How do you guys choose between CD releases?

The tone of my thread takes it for granted that there is a difference between reissues. That probably should have been my first question. Is this something that I should even be concerned about?

Generally the older the better. Early CD's had dynamic range even in pop/rock genres - since the 90's everything has become "loud" and compressed. The first releases of Toto sound great. The recent remasters sound bad - it is the same with most new remasters. Even the Beatles recent releases were crushed compressed and only the mono versions were any good...it is a sad state of affairs but that is what the record labels, producers and artists have put out.

Yes, I think it's worth considering. The newer release of an older album is frequently remastered, even when it's not mentioned. Certainly it's a bit unusual for newer release to be inferior. It seems to me that the standard has gradually improved over time. The imports are usually better than the domestic ones, but there's obviously no guarantee.

It's another matter when you already have an old release - I usually won't upgrade to a newer release unless I have a solid reason to expect a significant improvement.

Even the Beatles recent releases were crushed compressed and only the mono versions were any good...

This statement just goes to show how subjective audio is and how people perceive sound differently.I happen to think the new Beatles stereo discs sound very good.You shouldn't make purchases on someone's recommendation without hearing the product for yourself.Of course this is just my opinion and you know what they say about opinions.

I think all of what has been said already is true in some cases. Old releases are sometimes better than new ones. Sonically more and more new music is tweaked for the ipod listener. On the other hand some new releases such as the Beatles remasters are iMO much improved over the old. Other things to take into consideration are whether a new release contains multiple formats such as a reissue of DSOTM of a few years ago which was stereo and 5.1 or a new release that is encoded with say HDCD, a format which requires your player to be able to decode it but is a great sound. Besides sound, another thing to look for is whether the new release contains extra tracks or even video. Asian versions make sure not a knock off.