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How to find the good CD recordings?

I'm new to high end audio but have a decent system. One of the things I've noticed with this new (old) system, is that some of my CDs which I used to think sounded fine just don't sound all that good anymore while some of them sound great. A lot of these CDs are 30 years old and came from CD clubs (remember those?) and typical record stores.

I've noticed in particular that some of my Led Zep CDs just sound a little flat and a little shallow while some of the Pink Floyd and Rush CDs sound quite good. 

Is this just a matter of Floyd and Rush having higher production quality from the beginning? 

Would later "remastered" Zep CDs sound better? Is "remastered" always an indication of better or superior quality? Is it just marketing hype sometimes?

Anyway, with this new system I am inclined to buy the best quality recordings of any newer music I buy and possible replace some of my old favorites.

So is there a place on the internet where one can go to get reviews of the actual recording quality and not just the music itself. I don't see iTunes or Amazon as particularly useful here. At this point I am not interested in pursuing vinyl or high end audio files. I'm still just getting my feet wet and CDs seem like a cheap way to do that.

Any assistance much appreciated,

George
n80
shadorne's avatar
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shadorne
7,467 posts
 
@n80  

All you need is a DAC as you no doubt already own a computer. I would expect most people here own one if not several. Take the plunge! You won’t regret it. You can get a Mytek or Benchmark on 30 day return and a trial subscription to Tidal...
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shadorne
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@lowrider57 

I play a lot of LZ (drums) with my band. So I really like the more forward drum mix of the 2014 masters. I find a tube preamp helps a lot with the hi-hat too - must be added harmonics as the hi-hat often gets buried in the mix on most pop rock.
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lowrider57
5,411 posts
 
@shadorne , I can understand your take on the RM drums. It’s the first thing I noticed when playing the new Zep. Excellent work by Jimmy Page. I bought all the remasters on vinyl to replace my worn out records (started playing them when I was a teenager). I learned many of Bonzo’s licks when playing drums in my youth.

As my digital rig surpassed my vinyl, I went a quest to find the best quality CDs. It’s a mix of US, German, and Japanese...and the 2 Targets.
The most amazing sound comes from a LZ II pressed at Teldec.


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geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
From what I can tell from the Dynamic Range Database the most dynamic range compression occurs for the 2014 remasters. It is possible that aggressive compression buys you something although I can’t imagine what.
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