel it is somehow both sharper but flatter overall (I understand if this is making less and less sense as I ramble on). But I should probably play it on the Pioneer system to be sure.
Lastly, the packaging and vinyl itself is beautiful! Top work! IC will be next.
|
Nice review Dave! I don't think you're tripping out as far as what you're noticing. My experience with a lot of remasters and just plain old "vinyl vs. CD" is that the vinyl sounds better due to fact that they can't compress it quite as much as a digital file. The vinyl medium self-limits compression because if you over-compress I understand the vinyl will skip (potentially what happened with the Grasshopper Unit on Hello Nasty). In the digital medium, you can get away with more compression, which allows for higher relative "loudness" but also additional sharpness that can be fatiguing.
The other thing about vinyl is that you can get away with more compression if you have less audio on a side. So, these double-disc sets allow for not only higher sound quality, but also louder pressings. Overall, the compression on vinyl just sounds better to me than compression in the digital realm. I LOVE the LTI show vinyl because it's so damn thumping! When you put that on you can really imagine how it must have sounded on those big PA systems at shows. BASSSS!