Abstract7, you are correct in comparisons of "early" digital versus later versions of the same disc. This has been well documented, the early stuff was crap. Most of that stuff that had any respectable sales was remastered and sold again in many cases still on aluminum. In many cases I believe it was remasterd and not indicated on the label. As an example, when my wife and I married four years ago our CD collections merged. She had several early discs that I also had later versions of. The later versions while not always stating "remastered" do sound much better. My only explanation is that it was remastered. I also agree that the "audiophile" versions do sound better, but may not be worth the extra cost. I think this is probably like throwing darts. It's tough to pick the remastered discs that will sound much better. The other thing to keep in mind is throwing the cost factor in. I just don't feel that the few gold discs I have just have not been worth the extra money. In every case, other than the two test discs I mentioned above, I have not searched for the gold version. As far as digital goes, I simply buy what was currently available.
