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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
cd318
2,636 posts
 
@savroof9849,

I just wish that the U2’s Joshua Tree album, I’m not joking, sounded as good, cymbal crashes/drum wise, as the YouTube official video of “The Streets have no name”. Don’t understand that at all. Could a German CD copy of the CD album sound better??


This has sometimes puzzled me too on those occasions when the online one sounds better than my CD one.

I put it down to different masterings used by various pressing plants.

Mastering matters and sometimes the YouTuber may have uploaded a superior one.

As for the Joshua Tree, well Daniel Lanois was known for that muddy sound.
Some folks feel the same about his work with Dylan but I like it, and U2 must have wanted it too.

It’s certainly a far cry from the ultra clean sterile work provided by Steve Lillywhite on their earlier LPs.

Maybe the best version of JT is the mfsl one.

I like it and it compares well with my brother’s original 87 UK LP.

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/u2-joshua-tree-mfsl-disc.110228/

savroof9849 OP
24 posts
 
So, they have a 24K gold Mobile Fidelity copy, in “near mint” for $125.00. Ouch! And there is a German CD as well. A lot cheaper, obviously. My question is, it seems that, I believe CD318 saying it was mastered that way, to sound “muddy”. However, the official video, on YouTube, of “The streets have no name”, sounds SO much BETTER!! Crisp cymbals, drums. I do not know Disklogs return policy. I’d REALLY hate to drop $125.00 for the exact same sound as on my Ltd. Edt. Joshua Tree Box set CD. A large sum for “Muddy” cymbals and drums, all over again... 😞 Unless somebody here owns the 24K gold disk, and can assure me, the cymbals and drums sound GREAT! Nothing like the regular CD, or LP Album, for that matter. Both sound bad in the cymbals and drums dept. Except the official video’s BETTER sonics. Just damn...
jafant
19,187 posts
 
savroof9849

We have very similar musical tastes. The original 1st pressing Led Zep Atlantic CDs are the best. As well as the 80's Joshua Tree CD. The advent of the CD and 1980's grew up together. New technology all around as pressing plants moved to a digitized format. Big drums, muddy sound, it was a sign of the times. 
The 1st major CD re-master(s) wave hit in 1994. Certain catalogs fare well, while, most do not. If you enjoy your fave bands on Vinyl, stick with the original pressings on CD format. Most of the MoFi Gold CDs are very good price permitting.

Happy Listening!
cd318
2,636 posts
 
@jafant ,

Yes, it's now accepted that many of the original 80s CD transfers are often still the best available, despite their faults.

Even the 87 Beatles George Martin CDs are holding up well, despite all the various reissues.



@savroof9849,

"Unless somebody here owns the 24K gold disk, and can assure me, the cymbals and drums sound GREAT!"


No they don't. It's a warm, expansive and somewhat muddy sound that breathes.

I suspect the 80s CD might be best for what you are after, but I've not heard it.

Maybe you could post the YouTube link so we can get a better idea of what you are looking for? 

There must be various different versions of Joshua Tree amongst the collections of members here.

Someone here might even have the same copy as the one that was uploaded.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,411 posts
 
There’s no way to know which master was used to make the music video. By 1990, a record label would use an audio production facility to transfer the track to digital videotape and send it to the editing house. This was now the master and the video was edited directly onto this tape.
It’s possible the track was tweaked for broadcast on television.

MTV was calling the shots by then and had specifications for audio and video, such as limited compression, playback levels, S/N, etc.

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