deadheads: Best sounding Dicks Picks....top 5

Of the Dick's Picks series both your criteria are met IMHO by DP no. 3 5/22/77 Pembroke Pines, FL and DP no. 5 12/26/79 Oakland Aud. Both are Betty Boards, Great shows, and they capture some of the best of the Dead of the late 70's
A third show which is available in an Arista commercial release with very good sound is "Nightfall Of Diamonds" captured at the Meadowlands on Oct. 16, 1989. Arista's "Dozin' At The Knick" from Albany's Knickerbocker Arena is no slouch in the performance or sound either. "Nightfall" has a Dark Star>Playin'>UJB>Drumz>Space segment that shows the band really shining at the interplay between them that was so inspired on some nights.

Don't have them in front of me, but have to second Slipknot's choices. Also would add Terrapin Station and Without a Net as some of the best sounding and best performances (not DP's I know). Starting with DP 15 I believe, they went with HDCD encoding, which really helped out sound wise. The sole reason I won't go with one of those upsampling players, unless I can defeat it and use the HDCD.

Hey...love all 36 DP's....some are better than others and that depends on what era of the Dead you enjoyed the most. I persoanlly liked the early to mid seventies. Anyway..... I miss new Dick's Pick's....it really is too bad there will be no more.....Latvala !!!!!

I've also found the board mixes available from Ratdog and Phil and Friends to be very good. Phil and Friends Chicago show summer of 06 with Joan Osborne is one of the best.

Terrapin on Super Disc is to DIE 4!!!!

I'm not all that impressed with Dozin's performance.

Don't have them all but for sheer enjoyment I like 5/2/70. This was a tape a upgrade many times over the last 25 years. Exceptional show.