Sgt. Peppers: This is the first lp to be warped in addition to dished. Couldn't clamp it all the way out. Again, this one is pressed off center. The sound is big @ bold. As Stevecham mentioned above, "fresh and present" is how I'd also describe all of these lps so far. The other thing that is pleasantly surprising overall to me is how dimensional these mono lps sound even with a stereo cartridge. "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!": the vocals, especially, are slightly muffled compared to the other songs on side one. This may be due to the nature/theme/artist's intent of this particular song. I'll leave that up to those of you more experienced with Beatles than I. "A Day In The Life": is probably my personal favorite song here. From start until around 2/3rds through it may be, for me, the best sounding song, then the structure of the song changes and the vocals become slightly different. Overall, this is the superior sounding lp so far in my set-up. Much more enjoyable compared to my stereo MOFI.
Magical Mystery Tour: Slightly dished & off center. I'm really splitting hairs here but the vocals don't quite jump out at me as they did on Sgt. Pepper's. Still, this is just a comparison between the two, not a statement regarding sonics or the ability to enjoy. "I Am The Walrus": My personal favorite song here. I'm still in awe on how artist/s conceptualize an idea with so many different elements and put a song together such as this! Pepper's is more dynamically expressive than MMT in my set-up. The sound by comparison is somewhat "rounded over" IMO. "Baby You're A Rich Man": Now I eat my previous words. This cut is dynamically expressive. It compares favorably to the same cut off of my 1999 stereo re-master of "Yellow Submarine". I do believe this mono version is more bold. The same goes for "All You Need Is Love". This lp beats out my gold-embossed promo US pressing.
"White": First lp, pressing is slightly dished, very slightly off center. "Back In The U.S.S.R.": I get the same sense I did on most of (MMT), the dynamics are somewhat "rounded over". I'll leave open the possibility of this not happening with a mono cartridge. "Dear Prudence": The dynamics are more open than the previous cut. The resonance of the guitar strings are prevalent and enjoyed. All of this makes listening a pleasure. On "Wild Honey Pie", the timing changes are easy to hear. "The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill", the drums really come through nicely, full, punchy, natural. "Blackbird", I realize how much more open this lp is, especially when you hear the bird sounds. "Rocky Raccoon", again, this cut sounds better than I've ever heard it before. "Don't Pass Me By", the fiddle is so much more prominent and natural sounding than my stereo MOFI. The next three songs are distinctly more revealing and the transient response is greater than I've previously heard. On "Julia", I assume there is an acoustic guitar in this mix. I'm hearing the resonance of a similar instrument (what sounds like a guitar body), that has completely escaped me before and it is so welcome and enjoyable. This is the kind of stuff that moves me as a listener. Nice, very nice!
Side two: Dished, pressed off-center, (more on side 4). At the very end of "Yer Blues" on through some of "Mother Nature's Son", there is noticeable ticking from the vinyl. (I'll try an additional cleaning later) On (MNS) the resonant behavior/sustain of the guitar strings shine. "Helter Skelter", I've never enjoyed listening to this song until now. I found myself doing the "head-bop". "Long, Long, Long", again, the resonance of the guitar strings shine. The rest of this lp.... I was impressed still. Trounces my stereo MFSL. The first cut on side one was the only cut I found to be somewhat inferior.
The best way, and IMO, the only way to evaluate this set is to listen to it in chronological order from beginning to end. It's fun and informative to hear The Beatles grow and evolve in this way. I have a new found respect for mono done right even on my stereo set-up. It is in several ways superior. I'm just going to listen to Mono Masters specifically to enjoy without reporting on it. Highly recommended! I can forsee a Christmas present to myself of a mono cartridge.
