Sgt. Pepper - bad SQ or bad vinyl?
Nov 15, 2009 at 9:23 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 17

jegarn

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Hi

Listened to Beatles Sgt. pepper for the first time today with my new amp and I think it sounded worse. Better SQ but the improvement made it sound weird. There were no body, low-fi so to say.

Is this typical beatles or just my record? Are the remasters like ordinary records?
 
Nov 16, 2009 at 1:39 AM Post #3 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by jegarn /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Hi

Listened to Beatles Sgt. pepper for the first time today with my new amp and I think it sounded worse. Better SQ but the improvement made it sound weird. There were no body, low-fi so to say.

Is this typical beatles or just my record? Are the remasters like ordinary records?



I bought the mono Capital LP in 1967 which I believe was all there was in the USA at the time. My ears were much better then but my equipment wasn't so I cannot speak about the sound quality. A few years later I bought the Capital stereo copy. My modest equipment at the time told me that the recording was botched and I just put up with it mildly happy that I at least had 2 channel stereophonic sound and very state of the art high Tech stuff even though the sound sucked. In the middle 70s, I bought EMI Parlophone PCS 7027. This is a stereophonic British import. Excellent sound. This is probably as good as it gets. The new CD release is probable very close as played on an excellent CD player. I have heard better recordings than Sgt. Pepper but this recording is certainly more than good enough to light up a very good stereophonic system. Which recording do you have?
 
Nov 16, 2009 at 4:46 PM Post #5 of 17
I have a Japanese pressing (in stereo) and it is very nice sounding. Quiet vinyl and nice sounding tunes.

As someone else mentioned - vinyl reproduction is subject to more variables than CDs (cleanliness of record, setup of turntable, physical condition of record and even frigging static).
 
Nov 16, 2009 at 7:58 PM Post #7 of 17
Wow, some exotic pressing around here. There is a process of when you get new better eqiupment that you then start to hear music recording process defections. You have new glasses and see reality so to speak. You will, if you have not already, have to demo a ton of tunes to see if this is it.

I have the whitebread American release. The truth to be told, there is a plethora of stuff written about it. The album is quite the enigma in musical history as all tracks have been compressed to the point of becoming an electronic representation of the Beatles. There are a lot of sonic fireworks which you will read about. The animal food order sound effects chain. Play the record for a dog and watch what happens.
 
Nov 16, 2009 at 8:00 PM Post #8 of 17
2x
 
Nov 16, 2009 at 11:52 PM Post #11 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by whaleyboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I have a Japanese pressing (in stereo) and it is very nice sounding. Quiet vinyl and nice sounding tunes.

As someone else mentioned - vinyl reproduction is subject to more variables than CDs (cleanliness of record, setup of turntable, physical condition of record and even frigging static).



My experience with Japanese pressings is that they are wonderful. I always wonder about the source material as being first generation though. I have a Japanese pressing of Please Please Me that is extraordinary. The British stereo pressings do seem hard to beat though.
 
Nov 17, 2009 at 3:07 AM Post #12 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by juniperlater /img/forum/go_quote.gif
^ I am pretty sure the CDs were mastered from the master tapes.


Thats the way i read it the master tapes were cleaned and transfered to cd.
 
Nov 25, 2009 at 11:21 PM Post #14 of 17
Are you the original buyer of this album? If not it may be a worn out copy and that would effect the quality greatly. I am listening to the remaster on cd as I type this and there is nothing wrong with the masters. I am not familer with french pressings but note they did think Americans would buy anything so they sold us bottled water!!!!!!!
 
Nov 26, 2009 at 6:39 AM Post #15 of 17
Quote:

Originally Posted by Redcarmoose /img/forum/go_quote.gif
have the whitebread American release.


Be prepared to be hitting your "loudness" button. Regular Capitol releases from the 70s were a bassless affair.
 

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