So the other day I picked up the Beatles in Mono CD box set, for $29.00, a substantial discount. I picked it up mainly as a convenience and shouldn't have bothered.
I pulled Sgt. Peppers first and immediately reached for the volume control to turn down the hideous sound. The sound across the entire album is entirely inconsistent. The opening Sgt. Peppers/Little Help is entirely to hot in the midrange/upper midrange which ruins the vocals, while the bass and kick drum are missing in action. Vocals and instruments are obviously pulled up and dropped down into the mix to the point of unnaturalness. The vocals and guitars are at times piercing. From song to song it's quite uneven, some cuts worse than others but none what I would call good. Sounds a bit like it was mastered for a tabletop radio.
I pulled Magical Mystery Tour next and it was pretty much more of the same.
Basically only bearable to listen to at background sound levels. This is the best they could do from the original master tapes? Whoever persons are that performed the CD transfer master, did the transfer, and approved it should be pimp slapped. It's not the $29.00, it is that it is so very bad.
I pulled Sgt. Peppers first and immediately reached for the volume control to turn down the hideous sound. The sound across the entire album is entirely inconsistent. The opening Sgt. Peppers/Little Help is entirely to hot in the midrange/upper midrange which ruins the vocals, while the bass and kick drum are missing in action. Vocals and instruments are obviously pulled up and dropped down into the mix to the point of unnaturalness. The vocals and guitars are at times piercing. From song to song it's quite uneven, some cuts worse than others but none what I would call good. Sounds a bit like it was mastered for a tabletop radio.
I pulled Magical Mystery Tour next and it was pretty much more of the same.
Basically only bearable to listen to at background sound levels. This is the best they could do from the original master tapes? Whoever persons are that performed the CD transfer master, did the transfer, and approved it should be pimp slapped. It's not the $29.00, it is that it is so very bad.
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