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Why do the new 2009 Beatles CDs sound so good?

It seems a small (maybe big) miracle what they've done with the Beatles 9/9/09 cd box. These were always piercing and grainy (since 1987), and now they are just about the best CDs I have (and this includes SACDs). If it can be done here, it seems like this could be done with other popular music discs.
It seems that the problems in digital are not in the medium itself, but the way the recordings are made.
Companies like DCC and MFSL tried to improve things, but the Beatles box seems to surpass these by far.
A lot of people are quick to criticize digital vs. vinyl, but, to my ears, the Beatles now sound better than vinyl ever did. Anyway, if anyone could shed light on how this was accomplished, I'd be curious.
rgs92
rgs92 OP
974 posts
 
Thanks for the comments. I've got the stereo box and it sounds as natural as anything. There is one new song version that is great--Only a Northern Song on Yellow Submarine, which the accompanying booklet says was not remixed from a "faked" stereo version, as were all previous releases. Again, i can't get over how nice these sound.
I wish they would apply the same treatment to McCartney/Wings, Lennon, and Harrison's other material.
All Things Must Pass really deserves it...
slanski62
42 posts
 
Band on the Run was just released in remastered high resolution (24/96) format. It's available for $19.99 on Sir Paul's web site. There's also an interesting discussion about digital mastering that results in loud versus soft volume.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,636 posts
 
If you can find the "Yellow Submarine" CD from a few years back that was re-released along with the movie, that is an equally good and I believe somewhat different remastering of teh songs included there as well.
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
i borrowed the beatles set from my local library.

i would agree that there is an improvement in the current mastering vs the older discs.

however, i own many discs which i consider much better sounding than the beatles reissue.

i would give them a b minus in sound quality.

there are many small labels which offer better quality. many are very small labels produced in foreign countries which are classical recordings. there is a domestic label which concentrates on acoustic music , i believe it is music and sound, which is also worthy of consideration, if you like the type of music they record.

i did not find the beatles reissue sufficently high enough in quality to purchase them.
magfan
1,583 posts
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war

Slanski,
is this what you're talking about?
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