Reissue 180 grms vs original issue


Dear all,

I was wondering if for example DECCA 2020 Argenta Espania is worth to pay up to 150 USD for a nm- issue or to buy the 180 grms reissue from Speakers Corner (DECCA)new.

What are your thoughts / experiences?

Cheers,

Broederen
broederen
SC screwed up John Coltrane's Love Supreme. The drums are so hot that it ruines the sax playing. Never did like the LP until I bought the original. I sat down with my wife for a listen and she picked out the SC's LP and said the drums were to loud and distracted from the rest of the music. She then proceeded to tell me the other LP sounded as if the mix was done right.

All other SP's LP's I have sound great.
I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with many of the above posters. Speaker's Corner has done occasional good work, but almost none of those records compare with original Mercury FRs or Decca wide-band deep groove pressings. Timbre, warmth, richness, musicality are generally lacking, in favor of CD-like detail and (to me) artificially wide soundstage and an empty, hollow midband. That's at its best - who knows what SC were thinking (or Wilma Cozart Fine for that matter) when they reissued the Mercuy/Dorati Respighi 'Birds' - the original is one of the great recordings of the golden age of stereo - the SC sounds like it was recorded under water, or rather under a fountain of syrup.

Doug may be right that the original Decca engineers would have been happy to use 'advanced cutting technology,' but I'm happy they used original Neumann cutting heads and tubed mastering labs. I wouldn't trade a single of my original SXLs for all the reissues currently on the Acoustic Sounds website. And contrary to popular belief, plenty of them are inexpensive.
Patrickamory, it's clear you haven't heard the Espana reissue, however true (or not) your general comments are. And that was the original poster's question.
I suspect that some of these conflicting observations are due to system differences, not to mention taste. Some of the Classic Records reissues I have seem very bright, and my system is anything but, although very revealing. These same LPs played on a less than stellar system that errrors on the bright and thin side can sound unlistenable to me. I have always been interested in the variation in standards when visiting different rooms at CES, other dealers show rooms and the homes of customers and friends.