dsj@alice.UUCP (David S. Johnson) (12/05/84)
I am interested in replacing some of my old, worn-out LP's with CD's of the same performance, but have heard that the quality of CD remastering is quite variable. I'm not looking for vast sonic improvement, but would hope for, at a minimum (A) a hiss level noticeably lower than the sum of hiss + surface noise on the LP, (B) no degradations of the frequency balance from the original (thinner sound, overloaded treble, etc. - the kind of thing that has in the past been common on LP reissues), and (C) no degradation of stereo image (also a problem with reissue LP's). The net seems an appropriate place to air these issues. To get a discussion going, here are my comments on some of CD reissues I've had a chance to compare so far. THE DOORS - The Doors: Hiss level low, sound less bright than original LP but a treble boost fixes that. Better stereo image than LP, although still mostly two mono channels. This is an album where lower noise level makes a big difference, so I consider this a worthwile replacement for the LP. HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED - Bob Dylan: Hiss, tonal balance OK, stereo separation improved (but then, my original was in mono). Not a sonic masterpiece, but neither was the original. One of Dylan's best though. RUMOURS - Fleetwood Mac: Passes on all counts, although perhaps a bit less bright than the original. Great CD. DARK SIDE OF THE MOON - Pink Floyd: Less hiss than original, tonal balance slightly off, but not unacceptably (bells and cash registers just not quite right). Still a great sound effects record. RICKIE LEE JONES - Rickie Lee Jones: Unnoticeable hiss, no degradation of sound quality, perhaps a bit more transient response. The LP had great sonics, but here again is a record that profits significantly from elimination of ticks and pops. Great CD. SYCHRONICITY - Police: Same judgment as the previous one. SECURITY - Peter Gabriel: Ditto. TIME OUT - Dave Brubeck Quartet: Hiss, tonal balance OK. Some strange effects in the stereo image though (which may be in the LP - again my LP is mono): An unnaturally load room echo from the left channel to the right (artificial reverb?) and the high frequency transient noise from the bass seems to be disembodied from the low frequency sounds, and to be a bit distorted. SKETCHES IN SPAIN - Miles Davis: Noticeable hiss, but slightly less than on LP (itself a recent reissue). Both get too bright on the horns in the Aranjuez section, which is also too obviously dual-mono. The remaining pieces have a more 3-dimensional image. Sound of loud trumpet is much purer on CD. Those are my comments. I'd like to hear comments on GETZ-GILBERTO, WHO'S NEXT, BLOOD ON THE TRACKS, and other old rock and jazz classics that have found their way onto CD David Johnson, AT&T Bell Laboratories