Finding The Best Sounding Genesis (Part II), Album By Album...

By looking at the waveforms it also seems like the Atlantic (if I plased sample 1 and 2 correct) has the phase inverted compared to the others.

 

Forgot to post this yesterday, the EAC levels for the Nimbus Nursery Cryme are:

100.0 % - 52.7 % - 100.0 % - 98.5 % - 92.7 % - 53.3 % - 100.0 %

I assume the EMI Swindon version matches this?

 

Matches these levels exactly.

 

I also noticed sample 2 has a channel imbalance compared to the other samples, where the left channel is about 2dB louder than the right. I dropped the left channel a couple of dB, then using the parametric EQ on sample 2 (the Atlantic?), I took 5 dB off the bottom end with an 80 Hz shelf, and added about 1dB at 200 and 375 Hz, and found that samples 1 and 2 matched pretty closely. Sample 1 does sound the most natural, but in case I can't find the Virgin Charisma I can always fiddle with the EQ on the Atlantic.

 

Bill: I don't think we know which is which yet, right? My speaker set up now is really bad or else I would be jumping in here. I'm trying to figure out which is the DE with the NR by listening to the cymbal decay

 

You're right, we don't know yet, so I shouldn't be jumping to conclusions! I just made my best guess and went from there. I do find that sample 2 has more bass, though, and sample 1 seems the most ear pleasing. Sample 3 sounds kind of closed in.

 

I have two completely different Virgin/Charisma masterings of ATTWT.

One is a Made In UK blueface with a TT of 53:06.

The other is a Swindon pressing with a TT of 53:23.

They both sound good but I have done any serious comparisons thus far.

 

Here is a Trespass Nimbus (Virgin Megastore) EAC report:


Track 1
Filename C:\Documents and Settings\1\My Documents\My Music\Track01.wav

Peak level 100.0 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC C65DD0A1
Copy OK

Track 2
Filename C:\Documents and Settings\1\My Documents\My Music\Track02.wav

Peak level 100.0 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC AC39DAEE
Copy OK

Track 3
Filename C:\Documents and Settings\1\My Documents\My Music\Track03.wav

Peak level 100.0 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC C29A7423
Copy OK

Track 4
Filename C:\Documents and Settings\1\My Documents\My Music\Track04.wav

Peak level 100.0 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC E3379DCE
Copy OK

Track 5
Filename C:\Documents and Settings\1\My Documents\My Music\Track05.wav

Peak level 54.8 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC C02F562B
Copy OK

Track 6
Filename C:\Documents and Settings\1\My Documents\My Music\Track06.wav

Peak level 100.0 %
Track quality 100.0 %
Test CRC B911A39A
Copy OK

 

The Nimbus times out at 53:23:47 (mm:ss:ff) in EAC and 53:24 in a Sony XA-777ES SACD player.

EAC levels = 95.2 % - 73.9 % - 100.0 % - 77.7 % - 72.9 % - 100.0 % - 80.5 % - 80.8 % - 67.9 % - 88.8 % - 68.0 %

Based on my exchanges with Gardo above, I imagine your Swindon copy will match my Nimbus.

 

Which exactly matches my Nimbus (non-Megastore) and DADC Austria picture disc copies.

 

Man oh man oh man, these V/Cs of ATTWT are completely different. If this has been covered, my bad, but check this out!!

UK V/C (blueface)

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=E46AFBD60D0C5C95

UK V/C (swindon)

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=1786523746C38BC3

 

Ummm... I hate to jump in the middle of this thread to ask, but is there a Genesis "Album By Album" thread anywhere out here? I did a search and found a number of Genesis threads but no "Album by Album" mention other than these two about the "best sounding" releases. I'm not a big enough fan to provide the best input to get the thread up and running, but always appreciate everyone's insights on these threads!

Sorry, you may return to the original purpose of this thread

 

I've been thinking about starting one after I'm done with the Moby Grape album-by-album thread, maybe in a few weeks.

 

No more guesses on the Foxtrot samples above? Jamie? Black Elk? Bueller?

 

I don't remember what has been covered, but that swindon clip sounds bad, level-matched and all. Dead, no detail, muffled, blanket thrown over it.

 

Wow, that noise reduction is worse than I remember! How awful, surely he must regret this NR??

So that's the 3rd clip, the 2nd is the UK EMI? and the third the US?

That's my guess.

 

Hmmm, I am not so sure just yet. If you really give these some volume, the Swindon has less top end but might better represent the tapes. I wonder how this changed so drastically between the earlier pressing and the Swindon? Either EMI used another tape (likely) or somebody shaved off some top end (which I doubt).

 

No audio capability in my PC, I'm afraid, so I can't listen to your samples, or Jeff's, or anyone else's (without burning a lot of very short CD-Rs). It does seem to be an interesting phenomenon (Jeff has commented on it before) that there can be so many definitive opinions expressed here (I mean the forum in general), and yet so few people are prepared to volunteer an opinion when faced with samples.

 

Well I listened to them on my lesser headphones (AKG something) through my internet computer's stock soundcard and annoying loud fans. I'll give them a shot on my stereo tonight or my music computer, but I'll be surprised if I change my mind.

 

Well I don't know about other people, but sometimes I am just too busy with other things and I want to join in on the sample testing but don't find the time. I don't mean to ignore when that happens. I've missed a lot of discussions and samples that I had intended on checking out. But yeah, I agree it seems that more people ought to be interested in volunteering opinions on samples. It's probably true that a lot of people want to but are busy.

 

(Don't remember if someone has stated this before, but) I just checked and the V/C SWINDON is bit-identical to the V/C NIMBUS.

 

These clips are not bit-identical.

 

The swindon clip still sounds bad to me. I listened under better conditions this time too, it doesn't have enough clarity compared to the other clip. Anybody else listen to these?

 

What the hell happened? I wonder if EMI rolled off some high end to reduce hiss ... or ...?

Are we figuring that the earlier (blueface) pressing came from the same digital source?

Very strange. These differ more than any other two V/C pressings I've heard of the same album.

 

Not the ones Jeff posted, no. But I downloaded Jeff's and checked them against my own Nimbus disc.

Sorry, haven't gotten around to a really serious comparison yet, but from a quick listen I'm inclined to agree that the blueface has the edge.