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Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2004
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After owning the Live at Leeds 1995 MCA remaster (14 tracks) and the NFSL remaster of LAL for a while, I figured I would purchase the "Deluxe" edition from Amazon -- it includes the previously unreleased live Tommy material.
I popped it in, and to my surprise the Deluxe sounded considerably worse.
A quick check in my audio editor confirms this:
Anyway, I will do a short review and I feel it is best I do this "element-by-element" basis. So here we go!
Test Subjects:
The Who - Live at Leeds Re-master 1995
The Who - Live at Leeds DELUXE 2-CD EDITION 2001
The Who - Live at Leeds MFSL "Audiophile" Re-master 1999
Equipment Used:
Vinni modded Toshiba SD-3950 > Kimber Kable mini-rca > CMOY > Audio-technica A900s
---
Voices/Instruments, Seperation, and Soundstage:
Deluxe: All voices seem somewhat recessed/muffled, a tad nasally at times. Keith's drums lack impact, and his cymbals don't sparkle like the other recordings. Soundstage is centrally-based, harder to pick out bass and guitar. Bass seems more flubby.
1995 MCA : Voices are more "upfront" and don't sound stuffed with a sock. Keith's cymbals have a magical sparkle, but sometimes sound a bit too harsh, and the drums have considerably more slam and impact. Instruments are easier to pick out, especially entwistle's bass lines. Bass is tightened up a good amount.
MFSL: Voices seem a tad more upfront and clearer than 1995 or Deluxe. Entwistle's bass is even easier to follow, and there is a definate "thumping" which was not heard in the other 2 recordings. Keith's cymbals retain that sparkle but do not seem as trebley. Seems to have very slightly less drum impact, but better than Deluxe. Pete's guitar sounds slightly more full-bodied and less grainy than 1995/Deluxe.
Detail:
Deluxe: Least detail of all. Certain small sounds heard in the other recordings were not evident.
1995 MCA: Better overall detail than Deluxe. Sounds not heard in the Deluxe like the breath of Pete as he speaks, or a slight reverb to his voice were evident in this recording. As mentioned above, instruments cut through a lot better than Deluxe.
MFSL: Not a significant amount of increased detail over the MCA.
"Fun Factor/Dynamics"
Deluxe: If you are still looking for a good reason to avoid this recording, here it is. There is a considerable lack of "punchyness, fun, dynamics" whatever you would like to call it. Its simply withdrawn and not as engaging. It is most likely due to the overcompression/substantial clipping as witnessed in the waveforms.
1995 MCA: Every song sounds a lot more fun and there is a certain element of dynamics that is absent in the Deluxe recording.
MFSL: Sounds one small step better in terms of dynamics than even the 1995 recording. The energy level has just hit the sweet spot, it is slightly more engaging. That isn't to say the '95 re-master is considerably worse, because it isn't by a long shot.
CONCLUSION:
If you have to buy only one Live at Leeds CD, then dig around for a copy of MFSL's 24k gold cd audiophile master. Unfortunately these are out of print but copies appear on e-bay from time to time usually in the $40-50+ range.
The 1995 MCA re-master of Live at Leeds is in my honest opinion 90-95% of the MFSL recording. The MFSL simply adds a couple of minor things that make everything just right. If you cannot obtain the MFSL recording, the MCA sounds almost on par, and still considerably better than the Deluxe.
The biggest letdown, and surprise was indeed the Deluxe recording. If you can't live without the Tommy material then by all means pick this up. Otherwise avoid this like the plague!
I popped it in, and to my surprise the Deluxe sounded considerably worse.
A quick check in my audio editor confirms this:
Anyway, I will do a short review and I feel it is best I do this "element-by-element" basis. So here we go!
Test Subjects:
The Who - Live at Leeds Re-master 1995
The Who - Live at Leeds DELUXE 2-CD EDITION 2001
The Who - Live at Leeds MFSL "Audiophile" Re-master 1999
Equipment Used:
Vinni modded Toshiba SD-3950 > Kimber Kable mini-rca > CMOY > Audio-technica A900s
---
Voices/Instruments, Seperation, and Soundstage:
Deluxe: All voices seem somewhat recessed/muffled, a tad nasally at times. Keith's drums lack impact, and his cymbals don't sparkle like the other recordings. Soundstage is centrally-based, harder to pick out bass and guitar. Bass seems more flubby.
1995 MCA : Voices are more "upfront" and don't sound stuffed with a sock. Keith's cymbals have a magical sparkle, but sometimes sound a bit too harsh, and the drums have considerably more slam and impact. Instruments are easier to pick out, especially entwistle's bass lines. Bass is tightened up a good amount.
MFSL: Voices seem a tad more upfront and clearer than 1995 or Deluxe. Entwistle's bass is even easier to follow, and there is a definate "thumping" which was not heard in the other 2 recordings. Keith's cymbals retain that sparkle but do not seem as trebley. Seems to have very slightly less drum impact, but better than Deluxe. Pete's guitar sounds slightly more full-bodied and less grainy than 1995/Deluxe.
Detail:
Deluxe: Least detail of all. Certain small sounds heard in the other recordings were not evident.
1995 MCA: Better overall detail than Deluxe. Sounds not heard in the Deluxe like the breath of Pete as he speaks, or a slight reverb to his voice were evident in this recording. As mentioned above, instruments cut through a lot better than Deluxe.
MFSL: Not a significant amount of increased detail over the MCA.
"Fun Factor/Dynamics"
Deluxe: If you are still looking for a good reason to avoid this recording, here it is. There is a considerable lack of "punchyness, fun, dynamics" whatever you would like to call it. Its simply withdrawn and not as engaging. It is most likely due to the overcompression/substantial clipping as witnessed in the waveforms.
1995 MCA: Every song sounds a lot more fun and there is a certain element of dynamics that is absent in the Deluxe recording.
MFSL: Sounds one small step better in terms of dynamics than even the 1995 recording. The energy level has just hit the sweet spot, it is slightly more engaging. That isn't to say the '95 re-master is considerably worse, because it isn't by a long shot.
CONCLUSION:
If you have to buy only one Live at Leeds CD, then dig around for a copy of MFSL's 24k gold cd audiophile master. Unfortunately these are out of print but copies appear on e-bay from time to time usually in the $40-50+ range.
The 1995 MCA re-master of Live at Leeds is in my honest opinion 90-95% of the MFSL recording. The MFSL simply adds a couple of minor things that make everything just right. If you cannot obtain the MFSL recording, the MCA sounds almost on par, and still considerably better than the Deluxe.
The biggest letdown, and surprise was indeed the Deluxe recording. If you can't live without the Tommy material then by all means pick this up. Otherwise avoid this like the plague!
