The original CD, while it isn't a victim of compression/loudness, is incredibly anemic like many other early CD pressings. The MFSL SACD is much better in that regard, and an affordable price unlike the SHM. That is why I say it is a good choice.
Perhaps, but I'm very upfront about my messages, there are no hidden agendas on my part. Not sure why you took my post so personally that you felt the need to attack or who you feel you are defending? Always those new here reading for the first time and my only goals with most of my posts is to save a few good folks some of their hard earned currency, and that they need to do their own compares, judging by my PM's over the years I occasionally accomplish that. As I will continue to mention folks need to do their own compares to know what will sound best to them; Please feel free at your first opportunity to add me to your 'people to ignore' list old friend.
MFSL of Making has been advertised for couple of years now, perhaps one day it will go from vaporware to reality. I hope it does because I really look forward to Shawns or Robs take on what is my favorite Straits album
I can't tell about country differences, but I do have the Bob Ludwig and the John Dent variant on West German CDs. The Bob Ludwig mastering is 2 db lower, and channels are switched compared to the Dent variant. The hi hat drum is in the left channel during the intro of So Far Away on the Ludwig variant and in the right channel on the Dent variant. DR numbers are identical, and the EAC peak levels are related (Ludwig: 79.4 / 79.4 / 44.7 / 33.0 / 18.0 / 57.6 / 54.9 / 71.1 / 44.9; Dent: 100.0 / 100.0 / 56.3 / 41.6 / 22.7 / 72.6 / 69.1 / 89.6 / 56.5). The matrix runouts on my copies are "824 499-2 12 #" for the Ludwig variant and "824 499-2 03 #" for the Dent variant. Aside from the channel switch, the two sound identical to me. DR Peak RMS Duration Track -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR20 -2.00 dB -23.87 dB 5:12 ?-Brothers In Arms - 01 - So Far Away - 1985 Bob Ludwig DR20 0.00 dB -21.86 dB 5:12 ?-Brothers In Arms - 01 - So Far Away - 1985 John Dent DR18 -2.00 dB -22.62 dB 8:26 ?-Brothers In Arms - 02 - Money For Nothing - 1985 Bob Ludwig DR18 0.00 dB -20.62 dB 8:26 ?-Brothers In Arms - 02 - Money For Nothing - 1985 John Dent DR13 -6.98 dB -22.62 dB 4:12 ?-Brothers In Arms - 03 - Walk Of Life - 1985 Bob Ludwig DR13 -4.98 dB -20.62 dB 4:12 ?-Brothers In Arms - 03 - Walk Of Life - 1985 John Dent DR14 -9.61 dB -27.12 dB 6:34 ?-Brothers In Arms - 04 - Your Latest Trick - 1985 Bob Ludwig DR14 -7.61 dB -25.12 dB 6:34 ?-Brothers In Arms - 04 - Your Latest Trick - 1985 John Dent DR13 -14.86 dB -30.84 dB 8:31 ?-Brothers In Arms - 05 - Why Worry - 1985 Bob Ludwig DR13 -12.86 dB -28.84 dB 8:31 ?-Brothers In Arms - 05 - Why Worry - 1985 John Dent DR17 -4.78 dB -25.27 dB 6:58 ?-Brothers In Arms - 06 - Ride Across The River - 1985 Bob Ludwig DR17 -2.78 dB -23.27 dB 6:58 ?-Brothers In Arms - 06 - Ride Across The River - 1985 John Dent DR14 -5.21 dB -24.75 dB 4:40 ?-Brothers In Arms - 07 - The Man's Too Strong - 1985 Bob Ludwig DR14 -3.21 dB -22.75 dB 4:40 ?-Brothers In Arms - 07 - The Man's Too Strong - 1985 John Dent DR18 -2.95 dB -23.49 dB 3:41 ?-Brothers In Arms - 08 - One World - 1985 Bob Ludwig DR18 -0.95 dB -21.49 dB 3:41 ?-Brothers In Arms - 08 - One World - 1985 John Dent DR15 -6.95 dB -26.21 dB 6:59 ?-Brothers In Arms - 09 - Brothers In Arms - 1985 Bob Ludwig DR15 -4.95 dB -24.21 dB 6:59 ?-Brothers In Arms - 09 - Brothers In Arms - 1985 John Dent
The US Dent and the WG Dent masterings are apparently different, from the peak levels posted in this thread. The levels of the WG Dent are linearly related to the WG Ludwig by factor 1,2599 (equivalent to 2 db). US Dent: 100.0 / 100.0 / 50.3 / 40.8 / 23.1 / 75.6 / 77.8 / 100.0 / 63.0 WG Dent: 100.0 / 100.0 / 56.3 / 41.6 / 22.7 / 72.6 / 69.1 / 89.6 / 56.5 WG Ludwig: 79.4 / 79.4 / 44.7 / 33.0 / 18.0 / 57.6 / 54.9 / 71.1 / 44.9 Where exactly is the glitch on the WG Dent again (someone mentioned Your Latest Trick)?
Yours does not seem to have the glitch as it has 41.6 for "Trick" not 97.4. Which makes it the Dent (attributed) WG WG Dent Warner has these numbers; 100.0/ 100.0 / 50.3 / 97.4 / 23.1 / 75.6 / 77.8 / 100.0 / 63.0 - Since there is near endless supply of the non-flawed Dent mastering on CD this one I feel is an avoid. In my area the Original Dent's usually sit in the 1.99 or .99 cent bins with takers being far and few between. The Dent (attributed) WG has 100.0 / 100.0 / 56.3 / 41.6 / 22.7 / 72.6 / 69.1 / 89.6 / 56.5 - this one also has reversed channels and may actually be a re-leveled Ludwig?
