[Tim]

I've never understood these kind of discs .

What makes them so much better than a normal CD, and are they?

Or are they just collector items?

 

[fyrfytrhoges]

from my limited knowledge of the technical stuff it supposedly has to do with the fact that gold reflects the laser more efficiently than silver, what the hell do i know. but my experience is with the roger waters sony mastersound version of "amused to death" and i can say that the gold version has more detail and clarity than the redbook copies that i own.

the opening bid on that set is ridiculous though, and i have seen many copies of the wall still sealed and way below that price. whoever buys that for 400.00 is a sucker in my book.

 

[D555]

Hello,

Agreed. $400USD is way too much for a MFSL "The Wall". Maybe one day... but not today.

To me, the advantage in these discs is not the gold but the care put into the mastering (there's a thread on this subject going on right now). Mobile Fidelity and DCC used excellent mastering electronics and had some of the best mastering people in the business. Because these people were not under a corporate hammer to crank out product, extra time and care could be put into the mastering and the effort shows.

All the gold in the world is not going to improve the sound if the mastering is lousy.

Best regards,

Paul

 

[soundboy]

I agree with D555's assessment of gold CD. It comes down to the mastering....I have DCC's gold CD of Elvis' "24 Karat Hits" and it blows away RCA's own Elvis CDs.

The asking price have to do with the exclusiveness of the disc; you are paying for one of the those rare items treasured by audiophiles.

 

[dstyslpr]

A friend of mine had a gold U2 disk (Joshua Tree?), as well as the vanilla orginal. Comparing the two of them on a cheap Sahrp portable stereo, aka "ghetto blaster", the gold still sounded a little better. A little cleaner, is how I seem to recall it - and this with a truly nasty portable.

I was impressed, though I still thought he was a desperate nerd for going to those lengths.

 

[wali]

gold the the best electric conductive.

 

[Carlos3]

AFAIK, the real advantage of gold in an optical disc isn't superior sound, but long-term preservation of the information on the disc. Aluminum discs have a much shorter shelf life.

 

[Czilla9000]

Quote:

Originally posted by Carlos3 AFAIK, the real advantage of gold in an optical disc isn't superior sound, but long-term preservation of the information on the disc. Aluminum discs have a much shorter shelf life.

Agree.


wali.....silver is the best conductor, followed by copper and then gold.

 

[Tim]

Quote:

Originally posted by D555 To me, the advantage in these discs is not the gold but the care put into the mastering (there's a thread on this subject going on right now). Mobile Fidelity and DCC used excellent mastering electronics and had some of the best mastering people in the business. Because these people were not under a corporate hammer to crank out product, extra time and care could be put into the mastering and the effort shows.

So are these discs essentially remasters, but by people who know their ****? Where do Mobile Fidelity and DCC (or any other applicable company) get their sources for the master they are making? I'll check out that other thread.

btw I wasn't considering buying the disc i gave a link to. Just an example I found when looking for The Wall on vinyl. mmmm tasty vinyl!

 

[soundboy]

Tim, you are basically right....they are essentially just remastered CDs. However, they are remastered with great care. This can also be said for JVC's XRCD series, which included some titles not available in the US. Like Dire Straits' "Brothers For Arms".

As for the source tape, companies like Mobile Fidelity and DCC don't grab the first reel that has the artist's name on it. They would go for the highest quality source available. I've heard they would go back to the artist and ask for their copy. Assuming the artist owns the tapes him-/her-/themselves.

 

[bundee1]

So has anyone done comparisons between that disc and the recent remasters.

 

[soundboy]

bundee 1,

You mean the Dire Straits XRCD?

If that's what you mean, I believe the general opinion on the internet is that the XRCD is slightly better. Whether that's worth the US$40.00 the XRCD is asking is up to you. As far as I know, there has only been one single remastering of "Brothers In Arms"....it first appeared in Europe on the Vertigo label (which I have), then that was reissued on Warner Bros. in the US.

 

[EyEPoD]

I thought i read in the newest stereophile that the company that produced these master copies was returning with new releases. I cant remember where i threw the issue so im not sure the company name. Maybe if someone has a copy on hand, the article was at the very end.

(edit: there it is right in the auction, mo-fi, thats definately them. Check the newest stereophile for more info)

 

[davei]

Quote:

Originally posted by EyEPoD I thought i read in the newest stereophile that the company that produced these master copies was returning with new releases. I cant remember where i threw the issue so im not sure the company name. Maybe if someone has a copy on hand, the article was at the very end. (edit: there it is right in the auction, mo-fi, thats definately them. Check the newest stereophile for more info)

Yup, MFSL (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab) is back. They've released a few SACDs and gold CDs in the past year or so.

www.mfsl.com

 

[Flenge]

FYI Silver is the best conductor, and the actual CD has no electrical connection to any part of the player.