OT: Beatles fans, Remastered albums

[blackba]

Just curious if you Beatles fans are going to pick up the remastered albums. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-10214607-47.html

I am undecided between the stereo or mono versions. Leaning Mono right now. I hope they did a good job and didn't screw things up.



BTW if you don't like the Beatles, please don't post in this thread

 

[rsm]

Big Beatles fan boi here, always have been, looks like I always will be. I may get these some day, as some of the comments on the link posted regarding SACD, or other higher quality may be offered in the next few years. I have many of the original albums, sadly my LP collection was mostly wiped out in an apartment where the sprinklers went off (nasty, putrid water basically grew mold on anything it touched, so even though they survived the water, they didn't survive the mold algae or whatever was in that water!) so I've been getting CDs to replace them, I have all the Beatles releases on CD, so I'm in no hurry to get the latest remasters at this point.

Sometimes it seems (at least to me) every few years they shake that moneymaker tree.

 

[stephen sawall]

I am a huge fan .... they are my favorite band.

 

[Marshall Law]

thats what got me into music, when I was about 5, I saw the movie help, and ringo was my fav, played drums till I was 15 and switched to bass, at 17 I took up the guitar and never looked back, I'm now 44, can you believe it, because I can't, where does the time go, BTW rubber soul is my favorite, the english version of course

 

[blackba]

So should I go with the Stereo versions or Mono versions?

 

[stephen sawall]

So should I go with the Stereo versions or Mono versions?

I am not sure yet myself....

 

[blackba]

I just picked up the mono boxed set, big improvement in sound from the previous CD version.

I also picked up Mystery tour, Pepper, White Album, Abbey Road, and Let It Be as individual stereo versions. Abbey Road and Let it Be were only released in Stereo, so they are not in the Mono boxed set. The others are supposed to be pretty different in the stereo and mono versions, so I figured it was worth having both.

The Mono boxed set is only a limited edition set, so I figured I can always pick up the other albums in stereo if I feel the need.

 

[stephen sawall]

Did you a/b with the old stuff ?

 

[blackba]

Did you a/b with the old stuff ?

Not yet, I will tomorrow. I hear a difference from what I remember, but it will be interesting to see it head to head....

 

[stephen sawall]

A friend of mine was over last night.... we were talking about it. He said he was going to pick up the White Album to a/b. I have one of the black box sets that were put out around 1999 and want to compare before I pick up a mono set.

Please let me know what you think .... the reviews are all over the place ..... much better, unbelievable, not much different, etc.

 

[Subclavian]

i'm waiting to see about the difference between the mono and stereo versions but I will be buying all their stuff (again).


sub

 

[stephen sawall]

Last night my friend stopped by with the new Revolver and Let it Be.....

We did a track by track with my older disc. Here is what we found.

Was it louder ....yes

Was there a difference in the sound .... yes ~ it had a more modern mix with the low / low mids standing out more. Easy to do the same with my older disc and EQ.

Did it sound better ..... no ~ just different and not by much.

I did some A/B with some of my records and I prefer the analog over the digital every time ..... just like my amps.

 

[blackba]

I tested out Please Please Me and Hard Days Night head to head. I haven't opened any of the Stereo versions (which I may be taking back), so I can only compare the 1st 4 albums since the '87 reissues were also in mono and I have the Mono boxed set.

I did hear a difference, but it was pretty slight. On a 1-10 scale, where 10 is a huge difference, 5 is worth the money, significant difference, and 1 is no difference, I would give them a 3 or 4. I don't think they added the compression on the mono version and both were equal in loudness. Main difference I noticed was the older versions had tubby bass and didn't sound as clear.

So far I think it was worth getting the mono boxed set as it will be cool to hear the other albums in mono, which was a different mix than I had in the old stereo versions. I just don't know whether it is worth keeping the new stereo reissues.

 

[stephen sawall]

I was interested in the mono myself .... thanks for the heads up. I still may just pick it up as a fan you know.

My friend wanted the White album but last night Best Buy only had the {2} I said above with the T shirts only. We did one song at a time to get the most clear picture we could. This was of course the stereo mixes.

The funniest review I have read was by a guy who was stating it is "Revolution No 9" that made the new stuff so much better ???? I like it as a piece of art, but .... if you know what I mean. Probably some of Yoko's best work.

 

[blackba]

I just listened to the '65 stereo mixes of Help and Rubber Soul. I can see why George Martin did a remix of those before the CD versions came out, they were split really strangely and didn't have the punch of the mono versions on the 1st half of the discs.

So far I am happy I got the Mono versions....

 

[jet66]

I hope this question isn't too stupid, but when you say 'mono,' do you mean there is only sound from one side, or is it still coming out of both sides, just with no stereo spread? I haven't owned a copy of Sgt. Pepper's since I sold off my vinyl a long time ago. I've heard a few tracks from it on XM today, and was thinking about picking it up.

 

[blackba]

I hope this question isn't too stupid, but when you say 'mono,' do you mean there is only sound from one side, or is it still coming out of both sides, just with no stereo spread? I haven't owned a copy of Sgt. Pepper's since I sold off my vinyl a long time ago. I've heard a few tracks from it on XM today, and was thinking about picking it up.

Mono means you have the same exact sound coming from the left and right channels. There is still sound coming from both of your speakers. To get the Mono Sgt. Pepper you have to buy the mono boxed set. If you buy the Sgt. Pepper individually its the stereo version. I was able to pick out a few differences between the mono and stereo, but was not listening really critically.

 

[jet66]

Mono means you have the same exact sound coming from the left and right channels. There is still sound coming from both of your speakers. To get the Mono Sgt. Pepper you have to buy the mono boxed set. If you buy the Sgt. Pepper individually its the stereo version. I was able to pick out a few differences between the mono and stereo, but was not listening really critically.

Thanks! I'm not really an audiophile, so I don't know if I'd really notice. The box set is a pretty big chunk of change for me at the moment, I might just pick up the Sgt. Pepper's and Abbey Road stereo versions.