I just read the linked article from earlier on in the thread, CLASSIC TRACKS: Dire Straits 'Money For Nothing' | and it's interesting to see how much misinformation comes even from first hand accounts. From the article: "As the band had to fly back to London to rehearse for their 200-date tour, the Brothers In Arms mix took place over the course of six days on an SSL in Studio Two at the AIR facility on Oxford Street. There, about 20 Neve modules were inserted between the console and the tape machine in order to add a little warmth to the sound. "I mixed to DAT with a very nice-sounding Prism converter and a pair of Auratones," recalls Dorfsman." Being that this was 1985, DAT was two years from being released and Prism didn't create their AD-1 for another seven years. Chris
I think there isn't a bad sounding version of this album. The John Dent and Bob Ludwig 80s versions sound great as well as the 1996 remaster and the MoFi SACD. I couldn't pick up one because all of them sound awesome. Can't go wrong with this one.
I have the JVC xrcd2 and the MoFi SACD. I’m keeping both because they both sound great. I’d call the MoFi more smooth and the JVC more punchy. This applies to the Redbook layer of the MoFi. I recently sold the WB remaster, then the WG original master. I agree with those who believe the original to be a bit anemic. I did love it when it was released...
What High Rez? 16 bit, 48 Khz Sony PCM master here. It is what it is. The original LP disc for vinylphiles from either US WB or UK Vertigo is excellent, and the West German Vertigo or (West German for USA WB CD is excellent).
It's not bad, but it just doesn't have that warm, smooth, dynamic sound the way the MFSL SACD did. The volume is too low and it just sounds flat by comparison to the MFSL.
Hah, stumbling upon this thread tempted me to queue up a few tracks from this album before going to sleep. I really do like the sound of the '85. Nice textures and superbly clean sound quality, great dynamics too. If I have to have one nitpick is that it does sound a little on the thin side (mostly on the drums). Great sounding album, with some great tunes.
One of the first CDs I ever bought - picked it up in Basel or Zurich before I even had a CD player. I gave it up after picking up the DVDA about 13 years ago. The latter has multichannel - the stereo seems the same to me.
Is there a version that has more relaxed upper-mids and treble compared to the WG for US CD? I listened to it today and thought those frequencies were a little too 'snappy' and accentuated for my tastes.
I just picked up an original 1985 West German Bob Ludwig mastered issue, Vertigo 824 499-2 and I really like The clean clear sound as mentioned in other posts and it only cost £1 in a Charity shop, Floyd.
There seems to be some conflicting information in this thread about the early versions. Some have claimed that the Dent versions are the ones with 100%/0.00 dB peaks, and some have claimed that the Dent versions have the 'So Far Away' hi-hat in the right channel. I have both versions of the "Dent" with 100% peaks - one with the glitch and one without - and both have the correct channel orientation (hi-hat left). Also, someone said that the Ludwig is a simple 2db level shift, but that doesn't seem to be correct, either. Here is the "-2.0" db info: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR Peak RMS Filename ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR20 -2.00 dB -23.87 dB 01 So Far Away.wav DR18 -2.00 dB -22.62 dB 02 Money For Nothing.wav DR13 -6.98 dB -22.62 dB 03 Walk Of Life.wav DR14 -9.61 dB -27.12 dB 04 Your Latest Track.wav DR13 -14.86 dB -30.84 dB 05 Why Worry.wav DR17 -4.78 dB -25.27 dB 06 Ride Across The River.wav DR14 -5.21 dB -24.75 dB 07 The Man's Too Strong.wav DR18 -2.95 dB -23.49 dB 08 One World.wav DR15 -6.95 dB -26.21 dB 09 Brothers In Arms.wav ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- and here is the "-0.00" dB version: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR Peak RMS Duration Track -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DR20 0.00 dB -21.91 dB 5:12 ?-01. So Far Away DR19 0.00 dB -21.38 dB 8:26 ?-02. Money for Nothing DR13 -5.95 dB -21.49 dB 4:13 ?-03. Walk of Life DR15 -0.22 dB -24.88 dB 6:34 ?-04. Your Latest Trick DR13 -12.70 dB -28.90 dB 8:31 ?-05. Why Worry DR17 -2.43 dB -23.32 dB 6:58 ?-06. Ride Across the River DR14 -2.18 dB -21.79 dB 4:40 ?-07. The Man's Too Strong DR18 0.00 dB -20.38 dB 3:41 ?-08. One World DR15 -4.00 dB -23.49 dB 6:57 ?-09. Brothers in Arms --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What is the best-sounding CD (album or compilation) with shorter version of "Money for Nothing" (the 4+ minutes)? Same question for the track "Brothers in Arms".
A huge thank you to everyone on this site who recommended the West German Vertigo CD of Brothers In Arms. I found one on ebay and it arrived the other day and I can't stop spinning it. I have been reverting back to CDs from records and tapes and this version ripped from CD to FLAC combined with the DAC on my new Astell&Kern SR25... Well, I have never heard this already great sounding album sound THIS great!! I just recently discovered this site simply by Google pointing me here to find the answers to all of my audiophile questions and I'm just delighted to be here. Cheers!!
