I was going to leave like that, but I noticed that I replied to your post and not others here, so maybe a bit more context is in order:So, having just A/B'ed both versions myself, I agree with you that the vocal level is better in the official 2004 remaster.
The other version is just a quick, amateurish mixdown of the 5.1.
That version has the bass (much more, especially deep bass) that my ears want to hear and my chest wants to feel. And I don't ever feel blasted with treble (in either version).
On my multichannel systems, the vocal is never washed out, so that might be an artifact of the crude mixdown.
And on the same systems, all official stereo mixes are severely lacking the punch and power that I want in any heavy music.
So, all well in good that we disagree. There's no accounting for taste, right? But... I think the 5.1 mix is unfairly criticized, as the stereo album really sounds like s*#t, to me. Always has. I can enjoy the 5.1, at least.
Btw... I'm pretty sure I cover sonic issues in my review, even with the 5.1, so it's not like I said it's a great sounding mix or can't be improved. Only that it sounds best, to me.
- I have been reading this forum for quite some years already but as a "lurker" and never writing until recently. Since I have read a lot of your posts and watched almost all your YT reviews, for me it felt like I was just continuing a conversation, which I see now is not the case from your perspective
- I tend to agree with your opinions, especially on heavily distorted music which is not very popular in this forum. I see that you are also a big Megadeth fan like me so comparing perspectives with you seemed more fruitful than replying to the ones that voted below 5 in this poll.
- I was mostly disagreeing with this mix being a 9 and that considering the original recording it can not be improved that much (which I now get that I misunderstood). I would love another try, hell, I would love to remix it myself so I can get a hold of the original tracks.
Cheers!