OUCH. Is the XRCD2 clipped? I mean - it doesn't matter much if it's hotter, as long as it doesn't clip!
Thanks Ric and I agree the XRCD is very painfull to listen to. Based on waves you've posted I think I'll avoid the SACD as well and stick with Bob Ludwig's original.
Back in 1986 I was put into the "big boy" sound room at one of the high end hi-fi shops in Calgary. The store owner wanted me to hear the difference between the Brothers In Arms CD vs the U.K. vinyl, IIRC. The vinyl blew away the CD. CD sounded thin, brittle. LP was very warm sounding. Really opened my eyes to the difference between analogue and digital (after all of the CD "the early years" brainwashing). Haven't turned back since. The owner of one of the high end stores in Calgary (who dislikes CDs and has never owned one) says the XRCD Brothers In Arms disc is wonderful.
Chris, can't get into it without hi-jacking this thread, but in a nutshell... were both equal ie. equipment, IC's etc.? I would tend to believe not.
I'll put in another vote for the remaster. There was nothing wrong with the original disc, but the remaster is a little fuller sounding, with a bit wider soundstage. I've actually picked up all of the Dire Straits remasters, & prefer them ever so slightly over the originally issued CD's.
As far as the XRCD goes, like I said, it's just too hot. If you listen for 30 seconds, you may think it's much better than the other releases, but spend 10 minutes with it and it starts to grate on you. I also agree with street legal that the remasters are very very good. Nobody should think that the remasters are in any way flawed or not great sounding... they are. They are just mastered louder than the original issues, but are not clipped or distorted at all.
Neither! Get the SACD or the DualDisc. (I may incur peoples' wrath over that last suggestion.) I think the remastered CD sounds great.
I've always thought that my West German target copy of BIA was lean to the point of being thin, and "digital-sounding" in the pergorative sense. This year I acquired a vinyl copy. It sounds a lot better balanced tonally. So to is the surround layer (the only one I've listened to) on the SACD. The SACD was verging on an organic sound, somehting I'd never thought I'd say about BIA!
The same here. It's quite remarkable, because BIA is an all digital recording and the LP was actually better sounding than the CD in it's first incarnation. Referring to the signature of a forum member: It's all in the mastering.
I concur with Mike. I also have a West German edition with identical labeling, except for a slightly different matrix number: 824 499-2 02, and sure enough, the hi-hat is clearly coming from the right channel. I blew up the waveform in Adobe Audition and highlighted a hi-hat section. You can see that the lower view pane (right channel) is more pronounced than the left. For what its worth, I purchased this disc during its initial release week.
You beat me to it...... Actually, I mentioned this, somewhat off-topic, as the SACD came out.....so which one(s) is correct? Dan
I too have several copies. For a while, I was undecided on which version sounds "right". I've now concluded that the Vertigo SBM Ludwig remaster (probably same as US remaster) is my favorite. Stay faaaaaaaaaaaar away from the stereo-layer SACD. The most painfully clipped and compressed SACD I've ever come across
hi-hat in the Left channel on So Far Away is the correct mix. The first pressing was obviously an error and production was halted rather quickly. Every other pressing has the correct L-R designation.
Exactly. A few months ago I borrowed the XRCD to do a shoot-out that also included the West German target and the remaster. The XRCD seems to have more detail, but I couldn't take it for more than a few minutes (went back the very next day).
I already have a copy of the original 1985 by John Dent, and it's a good master. There's a lot of dynamics and it's clear, but it's a little quiet and a little thin sounding for my taste. For reference, I think my 1991 release of On Every Street is the best sounding record in my collection. I've heard that the 2005 SACD remaster was brick-walled to death and that the 1996 remaster was just... okay. Does anyone know how the 2011 Japanese SHM-CD compares? Is it just the 1996 version put onto SHM? I'm also curious about the self-titled debut album, if anyone has some info on that. Thank you.
Yes the 2005 is a brick re-leveled. (2 channel) My favorite is the old US SRC-01/Japan for US , both share the same mastering. Second up is the 2013 MFSL SACD I haven't heard the 1996/2000, but it looks like it retains it's dynamics with only slight compression added.
I have a Japan edition (90-ish) and have listened for a reported click (forget where) which I don’t hear, also not sure if the channels are switched? Don’t suppose it matters until you read about these quirks
I would buy the Mobile Fidelity hybrid SACD. It's available right now and a good price. Good luck on finding an SHM at the same price.
I wouldn't. Didn't care for it. Pick the oldie up for a buck, and use the savings for a Breakfast In America MFSL
Think I remember an old thread discussing it as well Mb. I can't remember hearing it either and don't want to know, once you spot it you can't un-hear it Not sure on the swapped channels. I don't recall that note.
