Listening to now...in fake Quad!

[kap'n krunch]

(with rear action rating)
Rush- Grace under Pressure LP (US) 5/10
ELO-Secret Messages LP (Spanish Pressing) 9/10

[kap'n krunch]

Styx - The Grand Illusion MFSL LP 8/10

[Quad Linda]

kapn, you could have put it more poetically, as in "Listening to Now, in Synthesized Surround."

All the Creedence Clearwater Revival bonus tracks from the anniversary CD's. Selected other tracks. I felt guilty on the other tracks, since I have all the AP SACD's. some JUICY alternate takes, which I need to play more often. 5-9/10, depending on the album
Pumpkin, Powder, Scarlet & Green - American Breed CD Xfer from LP 8/10 It doesn't have Bend Me, Shape Me, but it's their best album! Sold poorly. Sad!
Eurythmics expanded editions. Same story as Creedence, but no SACD versions. 5-9/10 Some juicy bonus stuff, most I had on CD singles and vinyl EP's.
Izitso - Cat Stevens Mofi Gold CD from Cat Stevens Three Mofi box set 10/10 This wasn't Quad and didn't sell well. Spectacular music and sonics!
Children of the Future - Steve Miller Band CD Their 1st, one of their best w/Boz Scaggs. 9/10 The suite on side 1 drags at the end. Everything else is stellar!
Western Union - Five Americans CD compilation Sundazed SC11004. Lots of crap to wade through. 4/10 Several great tunes I had on 45's in estereo.

[kap'n krunch]

kapn, you could have put it more poetically, as in "Listening to Now, in Synthesized Surround."

.... in estereo.

Well, the XY chromosome takes over sometimes, you're right!

I love the "estereo" part!

Cheers,

[Quad Linda]

Breakfast in America - Supertramp EU 2CD Deluxe Edition 10/10. If you don't have it, that's why you need it! - Yogi Berra

[fredblue]

Breakfast in America - Supertramp EU 2CD Deluxe Edition 10/10. If you don't have it, that's why you need it! - Yogi Berra

that DE gets a fairly bad rap on the SH forums and I've already got the first A&M cd of BiA, so haven't bothered yet but if the Deluxe Ed sounds so good "faked" or "synthesised" I'll have to grab a copy!

[Quad Linda]

First, the surround effects on PLII on my B&K preamp didn't do anything astounding. It did sound pleasant. The percussion, finger snaps and some occasional brief piano and guitar passages came from the rears.

I read that SH Forum thread on the 2CD Deluxe edition. It was clear as mud. Few people commented at all on the fidelity. One seemed to allude to the 2002 remaster, which I don't own, being better. So much so that a couple people asked "is the 2002 remaster better" as late as 2011 with no response whatsoever. Clearly, they also though the comparison to the 2002 remaster was vague. A few said there are better pressings without mentioning which one(s.) Was that just conjecture, or did they actually do an A/B test? All the thread seemed to comment on was the second live disc and general comments about Supertramp pressings as a whole.

Here's my comment on the fidelity: I own a UK CD pressing from '83, which was part of a box set of all their CD's until that time. I also own the Mofi Gold CD. I had previously owned the A&M Canada Audiophile LP. That one might be the best, although it's entirely possible this is better. As far as CD's go, from the three I own, the Deluxe is head and shoulders better fidelity. It is approx 8db louder than the Gold CD. I compensated for that when A/B'ing. BTW: Gold CD sounds better than the '83 UK CD. What's better on the Deluxe is primarily the high end. The percussion was better, it was more open sounding, and decoded a bit better. Understanding that the higher the frequency, the higher the directionality may account for the better PLII decoding. Of the 3 pressings I compared, this is clearly the one. I would love to compare it to the 2002 remaster, although I suspect it's the same. Although I don't currently own the Audiophile LP, I would bet it sounds good, but not better than this issue. A&M Audiophile series is generally better than the equivalant standard LP. They're on better vinyl, but there was minimal remastering, if any, on most of them. Mofi or Nautilus 1/2 speed masters they're not.

Get the Deluxe!

Also listening to:
Giblet Gravy - George Benson Japan CD 2/10. Perhaps I'll like it better on subsuquent listens. This session has no life at all. DOA
Live in Poland - Emerson, Lake & Palmer UK CD 8/10. A winner!

that DE gets a fairly bad rap on the SH forums and I've already got the first A&M cd of BiA, so haven't bothered yet but if the Deluxe Ed sounds so good "faked" or "synthesised" I'll have to grab a copy!

