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One interesting comparison we did at Marty Wax's yesterday was compare just for the hell of it, my vinyl copy of MOFI Reissue of Dead Can Dance Into the Labyrinth with the original 4AD CD release of the same title. Now just in case anyone was interested, both mediums were played back on systems of roughly same cost:
Analog: Goldmund T3/Goldmund T5 arm/Benz Ruby/Vibraplane
Digiital: top of the line Meitner digital electronics
Marty synched up both mediums using the very first cut from Into the Labyrinth "Yulanga" and it was off to the races.
Well you know how they stop a clinical trials because the results are so overwhelming there's no need to go to trial completion? Well that's close to what happened here.
First of all, Marty's Gothams easily showed off perhaps the biggest difference between the two releases: the ITL CD lacks low bass, especially the very lowest octave. Many won't have the system to hear the difference but the low bass is absolutely MIA on the CD. In fact so miuch so that one shakes their head momentarily in disbelief over what they heard and then has ask did I just hear that?
Second, the CD just lacks the ambience of the LP (and is on the tape) that makes the recording so spectacular. The CD just sounds dead like the album was recorded in a closet.
Third, images on the CD are almost paper thin. Not quite 20 micron thin, but truly lacking the palpability of the MOFI reissue.
Lastly, there's just a confused feeling on the CD. Again, I don't have a ready answer but it's absolutely unmistakable. Like the brain is fighting what you are hearing on the CD and absorbing it all on the LP.
Fascinating and one wonders if the CD and LP were taken from the same mix. Hmmm.......... why would you emasculate the bottom end on the CD?
I left pretty sure that Marty will be ordering the LP release.
Analog: Goldmund T3/Goldmund T5 arm/Benz Ruby/Vibraplane
Digiital: top of the line Meitner digital electronics
Marty synched up both mediums using the very first cut from Into the Labyrinth "Yulanga" and it was off to the races.
Well you know how they stop a clinical trials because the results are so overwhelming there's no need to go to trial completion? Well that's close to what happened here.
First of all, Marty's Gothams easily showed off perhaps the biggest difference between the two releases: the ITL CD lacks low bass, especially the very lowest octave. Many won't have the system to hear the difference but the low bass is absolutely MIA on the CD. In fact so miuch so that one shakes their head momentarily in disbelief over what they heard and then has ask did I just hear that?
Second, the CD just lacks the ambience of the LP (and is on the tape) that makes the recording so spectacular. The CD just sounds dead like the album was recorded in a closet.
Third, images on the CD are almost paper thin. Not quite 20 micron thin, but truly lacking the palpability of the MOFI reissue.
Lastly, there's just a confused feeling on the CD. Again, I don't have a ready answer but it's absolutely unmistakable. Like the brain is fighting what you are hearing on the CD and absorbing it all on the LP.
Fascinating and one wonders if the CD and LP were taken from the same mix. Hmmm.......... why would you emasculate the bottom end on the CD?
I left pretty sure that Marty will be ordering the LP release.
He played it at Axpona on the MBL Xtremes. Mind blowing.
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