E2
Addicted Member
I have a first UK press of Led Zeppelin 2, and it doesn't sound any better than a US press. Some early CD's were just awful.
They couldn't even find the complete master for Hendrix Electric Ladyland. And it had to be on 2 CD's.
Why are CDs the current hot topic?
- Thread starter H2oman7.62mm
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I have a first UK press of Led Zeppelin 2, and it doesn't sound any better than a US press. Some early CD's were just awful.
They couldn't even find the complete master for Hendrix Electric Ladyland. And it had to be on 2 CD's.
The thing about shopping for CDs on Ebay is that usually you can choose whether or not you want to take a chance on something listed as "acceptable" or maybe you will go for something listed as "good" or "very good". I also sometimes will buy a new CD if the price is right. The Stevie Ray Vaughan CD I recently bought cost me all of $8.53, which is about the same as what a record would have cost me 20 years ago. So that is a very fair price for something that I can enjoy for years...
hjdca
Member
Yes, great points. You really have to research Discogs and Hoffman sites to understand all the particulars with an artists specific recording - vinyl or CD. There is a ton of variance. I have a great copy of the GB first pressing of Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti. It sounds fantastic. This is what I base my experience on.... Most of my other Led Zepplin albums are USA vinyl first pressing and I like the Japanese original CDs better - except for Led Zeppelin IV.
I also do have a Great Britain vinyl first pressing of Led Zeppelin III, but, the mastering is so different on that Album, that I am undecided on which versions I like better.
Note: I actually have the original, mint Great Britain Vinyl first pressing of Electric Ladyland (Track Record, defect matrix stamping), and there is no other recording of those songs that even comes close to that first pressing from England - which was actually mastered by Hendrix. Neither Vinyl, nor CD.
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I wish this new fad would extend to more SACD manufacturing. We haven't really taken advantage of the enhanced fidelity this medium has to offer on a more widespread scale. Sure there are outliers; some already have SACDs/ players -but it remains a forgotten niche in history (with only a small library) deserving of a comeback.
mrehorst
Super Member
The answer will be found when he/someone burns his house down. Will the insurance company actually pay $50k for the records? And will they do so without having to take them to court?Well, sure, insurance will appraise anything, but the question is, will anyone really pay $50K for those if he tried to sell them? How many buyers would he get? That's the actual test.
hjdca
Member
Yes, I agree. I got into SACDs and have about 60 or so now. I have also ripped them all and feed DSD into my DAC as part of my online library. Most of them sound absolutely fantasic - as good as great Vinyl. A well done SACD through a transport and a DAC that can handle native DSD sounds glorious.
RunOutGroove
Addicted Member
Yeah, sometimes that stuff seems pretty shoddy. There are some CDs at a place I sometimes shop at of jazz artists who I dig that are kind of mini box sets where something like 6 or 8 of a particular artist's albums will be spread out over half that many CDs. They're on some kind of obscure seeming reissue label and a really cheap, like maybe only $12 or $15, but I fear they won't seem like such a great bargain if the music is poorly transferred and sounds like garbage. I may have to pick up one of these anyway, just to see whether or not the quality is as bad as I imagine it could be.
I was just listening to a local radio station and they were playing some very cool, vintage Ethiopian music. One thing sounded particularly bad, like an old scratchy LP, but I would bet that they weren't playing an old LP of this artist because that stuff is so rare to find in the US and were likely playing a CD that was cut from the only source they likely were able to find, an old scratchy LP. I don't even mind some music that was poorly recorded, often old international stuff, but stuff that was dubbed from scratchy LPs is much tougher for me to get into... though sometimes that's the only way we get to hear the music, so I get why it happens. CDs were really cool for this because you had a lot of stuff coming out which was older stuff from all over the globe, which would have been impossible to track down on LP, but now were being collected on this other format and were easy to track down and usually fairly reasonably priced.
hjdca
Member
Check out "Ofege" - 70's Nigerian rock band. Some cool sound... "It's not easy" is their famous song.
I have a 10 CD box set (20 albums) of Dave Brubeck that sounds pretty good. Maybe not up to today's standards, but not bad. Especially considering that they were all originally recorded from '53-'66 (and a few were 'live').
ANYTHING discussed on AK (in a favorable light) is subject to price increases.
grillebilly
Empty Head
Only 20 of this album on physical media, all on CD, sounds marvelous. Double disc, recorded in a castle in Budapest. I didn't mind paying full price and shipping from Hungary.
Key word, 'subject'.Thinking you are giving us WAY to much credit!
E2
Addicted Member
I could debate that as well.....it's certainly not bad, I don't hear that much, or any difference between a Track upside down Cat No Press, and a Two Tone Label Reprise press. The early CD's are excellent....Now I do have Axis, and Are You Experienced (Mint) on early French Barclay pressings now that pressing may be better because those are so good. Japan press late 70's Are you Experienced is also excellent......
E2
Addicted Member
Dracula grows a beard?
E2
Addicted Member
Found a copy of Brubeck Quartet Time Out on a gold Mastersound Columbia CD two years ago at the thrift after sifting through 200 CD's of stuff not worth anything (Surprise no Blue Note CD's) and it pails in comparison to an original Six Eye LP press.....I was surprised how marginal it is. It's perfect, but missing the outer slipcase....