[fredblue]

First, the surround effects on PLII on my B&K preamp didn't do anything astounding. It did sound pleasant. The percussion, finger snaps and some occasional brief piano and guitar passages came from the rears.

I read that SH Forum thread on the 2CD Deluxe edition. It was clear as mud. Few people commented at all on the fidelity. One seemed to allude to the 2002 remaster, which I don't own, being better. So much so that a couple people asked "is the 2002 remaster better" as late as 2011 with no response whatsoever. Clearly, they also though the comparison to the 2002 remaster was vague. A few said there are better pressings without mentioning which one(s.) Was that just conjecture, or did they actually do an A/B test? All the thread seemed to comment on was the second live disc and general comments about Supertramp pressings as a whole.

Here's my comment on the fidelity: I own a UK CD pressing from '83, which was part of a box set of all their CD's until that time. I also own the Mofi Gold CD. I had previously owned the A&M Canada Audiophile LP. That one might be the best, although it's entirely possible this is better. As far as CD's go, from the three I own, the Deluxe is head and shoulders better fidelity. It is approx 8db louder than the Gold CD. I compensated for that when A/B'ing. BTW: Gold CD sounds better than the '83 UK CD. What's better on the Deluxe is primarily the high end. The percussion was better, it was more open sounding, and decoded a bit better. Understanding that the higher the frequency, the higher the directionality may account for the better PLII decoding. Of the 3 pressings I compared, this is clearly the one. I would love to compare it to the 2002 remaster, although I suspect it's the same. Although I don't currently own the Audiophile LP, I would bet it sounds good, but not better than this issue. A&M Audiophile series is generally better than the equivalant standard LP. They're on better vinyl, but there was minimal remastering, if any, on most of them. Mofi or Nautilus 1/2 speed masters they're not.

Get the Deluxe!

Also listening to:
Giblet Gravy - George Benson Japan CD 2/10. Perhaps I'll like it better on subsuquent listens. This session has no life at all. DOA
Live in Poland - Emerson, Lake & Palmer UK CD 8/10. A winner!

well on that basis I shall have to get a DE BIA now! thank you so much for all the juicy info!

i've paid heed to SH forums over the years and found some really lovely sounding discs because of their discussions over "the best-sounding Steely Dan's Aja on CD" etc.. but the overwhelming "anti-remasters unless they're by SH" bias is now starting to grate a bit.

Also it occurred to me while reading your post that if the BIA DE has better fidelity than the original CD but is 8dB too loud, what's wrong with turning the volume down a bit and having the perfect CD of it!? Say lower it by 8dB or so!? Or am I being thick?

[Quad Linda]

Fred, I did say that I compensated for it (8 db) when I A/B'ed it. So, yes that means lowering the volume level.

You're not a blooming thickie, you're Billerickay Dickie.

well on that basis I shall have to get a DE BIA now! thank you so much for all the juicy info!

i've paid heed to SH forums over the years and found some really lovely sounding discs because of their discussions over "the best-sounding Steely Dan's Aja on CD" etc.. but the overwhelming "anti-remasters unless they're by SH" bias is now starting to grate a bit.

Also it occurred to me while reading your post that if the BIA DE has better fidelity than the original CD but is 8dB too loud, what's wrong with turning the volume down a bit and having the perfect CD of it!? Say lower it by 8dB or so!? Or am I being thick?

[Q-Eight]

Disco Tex & The Sex-O-Lettes featuring Sir Monti Rock III, original Chelsea 8-track. Sounds GREAT through SQ - almost like it's a secret Quad, even though I know that's impossible. It just decodes so well. SQ removes almost any trace of drums & bass from the rears leaving only echos of instruments. However, it leaves the girls' voices loud and proud and you get some wicked delay on the horns giving a very four-channel horn section. Ditto when the crowd noises kick in. It's like you're there, maaaaan.

[bangsezmax]

Wilco -- Yankee Hotel Foxtrot --- This one goes really nice in QS. Playful mix. Highlights for effects "I'm the Man Who Loves You," "War on War," "Ashes of American Flags" (especially the noisy part at the end), "Poor Places" (again, the noisy part at the end) . . . Really the whole thing works great, and you definitely hear stuff you don't catch listening to it in stereo. It helps that it's also my favorite album of the last dozen years. Epic and very surroundy.

