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

Dear Psychranger,
                             Thank you for your post!! You may not believe this, but I went for a hearing test at my ear Dr., just to see what’s what. Unbelievably, he told me, “you can hear all the way up to 14 KHz! Very impressive!”  Someone your age shouldn’t be able to hear high frequencies that high at “your age”🙄. I’m 52. I’ve been very protective of my hearing, since, when I was a teenager, went to have a bang’n ALPINE stereo system put in my car, and the teenage installer had very bad hearing loss. That scared me. He has been partially deaf since about 18 y.o. That’s sad. Not from meds, or fever, but listening to LOUD music. Very sad. Permanent damage.  But I’m very upset these great albums (CD’s) have been victims of the “LOUDNESS WARS”. No transients, bad sonics. I will try to buy Japanese copies. Or, bite the bullet, and dive back into LP’s.
  My Japanese Led Zep CD’s have AWESOME sonics of my favorite drummer Bonham! It’s the crappy drum/cymbals on “The Joshua Tree”. Listen to the opening drums/cymbal crashes being so muted on “Where the Streets have no name”. No bright cymbal crash/no decay. Drums muted. Have three copies of this album, all sound the same. Honestly, the drums/cymbals sound better on the YouTube video of that song, that they filmed on the roof of I think, a liquor store in LA. Listen to the difference, see if I’m right. But Bonham on 1,2,3, are AWESOME!

God bless all!!

Another vote for the 2014 remasters. They're not perfect but I doubt whether there will be a better digital set than them.

The Barry Diament remasters were always well regarded but alas he didn't get to have a go at Led Zeppelin lV.

The Mothership was indeed awfully compressed. Not really fit for audio playback.

I've posted a link below to the results of a Stevehoffman music forum poll which I wouldn't argue with.

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/led-zeppelin-on-cd-poll.606937/

OP, look for early release German pressings; close to analogue sound, good dynamic range. You can hear Bonham’s tight deep kick drum and JPJ’s bassline. Bonzo is my favorite drummer and you can hear that he’s using a smaller kit on LZ I.
I bought all my flat transfer Zep on Discogs. Also, found the best quality Jimi CDs and other classic rock.

I can tell you that the japanese vinyl reissues by pioneer for led zeppelin are incredible sounding zeppelin albums.

Speakermaster,
                         Good evening!! I have Led Zep.: 1-4 Japanese SHM-CD’s, as well as all the totally cool Japanese CD’s, that look like mini LP albums, Zep. 1 thru CODA, they sound great as well! But because of $$ limitations, I have the Bowers and Wilkins bookshelf sized speakers, with the aluminum nautilus tweeters, and yellow (Kevlar?) main drivers with the black buttons in the center, so, I’m not able to tell a difference between the SHM CD’s, and the “regular” Japanese CD’s. I think I’d need a HUGE upgrade to all my equipment to notice anything between them. 🙁 I’m just happy to FINALLY hear Sandy Denny’s(?) voice clearly on Zeppelin 4’th. album (CD).   I usually use my B&W P-7 headphones for critical listening, as I live in a townhome (neighbors). No: floor standing speakers, no sub’s. No: “Turn it up to 11!”. 😔  I did hear Elton John’s YBR CD thru a: Rotel CD player, Macintosh amp, and the brand new, at the time, B&W floor standing speakers with the diamond tweeters! WOW! It was as if Sir. E. John was standing 10 feet in front of me! Holographic! WOW! That was fun!! Amazing equipment!! All I need is: THAT system in my new big house (away from neighbors), and a Porsche 911 Turbo in the driveway, I’d be: “don’t need nothin else!”