Gold disk VS regular disk?

Jadem6--thanks!! I love that album. I have about 3 copies of that piece, but I don't have it on CD at all. Which label released both the gold and aluminum at the same time? Was this the version when they corrected the speed on the second side of the LP?

abstract7: yes, i agree with your assessment that most remastered cd's are superior to those released "in the dawn" of the digital age. i, nonetheless, believe that some remasters are as bright and edgy as their predecessors. xrcd's are uniformly well done. i cannot say the same for mfsl or dcc disks, irrespective of their being silver or gold. i also think that many of the very early discs that were practically unplayable on early electronics sound much better on new equipment, particularly dacs that employ up or up and over sampling. (and, no, i don't wish to start another battle over these sampling/processing methods). -kelly

I think MFSL explains the gold thing in their product literature. If I remember correctly, they don't say that it sounds better than aluminum...I think they claim that gold is better for surface consistency and longevity.

And of course, there's the marketing angle. They were charging quite a bit for a CD.

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.