Your favorite Pink FLoyd - The Wall mastering "family"

Inspired by this post

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showpost.php?p=2736141&postcount=335

I thought I start a poll on this.

We know that there are many different CD versions of The Wall, but many can be grouped together. For example, we have the CD's which I call Columbia mastering group. These would include the 50DP, 48DP, the US C2K, some Canadian Columbia releases etc. All these CD's are derived from the same original tape transfer/mastering, and even though there are some differences between these pressings, they all share a similar signature sound.

Then we have the old Harvest mastering group which includes the blackface Japan for Europe, blackface WG, silverface UK, silverface Holland etc. Again, there are differences between these CD's, but they are all based on the same original tape transfer.

You get the idea, I hope.

So this poll is about from which of these groups your favorite CD version comes from. It doesn't matter if you like the Japan, WG or UK Harvest best, as long as it is from this group, that would be your option. Remember, this is only about CD versions, so please don't use the "other" option and say you like the vinyl best.

Same for if you like the Columbia mastering best, whether it is the 50DP, 48DP or simply the regular US CD release. If your preference is from this group, this is your option.

 

As someone who has had the 50DP Japan, The Canadian Blackface C2K, The Austrian CBS silverface and ..

The Harvest Blackface West Germany, Blackface Japan, UK Silver face and the original vinyl, I have to go with the Harvests. They are just so much more natural sounding. There is an artifical gloss, a sheen, to the CBS discs which makes it sound false and manipulated in some way.

Plus who wants to hear clicks on Comfortably Numb?

 

Japanese Blackface Harvest for me!

 

WG Blackface Harvest for me !

 

Early columbia for me..I love my 48DP version..

 

Blackface Harvest, no contest.

 

Aw man, don't tell me I have to look for a blackface harvest now!

(I haven't followed any "Wall" threads for a while..)

 

David, I was only thinking we hadn't seen you much recently! (welcome back) You mentioned before that the silverface sounded like some kind of Sony equipment was used in the mastering. Can you be more specific about what you hear and what we should be listenning out for please?
Thanks

 

The Blackface is very dynamic, and sounds like a really good flat transfer. Everything on this just sounds extrordinarily good, from the bass throught to the treble. The Silverface is louder, but sounds dynamically constricted, it is not as free in the bass, nor as pure in the treble. What has been done to the UK version, I can only speculate, but the removal of the AAD suggests some digital editing processing may have been performed followed by a SRC from 48 to 44.1 Khz.

I cannot comment on the WG Blackface, as I have never heard it!

 

Many Thanks David-appreciate that.

 

I second that!

 

Wow, I inspired a Poll Thanks Roland !!!

Since I received a Columbia based pressing yesterday. I've now listened just enough to be "eligible" to vote

 

Anyone know what version have pre-emphasis? I just checked my 48DP and much to my surprise it does. I figured being a 2nd pressing it would not. My method of detection although not the best, has always been correct, but it doesn't mean it always will be. I use EACpb3 with a Sony/Lite-On OEM - SOHW-832s as all my others readers are BenQ and they don't seem to work properly with this older version of EAC.

RL

 

My Japanese blackface Harvest does not have PE. My ML signal processor has a PE indicator, so it's easy for me to see.

 

I'm not 100% sure the 48DP does. Maybe we can get this confirmed. Thanks

 

The WG Blackface Harvest

 

I thought all early Columbia/CBS CD's have PE (the 50DP, 48DP, C2K 36183). Is this not the case?

 

Hello Owais,

so you like the WG Harvest better than the other Harvest versions? Glad to hear that. It seems to be a good middle ground between the UK and the Japan Harvest, but having more of the musicality of the Japan Harvest.

 

My 48DP has pre-emphasis.

 

Roland,

I detected the PE, but I wasn't sure that my method was 100% valid. It's been confirmed that it does. So my detection method was good even though I didn't trust it completely

Thanks,
Rick

 

I have only heard the MFSL and Sax remaster, can it get better than the MFSL??

 

I prefer any of the Black or Silver-Faced EMI/Harvest CD's over any other. Pure magic.

 

Me also.

 

Yep, the MFSL is bassy....it can get much better.

 

I actually think this poll is fun and makes a lot of sense.

Sometimes it really gets mind-boggling with all the different pressings we discuss around here. Very often, it would make sense to sort out the differences between the various "mastering families" first (and clearly identify which version belongs to which family), and then later on follow up which particular pressing of a mastering family might be the best (for those of us who care about minor differences in sound quality of digitally identical/similar CD's).

I have so many examples where this principle would apply really well.