The first sign that the recording was at least mastered, if not recorded digitally is the download card that accompanies the record. Not that all digital is bad- I have some wonderful sounding records on vinyl that were natively recorded in digital; indeed, a lot of stuff since the ’80s was recorded digitally. Remasters are a different story- the difference between an old analog record and a digital remaster is often noticeable, but in some cases, like some of the Steve Wilson remixes, the trade off of a better mix (e.g. Aqualung) is worth the price of admission, particularly if the original analog recording isn’t very good.
As to why this record sounds lousy on your "big" system, it could be that little care was taken in mastering it to vinyl. Or perhaps it isn’t a very good recording to begin with. I don’t know enough about the record, haven’t heard it, and don’t even know who mastered it. What sounds good over an MP3 is very different than what sounds good over a wideband playback system. (Think back to the days when pop records were created to sound punchy on the car radio - some sound great over a good hi-fi rig, but some are really dead and lifeless sounding). My suspicion is, another copy isn’t going to sound better, but if there are others who have this pressing, they can chime in.
As to why this record sounds lousy on your "big" system, it could be that little care was taken in mastering it to vinyl. Or perhaps it isn’t a very good recording to begin with. I don’t know enough about the record, haven’t heard it, and don’t even know who mastered it. What sounds good over an MP3 is very different than what sounds good over a wideband playback system. (Think back to the days when pop records were created to sound punchy on the car radio - some sound great over a good hi-fi rig, but some are really dead and lifeless sounding). My suspicion is, another copy isn’t going to sound better, but if there are others who have this pressing, they can chime in.
