[fbarberis]

I wonder how much a confounding variable of how much you like a tune or album influences what one considers well recorded. For example Macy grey irritates me, while I'm sure it is well recorded, I couldn't vote for that. While I enjoy Diana krall live in Paris is it really better recorded than her latest album where her voice seems more intimate, meanwhile I don't own any krall, but many other jazz singers.
Is dark side of the moon, which I would concur, the best recorded album? Or is it?

Well, I think that it is a big variable. For example, i have no really knowledge of what "well recorded" mean. Technically speaking at least. I can totally understand why someone could find Macy Gray "irritating". I dont like her music in general, but the sound of this album really please me.

 

[JWolf]

I wonder how much a confounding variable of how much you like a tune or album influences what one considers well recorded. For example Macy grey irritates me, while I'm sure it is well recorded, I couldn't vote for that. While I enjoy Diana krall live in Paris is it really better recorded than her latest album where her voice seems more intimate, meanwhile I don't own any krall, but many other jazz singers.
Is dark side of the moon, which I would concur, the best recorded album? Or is it?

The problem as I've previously pointed out is that you can't say an album is well recorded just because you enjoy it. The recordings that are part of the loudness wars can't be listed here. They aren't well recorded no matter how much you may like the music.But, it should be rather easy to tell what's a good recording even if you don't care for the music. Does it have proper dynamics? If the tonal balance good? Can you hear the instruments? Are the vocals not being drowned out by the music and do the vocals sound good? There's a umber of things to listen for that has nothing to do with how well you like the music (or not).

 

[SirMarc]

Any album that you can't crank doesn't sound good. Is there really an argument here?

 

[SirMarc]

The new Steven Wilson Songs From the Wood remix in 24/96 sounds excellent

 

[JWolf]

Any album that you can't crank doesn't sound good. Is there really an argument here?

Some people say and album is well recorded if they like the music even if it's flat and loud with some distortion. They don't know the difference.

 

[DamageInc77]

These might have been mentioned before.

Porcupine Tree - The Incident
Steven Wilson - The Raven that Refused to Sing & Hand. Cannot. Erase.
Blackfield - Blackfield V
David Gilmour - On an Island / Live in Gdansk
Vangelis - Blade Runner Soundtrack

 

[Strangelove424]

I've found that I'm really hating modern mastering, and that the remasters are steadily ruining all the music of our past. I always end up listening to music sourced from early 90s era CDs or vinyl. If you ask me, forget about vinyl, 90s CDs are the way to go. You get the cleanliness of digital, but before they discovered all the dirty tricks in processing to reduce dynamic range. Plus they're cheap - you can find tons of used CDs on Amazon.

 

[DamageInc77]

I bought Paul Simon's So Beautiful or So What and much to my surprise I thought it sounded like hot garbage. Much worse than his previous records. I was hoping to add it to the list.

 

[MattTCG]

^^ I think that there was several different versions/masterings of that recording. Mine sounds great!

 

[DamageInc77]

Well that's unfortunate. Mine sounds compressed to hell.

 

[figgyburn]

a personal favourite and in mono too.

 

[stilleh]

Thin Lizzy - Nightlife
Def Leppard - Pyromania
The Gloria Record - Start here

 

[JWolf]

^^ I think that there was several different versions/masterings of that recording. Mine sounds great!

Please show us the dynamic range results. If it is overly compressed, then no, it does not sound great.

 

[Sound Eq]

Thin Lizzy - Nightlife
Def Leppard - Pyromania
The Gloria Record - Start here

u know its been ages since i listened to pyromania and u r right it sound really good

 

[deafmutelame]

Considered by many to be the best recorded album of all time:

Arne Domnérus, Bengt Hallberg, Georg Riedel, Egil Johansen, Lars Erstrand ‎– Jazz At The Pawnshop - LIM K2HD 028



Also these are considered to be absolute must listen to:

Muddy Waters ‎– Folk Singer - Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab ‎- UDCD 593

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon - Japanese Black Triangle 1986

Pink Floyd - The Wall - Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab - UDCD 2-537

Michael Jackson - Dangerous

Norah Jones ‎– Come Away With Me

Elvis Presley - Elvis is Back - DCC 24 Karat Gold Disc

Enjoy!