Steely Dan UHQR

So i bought a UHQR of CBAT by The Dan…. nasty pressing punched off center with a big scuff…. but my friends say Aja is worth it…… maybe Santa….. maybe not…

I managed a very high end shop in the golden age of audio

Aja left a long deep scar

33.33333 rpm scar.

So did Dire Straits- Love over Gold so full of pyrotechnics, rain and thunder

Dark Side of the Moon was worse, an amputation maybe... cutting away at my love for Meddle, Animals and more...

All of these and more were Audiophile darlings worn thin in the Eighties...

We had at the peak eight showrooms of gear. Vinyl was king and the lifeblood of the store and  we shared our customer’s addiction.

Of course we tried to stock fresh copies but they ended life worn out like a rust belt Ford Pinto. Washed and prayed over with a VPI record cleaning machine  deemed “ witch doctor “

For it’s renowned ability to raise some of the dead

• but not all.

So I tired of Peg, Deacon Blues and yes even Telegraph Road. Some thirty five years on they creep back slowly into my playlist, even LP ownership. And they make me smile....

Both Aja and Gaucho UHQR are not from original analog masters. They are lost. My MOFI Aja is from the Original Analog Master.

The only audiophile records I see on Amazon are from Speakers Corner and they are spotty at best. Mofi (Music Direct) and Acoustic Sounds don't sell to them, probably because they discount and are big competition to them.

@goodlistening64 - That's why I buy my new vinyl, if I can get the title I want through them, from Amazon. Returns are never a problem; I had to return my 'Who's Next' box set because there was so much surface noise on one side; I had a new one from them before I even sent back the first one, and the new one was fine. Unfortunately, I don't think I can get these 45rpm ones from Amazon.

I might also add that most of my 'legacy vinyl' from the 70's, even though the LPs themselves are a lot thinner than today's 180g ones, I find that they often (not always, of course) have less surface noise than new ones I get.

Good listening64, most of my Japanese vynil collections are 99% good. Because they value quality. My Venus box 10 record no problem. Most of high end record I bought from ED and AS were good. You have to be more careful in buying.

@larsman I am thrilled that vinyl seems to have made it all the way back to the point that the vultures are back in play as well. I should start being more patient as you stated as the hobby still has some warts.

I too have made purchases on new albums only to find issues with them once opened (and un-returnable). A Toto album was warped (how does that happen?), and a Steve Miller album had a skip (no discernable scratch but I have to get up and move it past the skip to continue with the song), so risks abound even for reasonably priced releases. My guess is that there are new players in vinyl creation and most have little time or respect for quality control. 

As Gerry Rafferty sings, "Can I have my money back, money back, money back? Can I have my money back please sir!?"

@goodlistening64 - + 1; I am very happy with my UHQR of 'Aja', and I've already ordered some in the Atlantic Records 75th Anniversary series (and those are $60). What turntable Fremer uses doesn't bother me; it might make the UHQR sound better, but it would make the others sound better, too, and he also uses a Technics SL-1200G (like I've got). 'Aja' is probably the only one of the UHQR series I'll get, but it's nice to have something special in the collection....

BTW, I also just got a copy of Jethro Tull's 'Stand Up' in 45 rpm ($60); sounds awesome, except that both songs on side 2 have the vocal turned almost all the way to the left channel, not centered. I wrote to Acoustic Sounds a few days ago complaining about this, as this is obviously a mastering or pressing defect, and I'll wait to hear back.

Agree @goodlistening64 - get rid of the extra packaging we don't need and charge $60 like they do for the other 45s on MFSL or Acoustic Sounds. At $150 a pop, these are only going to be bought for my very favorite albums. Acoustic Sounds increases the rip off factor further by charging for shipping for your first UHQR. Also, not sure why they charge $150 for their UHQR vs. $125 for the MFSL Ultra disc one steps (whose packaging I prefer, but they can make them available for the price they charge for Kind of Blue that comes in a box without the extra unnecessary inserts and packaging I think $70). Regardless of Fremer's turntable, his reviews are helpful in that he compares them to other deluxe pressings and influenced me to NOT buy the Pretzel Logic UHQR.

Keep in mind that if you have the patience, at some point all of the Steely Dan UHQRs will be released on 45 for $60 (without the clarity vinyl and unnecessary packaging) as soon as all the UHQRs sell out. If they wait for all of them to sell out, that may be a while as CTE, PL and KL I predict will be slower sellers, a must have only for the "collectors" which I don't consider myself. I am an enjoyer who only sells when I get a better pressing. I don't keep multiple copies of the same album. Why would you do that? Just play the best one....

I received a copy of the Aja UHQR a couple of weeks ago and while I am generally happy with my purchase, I doubt that this will be the first of many more UHQR pressings purchases on my part. 

