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Question for those with “Golden ears”, and a frustration! (The Loudness Wars)

Hello! My first text! My user name, is short for my Companies name.
  Anyway, I ALWAYS wondered, which sounds better to you with $$$$ equipment? The Led Zeppelin Rhino Black box of Japanese made, mini copies of the record album sleeves CD’s of ALL the albums? Or, the large sized four CD disk boxset with the crop circle picture on the front(1990 release?), and the later small box, that had the songs missing from the four box “crop circles” box? The mini-album Japanese CD’s sound pretty damn good to me!  Any thoughts? Which sounds better to you? Those with CD based systems I can only dream of owning?  As to my rant, I went to the Wiki article of: The Sound Wars! And there was a link where you can put in your CD or album title and artist, and it tells you if it’s been compressed(LOUD!), or, not. Specifically: CD’s, (if it’s compressed, the VU meters will stay locked in the red) My favorite Fleetwood Mac CD, The Dance, all in the RED, BAD! 😢 U2’s Joshua Tree (special boxed edt.) All in the GREEN (GOOD). But I swear, the drums/cymbals, IMO, sound awful on that CD! Especially the cymbals! NEVER could find a good sounding Joshua Tree CD that the drums and cymbals sounded good. 🙁 That was my FAVORITE concert!!! 4’th. row seats!! AWESOME! Other albums, NIN CD’s all in the red, Van Halen as well. And the worst, totally unlistenable, got it for Christmas many years ago, Led Zep., The Mothership CD’s. 🤮

Thank you all!!!
savroof9849
savroof9849 OP
24 posts
 
So, the consensus is the “Crop Circles” CD Boxset, not so good (1990?). And the Black Box, with all Japanese CD’s best. I also bought the first four CD albums in SHM-CD format. Not to be confused with SACD’s. SHM-CD’s can play on any CD player, something with the usual plastic/silver side, the plastic is a more transparent polymer than regular CD’s use. Maybe a money grab by the Japanese, IDK. I think the SHM process was invented by Pioneer, and another company. I cannot hear a difference. But I have B&W bookshelf speakers with the aluminum nautilus tweeters, and yellow (Kevlar?) main drivers? 
Any other thoughts would be appreciated! Anyone else buy the Led Zep Japanese SHM CD’s??
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
SHM CDs are produced using the original digital master, either from digital tape or audio file. The quality of the master will determine the how the SHM disc sounds.

I have very good digital playback and well mastered Redbook sounds as good as SHM CD.

The real improvement in sound is from XRCD's. This is JVC's 24bit remastering process. I have a few classical discs. Don't know if there are any Zeppelin.




lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
I think what makes the SQ of the LZ SHM CDs so good is the high quality of the Japanese pressing plants. The original masters are from the 90's and the Japanese have improved upon them.

fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,635 posts
 
The first album sounded great on 8-track in a Road Runner.
big_greg
6,670 posts
 
@lowrider57 I believe that my friend said that it was from the original masters but I can't answer that question definitively.
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