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Beatles Remastered discussion - Page 3

post #31 of 109
9/9/09 at 11:14pm
Ok so should I get the stereo or the mono?
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post #32 of 109
9/9/09 at 11:25pm
depends. are you a traditionalist or a revisionist? I can see both sides but i went for the mono. a guy I work with went for the stereo set so we'll trade off after a bit and see what's what.

although, if it's your first foray into the Beatles, I would personally suggest the mono set. you really need to hear it in it's original state first imo.

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post #33 of 109
9/10/09 at 3:32am
Oh man. The mono and the stereo come to, what, $500 if you get both? That hurts my soul. But I want them both so very much.

And as usual the rumored announcement that the Beatles catalogue would now be available on iTunes didn't come to pass.
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post #34 of 109
9/10/09 at 6:10am
I'm finding the remastered mono material to be pretty lifeless. They're definitely different mixes, some fade out longer or shorter than the stereo counterparts. Some are even at a slightly faster tempo. They're not very pleasing to my ears. It's like walking around with one eye closed. There's been a debate for years over the sonic superiority of the mono material, but I don't get it at all. They mixed in mono because they were catering to the AM listeners of the 60s who were walking around with one speaker transistor radios with the single earphone attachment. Ever hear one of those things? Rubber Soul in mono sounds one dimensional and dull with a greater emphasis on the midrange frequencies. Doing an A-B-C comparison of the Mono, Stereo 1965, and the 2009 remastered stereo 1987 remix by George Martin, the '87 version is vastly superior. If you really want to hear the upgraded fidelity of the 2009 releases, pick up a copy of Abbey Road or Sgt Pepper. These two albums sound noticeably better. "Come Together" is amazing. Saw them on sale at Starbucks today for $12.50 a pop.
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post #35 of 109
9/10/09 at 10:47am
abbey road sounds incredible
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post #36 of 109
9/10/09 at 10:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by willpower View Post
I'm finding the remastered mono material to be pretty lifeless. They're definitely different mixes, some fade out longer or shorter than the stereo counterparts. Some are even at a slightly faster tempo. They're not very pleasing to my ears. It's like walking around with one eye closed. There's been a debate for years over the sonic superiority of the mono material, but I don't get it at all. They mixed in mono because they were catering to the AM listeners of the 60s who were walking around with one speaker transistor radios with the single earphone attachment. Ever hear one of those things?

Rubber Soul in mono sounds one dimensional and dull with a greater emphasis on the midrange frequencies. Doing an A-B-C comparison of the Mono, Stereo 1965, and the 2009 remastered stereo 1987 remix by George Martin, the '87 version is vastly superior.

If you really want to hear the upgraded fidelity of the 2009 releases, pick up a copy of Abbey Road or Sgt Pepper. These two albums sound noticeably better. "Come Together" is amazing. Saw them on sale at Starbucks today for $12.50 a pop.

White Album (supposedly) also shows a BIG improvement
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post #37 of 109
9/10/09 at 11:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by willpower View Post
I'm finding the remastered mono material to be pretty lifeless. They're definitely different mixes, some fade out longer or shorter than the stereo counterparts. Some are even at a slightly faster tempo. They're not very pleasing to my ears. It's like walking around with one eye closed. There's been a debate for years over the sonic superiority of the mono material, but I don't get it at all. They mixed in mono because they were catering to the AM listeners of the 60s who were walking around with one speaker transistor radios with the single earphone attachment. Ever hear one of those things?

Rubber Soul in mono sounds one dimensional and dull with a greater emphasis on the midrange frequencies. Doing an A-B-C comparison of the Mono, Stereo 1965, and the 2009 remastered stereo 1987 remix by George Martin, the '87 version is vastly superior.

If you really want to hear the upgraded fidelity of the 2009 releases, pick up a copy of Abbey Road or Sgt Pepper. These two albums sound noticeably better. "Come Together" is amazing. Saw them on sale at Starbucks today for $12.50 a pop.

I hate to disagree but the stereo Rubber Soul is a significant improvement over the 87 remaster.

What stereo gear are you using to make this comparison?

P.S. Target has them for $11.98 each except for doubles which are $16.98 I think.
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post #38 of 109
9/10/09 at 11:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dave View Post
although, if it's your first foray into the Beatles, I would personally suggest the mono set. you really need to hear it in it's original state first imo.

Agreed.
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post #39 of 109
9/10/09 at 11:27am
I'm going to pick up one of the stereo discs this afternoon so I can give it a spin in the car.

In the opinions of those who have heard them, which one (barring the first 4 of course) is the one to get?
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post #40 of 109
9/10/09 at 12:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dave View Post
I'm going to pick up one of the stereo discs this afternoon so I can give it a spin in the car.

In the opinions of those who have heard them, which one (barring the first 4 of course) is the one to get?

The White Album or Sgt. Peppers but Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Abbey Road are excellent too.
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post #41 of 109
9/10/09 at 12:34pm
Thread Starter 
w00t just 'acquired' lossless versions of both the mono and stereo overnight last night... Can't wait to go home and take a listen! Also gonna get the stereo set for my dad's birthday. Anybody planning on getting the beatles Rock Band? It looks amazing.
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post #42 of 109
9/10/09 at 1:09pm
I may get the stereo box set. Having come to an appreciation of the Beatles sort of late in life (didn't buy my first Beatles CD until 2 years ago) I only have a few of their records on CD (1, Abbey Road, White, Sgt. Peppers, Let it Be) so my sunk cost regret will not be as large as it would have been had I owned everything. I tend to prefer the hippie era Beatles anyway.
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post #43 of 109
9/10/09 at 1:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Artisan Fan View Post
I hate to disagree but the stereo Rubber Soul is a significant improvement over the 87 remaster. What stereo gear are you using to make this comparison? P.S. Target has them for $11.98 each except for doubles which are $16.98 I think.
I mean in 1987 George Martin actually remixed Rubber Soul, preceding the '87 CD release. The vocals in particular were moved more towards the middle of the stereo image. Listen to "Nowhere Man" from the 2009 Stereo Remaster (which is Martin's 1987 remix) compared to the original 1965 Stereo version. BTW, some of the Mono remasters include the original 1965 Stereo versions as bonus tracks.
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post #44 of 109
9/10/09 at 2:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by willpower View Post
I mean in 1987 George Martin actually remixed Rubber Soul, preceding the '87 CD release. The vocals in particular were moved more towards the middle of the stereo image. Listen to "Nowhere Man" from the 2009 Stereo Remaster (which is Martin's 1987 remix) compared to the original 1965 Stereo version. BTW, some of the Mono remasters include the original 1965 Stereo versions as bonus tracks.

True, the mono box has the non-Martin mixes. That should be, by all indications, the best version of Help and Rubber Soul.
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post #45 of 109
9/10/09 at 3:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sonick View Post
Anybody planning on getting the beatles Rock Band? It looks amazing.

Got it. Would've beat it last night but my neighbors complained about the noise. Still, almost done with it, and it is a lot of fun. No surprises, though- it is exactly what you'd expect if you've ever played Rock Band.
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