Reviewers like Michael Fremer work audiophiles up into a frenzy who then react by buying the product after reading the article. (Guilty as charged!). Writers (er, lobbyists) contend that; They could sell out quickly!; THIS is the Holy Grail!; Re-engineered by a Legendary Engineer!; BETTER than the copy you currently have!

One thing I noted in my first reading of Fremer's article was that the turntable he was using was sold at 15K retail. Oddly, that detail is missing from the article (as of today). You know, a great record on a great turntable is gonna sound sonically superior and 11 out of 11 grade will result, so no one is going to dispute that.

My turntable (Rega P6/Ania) is not a 15K turntable. What I get is a better copy from what I had, and as others here have stated, the 2-albums on 45 RPM pretty much always sound better than an original 33 RPM LP. The clarity and the separation of instruments is excellent, but is it worth $150? 

I would buy more of these type of pressings if they were in the $60 range, but there are a fair amount of new releases in 45 RPM that are priced in the $40 range, so I will simply contend to resist the hype in my future purchases. 

Sokogear that’s right the Gaucho uhQr is coming December.

@jayctoy - not sure what you are talking about with the Gaucho UHQR. It hasn't been released yet. I won't get that one as I have it on an excellent Japanese pressing, and it is my 3rd favorite SD album (after Aja and Royal Scam).

Aja is probably my favorite album (always oscillating with Kind of Blue), so I took the plunge for the UHQR. Wish they would sell it without the useless extra packaging for 1/2 the price, but it's a free country. I take the album out and put it in with the other records so it doesn't take up the valuable space in my favorite album area. I put the packaging on a wall shelf, so at least in my mind I can somewhat justify it as a piece of art which would have been more expensive if I put it on the wall, framed. It is the best sounding album I own, including any of the original UHQRs I have (maybe because it is a 45). Yes, Dark Side and Crime of the Century and even Sgt Pepper- which I thought was previously the best. Finger Paintings is great too. The Aja UHQR is amazing, way better than the original MOFI one.

Also a huge SD fan (seen them 20+ times including Fagen solo tours and the Dukes of September and the NY Rock and Soul Revue - remember that?) If you think SD is elevator music, that is your unfortunate opinion. Maybe you ride in audiophile elevators or don't like well produced music with top musicians playing great songs. I can't name any group other than SD that doesn't have one single song that I would skip when playing an album. One exception - when Becker sang a song on Everything Must Go (RIP Walter - who was a great songwriter/collaborator/band coleader). 

Usually if I have an audiophile pressing of an album, I don't upgrade it, but this is a very rare exception. I'll sell my MFSL copy which has unfortunately dropped in value since the UHQR was released. The only other exception I've made is Rumours where I sold my Nautilus recording and got the 45 release, which sounds better. Interestingly enough, it is sold by the original record label, not an audiophile record company. Somethin' Else is coming on a One Step - that should be an interesting comparison to the other One Steps.

This discussion about Steely Dan had me pulling out every album I have to inspect. I noticed that the 2 copies I have of "Steely Dan gold" have been flawed since I bought them. Probably didn’t realize it until I played them long after I originally purchased them, too late to return. None of the other various Steely albums have any issues.

One copy has a special cover, MCA Records Audiophile, MCA-16016, stating it was digitally mastered & pressed with Teldec Virgin Vinyl. It has skippers. The other copy is a regular cover with MCA-1483 stamped in gold at the top right corner, but has MCA-5324 on back of cover, bottom left.

I baby my vinyl and both cleaned a couple of times on my Pro-Ject VC-S2 ALU cleaning machine. Wondering it anyone else had same issues with this particular album?

"Paying $150 for pop music record released in tens of millions copies is definitely gullible."

First post here! My first post on an audio forum, years ago, was instantly met with 3 not-so-welcoming critiques re: the info. And it was in a popular "woodworking" thread (gear is gear, guys are guys, right?). And it was taken directly from the manufacturer’s product-info guide! (And I was a cabinetmaker; I thought I was being helpful, lol!) That took almost 7 years to "rectify." So, no info, just a question; To czarivey’s point:

Has any of you ever thought of how much money you have forked over for the same title since its release?!

I’ll pick just one. It’s old. I’ve read a lot of your posts. So are many of you. So am I.:-) I pre-ordered (as in pre-release) "Rubber Soul" (go ahead, do the math!) on vinyl, natch. 8-track, cassette, another vinyl, fist available on cd, Brit cd RM, and a mono/stereo cd RM (when the N.A. versions were released) all followed. There are, for me, hundreds of titles (OK, more) that I have bought at least 3 times---at least.

Worse---a lot of this was BEFORE I discovered "shopping" in Japan! Ouchie!