[Quad Linda]

Stand - Sylvester Stewart & the Stoned Family
Best of Delaney & Bonnie (Rhino)

[kap'n krunch]

Had a needle dropping marathon !!!!
-Simple Minds-Once upon a time (great sounding transluscent pressing) 6/10
-The Go-Gos- Talk Show* , another great sounding transluscent ("Pressed in AMEX vinyl") one, bought back in the day (1985)- 5/10 (hadn't listened to this one in decades!)
-Santana-Moonflower- bought sealed with blurb sticker and everything a few years ago, had never listened to this LP ever! Interesting mix of studio and live material which, curiously, blends rather well...BTW the David Margen guy was also one hell of a bass player!! (whatever happened to him?) 8/10
-Voyage- S/T , a great french disco project recorded and mixed brilliantly -mastered at sterling ...in Marlin Records (FL based)...also hadn't listened to this in decades..bought this sealed a few years ago...great phasing fx! 9/10
-Loggins & Messina -Full Sail SQ LP- nice change of pace...have never listened to this LP...for later conversion...OK pressing with some crackling in the start of both sides....8/10
-Kiss-Unmasked -bought back in the day...another one I hadn't spun in ages...to me, the best sounding Kiss LP...funnily enough , it's more Pop than Rock....6/10
-Tears for Fears- Songs from the Big Chair-bought used a few years ago , it was DUUUUUUSTY as hell....it looks like it was played once and left on the TT to gather dust..a UK pressing with GREAT sound , but , man it was "Rice Krispies" time...either I'll have to play it more often to clean it or get another pressing- as it is, it mops the floor with any CD version I had ever heard of this...9/10

[Doug G.]

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Back channel drum action on some tracks and it just makes this recording sound more like it's in a big auditorium which is how the title piece should always be heard.

Doug

[0tto]

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Back channel drum action on some tracks and it just makes this recording sound more like it's in a big auditorium which is how the title piece should always be heard.
Doug

disco version, was huge hit back in 78-79

[kap'n krunch]

Jean-Luc Ponty-"Upon the wings of music" Canadian LP pressing (one of the few JLP LPs that I'm not familiar with...needledropping it at 96/24!)

[Hank]

Ram - Paul & Linda McCartney. Sounds good in fake & in SQ.

[Doug G.]

Oh yeah, Eurythmics; wonderful in quad! "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain" is out of this world (I'm sure I mentioned this elsewhere). And of course, Annie Lennox is another female I have always loved to death.

And now for my actual contribution of the day. I am listening to John Mellencamp's "The Lonesome Jubilee" and it's really good in quad. Lots of backing instruments in the back and the spaciousness is wonderful.

Using a Sony SQD-2050 decoder (set to SQ) into Heathkit amps and stacked Advents.

Doug

[Quad Linda]

Sweet Freedom (German best of) - Michael McDonald 9/10

[bliss_band]

I got the Ram boxed set, as well as the LPS - the Mono and Stereo ones. I haven't checked them as to the surround in the boxed set cds or LPS yet. I am just enjoying the album and bonus stuff right now. Eventually I will get around to seeing how the versions sound in SQ, PL II, QS, and other various fake formats. I never thought to check how good Thrillington might be the original LP and cd I have. I should also check those. Note to self.

[Quad Linda]

Time & Love - Best of Laura Nyro Gold CD 10/10
Shock Treatment - Don Ellis 9/10

[Hank]

Jethro Tull - Songs From The Wood (lp) sounds best in SQ.

[kap'n krunch]

Jean-Luc Ponty-"Storytelling" CD (1989)

ELP-"Love Beach" I LIKE IT!!!

[jsrstereo]

"Sounds of Outer Space" (Disney). Side One is highly recommended for a synthesized sound-field, it being a sort-of Star Wars effects soundtrack. I give it 11 outta 10 for rear action, especially if your decoder does stereo rears (listening now via Composer A of my Lafayette SQ-L).

[Quad Linda]

Power's been out for 26 hours. Back just in time for more 100 degree (farenheit) temps today. It's what I get for living in s forest!

Since I was listening on a mono portable, I chose a mono box set to listen to:
Roots n Blues Retrospective box set
roots-n-blues-box-front.jpg