Mobile Fidelity 24k CDs

@goofyfoot 

I should've said revealing instead of "bright". My mistake. I've only heard one pair of Quads and they certainly weren't bright or cold. I haven't heard that many systems, overall, and as it's happened, those that were significantly more revealing than mine sounded fatiguing to my ears, so it's just inexperience on my part.  

I'm a huge fan of '72 era Dead but have a love/hate relationship with the Jerry and the boys (and girl). I can't stand out of tune singing or sloppy playing -- the "ragged but right" ethos is an oxymoron from my standpoint. But at their best -- when they were both inspired and tight, (particularly from '71 - '77), I love 'em.

"Europe '72" was the first live Dead album I heard and it's consistency spoiled me forever. No full show from that year that I've heard equals it, for me. Inevitably there are clunkers intermixed with jewels. A perfectionist by nature, I'm not the type to buy albums because I like a few tunes, so I find this hit-or-miss miss aspect frustrating. I turn to the cherry-picked  "Europe '72 and "Steppin' Out -- England '72" anthologies when I'm in the mood for that '72 sound. 

I saw them in "73, '74 and '77 but due to the "recreational enhancements" popular back then, don't actually remember much! ;o)

@stuartk When Jerry passed, I stopped following the Dead altogether with exception to the Fare The Well concerts in SF. Prior to that, I saw them just four times starting in 82 as well as the only JGB show ever in San Diego. I’ve always had extraordinary responsibilities towards my immediate family so I couldn’t just pack the car and follow them around the country. Anyway, I’ve liked various aspects of each era though I do have issue with those shows where Donna wasn’t given a monitor and sang out of pitch. Rhino has the rights to all GD recordings as far as I know. I do like many of the Rhino remasters but as a whole, don’t hold the opinion that they reach the same level of refinement as some MOFI and most Analogue Productions do. With Audio Fidelity remasters, the original tapes are unaltered with exception to cleaning up hiss and noise. I’m inclined to recommend those remasters to folks who want the same mix and levels they remember from the originals. Also, not long ago, I downloaded the Bill Evans Trio ’Waltz For Debbie’ DSD 128 file from High Definition Tape Transfers and will say that I am impressed. The clarity, balance and tone is better than I expected. I hope this discussion will dispel the idea that all remastered reissues are the same. Most likely, the age of the source will speak to the audio quality but not always. The levels, microphones, tape machine, recording venue, etc... will influence the original recordings sound quality. Additionally, the condition of the original source tapes and the person leading the project will greatly influence the remaster. And I’m pretty certain that many other variables could influence the final project. I will say however that a certain aesthetic consistency can be heard in these boutique companies so that the MOFI sound may or may not sway someone from justifying the cost of purchase. Personally, I’m excited from time to time to see a recording that has undergone a process of remastering but in the end, the price tag is a very big factor in whether I’ll pull the trigger. As much as I’d love to own re-pressings from The Electric Recording Company, their price tag is too far beyond my budget. Anyway, I believe I’ve said pretty much everything that I can about this matter.

@goofyfoot 

Yes; that out-of-pitch Dona singing is pretty awful. However, beginning around '76, I think (I could be mistaken) her singing was much more on key and I enjoy her contributions to the band, from that point on.

"Personally, I’m excited from time to time to see a recording that has undergone a process of remastering but in the end, the price tag is a very big factor in whether I’ll pull the trigger"

Yes. Same here, but if I'm honest with myself, most of the remastered versions of favorite recordings I end up buying are at best, moderately better (if at all -- many are simply different) compared to original versions. It's rare that I encounter a remaster that offers a dramatic improvement. The fact that this does occur, from time to time, is what keeps me buying them. Of course, now that MoFi is (for me), out of consideration, there are fewer to choose from. I will continue to keep an eye out for Analog Productions releases. 

" I do like many of the Rhino remasters but as a whole, don’t hold the opinion that they reach the same level of refinement as some MOFI and most Analogue Productions do."

Perhaps my system isn't capable of revealing such "refinement". . . or else, we are listening for/prioritizing, other aspects of the sonic presentation. 

“the same level of refinement as some MOFI and most Analogue Productions do.”

+1, @goofyfoot

I have been carefully adding releases from them. Chad Kassem have been masterfully restoring / reproducing recordings from golden era.

Also recommend titles available in XRCD, UHQR silver disc format. Expensive as some of them are in $40-60 range but worth every penny if you have a nice system to take advantage of ultra high resolution recordings.

@lalitk and @stuartk, not meant as a comparison in any way but yes, I have a very nice system. Lately, I've been appreciating the quality of somewhat recently recorded ECM redbook Cd's and DSD files. I've said this often but I believe we're in a digital renaissance.