Unlike The Beatles, a big % of those other artists are ones I paid to see as well, many, more than once, for a few, ?? shows over decades. Todd can have a compound for all of his baby mammas on Maui, in part, bcs of me and a few of my friends!

I’m a bit concerned that I may have come to the wrong place. I just ordered a new cd player, you know, for some of the Japanese stuff, of course! Is there an "Audioholics website?

Yet Another Bob ("Another Bob" was already taken?! Ha! Isn’t that great---and telling!)

I just listened to "Aja" two days ago and it was absolutely miles ahead of all previous versions I've experienced.  On top of that I had recently purchased the Dan's 3 previously released UHQR LP's and they are equally amazing.  I could not recommend them more strongly.  Obviously, $150 is a significant expenditure for an album most of us already own, in many cases, in multiple formats.  That being said, these were supremely satisfying listening experiences and well worth the cost.

If you have a truly high-end system, you CAN buy a thrill!

I agree.

Heard Aja yesterday. Sounds wonderful.

Aja was done as a Japanese SHM-SACD back in 2010. Chad does shootouts in his office to make sure the UHQR beats the original.  He thinks they nailed it on this one.  Not sure if he takes the same care with the SACD.

Rbertalotto yes it’s available on sacd preorder 

Bernie is being honest, not spinning anything. What he’s talking about is pushing the mids for radio limiters of the day and not too much low end for older turntables and the cartridges of the day, plus limited speaker response below 100 hz. Add those up and Aja is a mid forward record with a lot of room to grow. Short enough in length to get much better on modern vinyl with all the skills learned in 45 years What’s great about Aja was never the mastering it was always everything else, and I’m very happy he’s had this opportunity to do it again, full beans for modern time, putting his name on it once and for all.

As to his age ... hearing loss has 0% impact on listening skill. As the hearing goes away the brain compensates and the skill portion that matters most is always going up, we hope! So his age is a non factor. If age was a factor young females would be the best engineers, as they have the best measurable hearing.

P.S. If you are interested in how mastering alters things here is an opinion on Aja digitally that I did for myself during the pandemic, using the 80s CD as a basis.

Do not share or sell. This is for educational purposes only, referencing the digital (CD) version of the original (LP) work.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/ewryuajc58j4dpz0t06og/h?rlkey=43h8t7huoafmw8rlyoxb4vps3&dl=0

Send me a PM that you grabbed the data files.

+1 larsman - I had no idea I have the ABC 1006 - I listened to the ABC version and the UHQR version last night -  the UHQR is WAY better sound all around. If you love SD, its worth if. As others have pointed out, they don't like SD, so no way are they spending $150. 

My UHQR came in and I gave it to the wife to wrap and give it to me for Christmas. She claims I am too hard to find presents for...! She is also giving me a new MacBook Pro...!

Lucky man!.....Does she have a sister?

My UHQR came in and I gave it to the wife to wrap and give it to me for Christmas. She claims I am too hard to find presents for...! She is also giving me a new MacBook Pro...!

I think I already have the SACD, so I am good. 

Was Aja ever available as an SACD?....I've not seen it.

"My ABC LP has the etching AB-1006 (RE-3).  Does the "RE-3" signify a later reissue or pressing? "

drmuso-

it's in here somewhere-

Steely Dan - Aja | Releases | Discogs

As you can see, there are several runs. 

I've had the OG AB-1006 since the day it came out in '77, and it is indeed an awesome sounding record - just listened to it last night, in fact.

Just received the UHQR today and gave it a listen. I find the UHQR to be superior sonically in every way, ultimately being so much more PRESENT in the listening space; the difference is not small or subtle, you don't have to 'listen for it'. 

I would say that if you love 'Aja', have good sound gear and don't mind shelling out the dough, it's a no brainer. It will sound like you've not heard it before. I just wish it was also available in a less fancy packaging for maybe $100, but I can understand Chad wanting this series to have a special presentation.

Also got the 2-45's of Jethro Tull's 'Stand Up' today, which is not UHQR, cost $65, and does not have fancy packaging (though the stand-up is there!) and sounds superb. 

@drmuso  I was only repeating what was said in the interview with the guy who mastered the original LP.  No idea if it's correct.  Cheers.

@rbertalotto

@bigtwin 

I saw somewhere on the internet that Becker & Fagan used Magneplanar III speakers--not bookshelf--to master their recordings back in the day.  The IIIa Maggies I used to own had a wonderfully realistic midrange, but were light on low bass.  So mastering with them could have yielded pretty robust bass, although it never sounded excessive to me on any of their LPs, even on speakers with robust bass.

@czarivey 

@tablejockey 

My ABC LP has the etching AB-1006 (RE-3).  Does the "RE-3" signify a later reissue or pressing?  It does sound very good.

