Japan vs.the rest


Recently there was a short thread about Japanese and other countries' records.I would like to share my experience comparing Japanese and British, and Japanese West German and American CDs.The first recording was Dead Can Dance-Spiritchaser-.Recorded in Ireland,master tape is somewhere in Britain,the recording and mastering done in analog.I also treat all my CDs with Optrix,it always improves the sound;no exceptions.The two discs sounded very different.Japanese had better resolution,did vocals a lot more convincing and presented the entire space in a more natural and coherent manner.Overall I would describe its sound as balanced and sophisticated.The British was much less refined but had better dynamics and more bass.It sounded louder too.I thought that the bass was exaggerated and called too much attention to it-bloody-self.So,a little more of the dynamics would not hurt the Japanese ,but British was definitely inferior to my ears.Before that test I had compared the British to American and Italian and laughed-both much worse than the Brit.Interesting,isn't it? The second album was by Al Di Meola entitled'Cielo e Terra',great acoustic guitar music.AAD as well.The results were somewhat similar. This time American and West German were very close though German a little better;both sounded excellent.But Japanese was just great,two steps above, with the same dynamics as the others.Of course, in both cases everything was the same except the country of origin.Did anyone do the same thing I did? Why do you think even European CDs sound like mass-market,while regular Japanese like audiophile? Perhaps you had different experience.
inna
Jonathanochi, maybe it's because we don't complain about it enough. But hey, we're brought up not to complain, just grin and bear it.

It hasn't been until recently that most people in the US knew about places like Manzanar, Tule Lake, Poston, Heart Mountain where Japanese Americans [American citizens] were stripped of their property and "Inalienable Rights" and shipped off to, so such oversights are bound to continue.

The only time I have fought in anger was when I was hurled that slur, and I took great pleasure in ricochetting that guys head off the asphalt. Continuously.
I constantly seek out Japanese CD's in stores and on-line. I have found most of the recent 24 bit, DSD Mastering and XRCD CD's to be very musical and open. Needless to say, I like the different packaging on a lot of these discs also. I am a fan of Rock/Classic Rock and Jazz primarily, but freinds also love the Classical imports from Japan. By the way, I find the widest choices of imports at www.towerrecords.com and www.redtrumpet.com, if you're interested.
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i appologize for such offence before all japanese citizens and take that meant-to-be abbreviation back as no-way meant to offence citizens personally.
Please do not use the term "jap" because the word is pejorative. Many people who use the term do not realize ALL Japanese Americans find the word offensive. One does not say "nigger folk songs" or "kike melodies" or "spic songs" or "chink music."

The sensitivity to this word occurs because there was a time not long ago in this country when Japanese Americans were evicted from their homes and locked up behind barbed wire fences with machines guns guarding the entrances. The year was 1942. The event climaxed more than a half century of anti-Asian prejudice. No doubt imperialist Japan was a cruel, despotic dictatorship. Japanese Americans were lumped into the same category as the people perpetrating brutalities on Asia, but the Japanese Americans were patriotic and loyal Americans. Nonetheless, the disparaging moniker "jap" was applied to anyone who had such ancestry.

Culturally, Japanese Americans usually have been taught to keep quiet and often do not speak up when offended. But believe me, as a Japanese American, the term is offensive, so, please, kindly refrain from the use of the term.

The Japanese American Citizens League has protested without complete success to Ebay and other sites which use the word "jap" in such a casual manner. The preferred abbreviation, by the way, is "jpn." I would hazard a guess the majority of the people who say "jap" are totally unaware of the heavy overtones of racial hatred the word has carried in the past. Thank you for your forbearance in hearing me out, but it was important for me to say since I highly regard this site and its members.

Jon
It certainly depends on the brand and label inside Japan itself, but mostly yes, the jap CDs are more expencive due to their pressing and mastering quality. US CDs are not bad except the club ones from BMG and Columbia house. Lots of jap LPs laid back in dynamics and sometimes too bright IMO though.