That boy rides some funky elevators! 

Didn't Analog Productions come out with AJA maybe 12 or 18 months ago?  Not sure if that one is 45rpm but I'm pretty sure it is.  And was just about the same price. Scott Hull at Masterdisc did that one.

Have seen them a bunch of times (with and without Becker) and when they start jamming on any tune I honestly don't see how they could be construed as elevator music.

Regards,

barts

I think I already have the SACD, so I am good. 

Totally agree with Willy-T on this.

For many of us, back in the day, Steely Dan was the sh*t, and we didn't care how long they took to record an album, we knew it would be worth the wait.

I probably have 8 album copies of this one - various sources.

Although I've pondered buying this one for awhile, I'll probably wait and hope the price goes down.  I'm happy some have already purchased and hope they are enjoying it!    My .02 worth.

Part of this hobby is finding the definitive version of a particular 

album. This is the definitive version of AJA

Some folks want the definitive version no matter the cost and 

some don’t. The album also won a Grammy in 1977 for Best Engineered Album of the year. 
Good luck Willy -T

Hey  jw944ts

Do you like Steely Dan and the Aja album?  :>)

Sure are a lot of people who know how good this is or isn't who have never even heard it. 

OP-

Very good point about 80 YO ears mastering an album.

$150 for Aja?

No thanks, I'm perfectly happy with hearing that album from my Luxman D-03X CDP.

I've been wondering about this for a while, Grundman, Massenburg, Marino, etc., are all in their 70's and 80's, they must have some significant HF loss at the minimum.  Life is hard on ears, that being said congrats to all these legends for such a long lived career. 

Far be it from me to spend $150 on a record.  That said, I love Steely Dan.  

He mixes it just perfect so that other 80 year olds can enjoy it their $150 investment.

AJA is sooo yesterday. Another audiophile masterpiece I never take the time to listen to anymore. Life is too short to play the same records over and over and over.

$150 is a lot for one good recording.  I just spent $162 on David Bowie Box Set Brillant Adventure and it has 18 records in it and all sound pretty clean and a very nice set.  It is getting fairly crazy the prices for these new/virgin/remastered/200 gram records.  I am sure they sound really good.  But it is really becoming an expensive hobby if you want to purchase some of these titles.  

JW944ts..."never enjoyed Steely Dan -style, just saying....sounds like elevator music to me"

I keep looking through this thread, but I can't find where anyone asked you for your opinion......As Thumpers mother said..."If you don't have anything good to say, Don't say anything!".....Good advise for internet forum trolls ....

SD is one of my fav bands. I have the MoFi version of Aja that Stan Ricker mastered. Excellent sound. The UHQR version is better - is if worth $150? Depends. I don't think so, but it is definitely better than the MoFi version. Dynamics and quieter. Esp the cymbals at the end of Aja - they are very muddy on the MoFi version and much much cleaner and clearer on this. Dunno what happened on the MoFi version. In any case, if you are a SD fan, then you will like this. I have also preordered Gaucho and Katy Lied. I have the 1/2 speed master of Gaucho by Bob Ludwig.

never enjoyed Steely Dan -style, just saying....sounds like elevator music to me

If I would spend $150 on recorded music, of course I would  say I was worth it.

I have my original LP and it still sounds great. Amazingly, the 70s cartridges didn't destroy it, and consequently I have no need for a new $150 version.

It’s good… as mentioned, probably one of the most silent pressings I’ve ever heard. Is it better than a really good version of the original? Tough call. I’ve got one, fantastic pressing. Back to back, I’d probably go to the original. If anything, the new version sounds a little too “clean” IMO. Still excellent overall. The packaging is first class.

So, I just had to look. In my stacks I currently have three copies of this record with the AB 1006 stamper. One is a yellow wax version. One is a really clean (looking) regular wax version and #3 is also very nice in regular wax. Completely forgot about the yellow one. I may have to see how they compare. Been awhile on this one. Not spending much on records these days. definitely not $150.00.

Man! I am so fed up with this BS about how, back in the day, they had to

"modify the sound of albums in the past so they would play on crappy turntables and how this album, at 45rpm, is designed for the best turntables and cartridges."

This is the same argument people keep making about why the Tone Poets reissues MUST be better than any Van Gelder version. Meanwhile every one of those I hear is easily demolished by a half-way decent RVG.

If this UHQR of Aja comes anywhere close to the better early pressings of this album I'll be absolutely astonished.

That’s good news that they say they finally got it right.  It only took 45 years and a much bigger price tag I guess. 

Meanwhile all these high end demos using that record have been deficient all these  years it would seem.  
 

Go figure!   A congressional investigation might be in order for this level of incompetence.