Beatles Remastered

[Ian b]

I was keen to get these new remastered CDs, and immediately bought Rubber Soul and Help, but I was very disappointed. The quality didn't seem to be there. I have several CD players, and they sound different on each one. I have an old (but excellent) Nad amp and Sony speakers, they just didn't sound good at all, but did when I used headphones from the amp. The CD player with the TV was not too bad, but, again, OK with headphones from the TV. a 'Walkman' type portable I have was the best, but then that was with headphones. so I'm drawn to the concusion that these CDs are geared up to ipods. The overall quality of the playing reproduction, I felt was pour (sometimes they sound like they are singing in a small room, the guitars are hard edged). I would like to point out that I have all the original vynils, bought at the time, but have never had an issue with quality. I have 'With the Beatles',' Hard days Night' and 'Beatles for Sale' on CDs bought some years ago, and they sound fine. Has anyone got any opinions about this??

[4candles]

That's interesting, Ian. I haven't heard any of the CDs, but when they were issued, I remember hearing a radio interview where someone was talking about compression, processing etc, as though it was A Good Thing. Seemed more like a travesty to me.

A quick Google just brought up the following quote from a glowing Daily Telegraph review -

"It was about time it was re-mastered, just to raise the volume output to contemporary standards, boost the bass a bit, sharpen up the treble, give the whole thing a long overdue sonic polish."

So there you are, Ian - it's sonic polish! :-(

[jc15]

The remastered Beatles CDs have most certainly NOT been compressed ie. 'brickwalled'. They have also most certainly NOT been 'geared up to ipods'. They were remastered by some of the best recording engineers in the world at, arguably, the greatest recording studio world, Abbey Road. They have done a sterling job with these remasters* and any issues of quality, I'm afraid, are most likely to be the fault of the questioner's listening equipment.

*Having said that, the originals CDs from 1988 weren't too bad at all.

[Ian b]

jc15; I respect your answer, but how can it be be my listening equipment. I have the 'love ' album and the 'No.1s 'album, both of which sound great. I have many CDs bought over the last few years, all of which are OK. This expression - compression, I've never really understood. I am not blaming Abbey Road (Good Heavens), but if, as 4candles points out in that quote from the Telegragh "to raise the volume to contempory standards", well, what tosh. In the 'old' days of mono and single track recording, alot of "compression" went on (read the Joe Meek story), and the records sounded good. I think that (then) the recording was blended to create one overall sound, and to refer back again to 4candles' quote from the Telegragh, the recordings have now been seperated out, sadly disapointingly.

[jc15]

I take your point about the recordings possibly sounding 'separated' out (I read a somewhat negative review of the recent reissue of 'Murmur' by R.E.M. that made a similar complaint compared to the original LP/CD). Do bear in mind that the first four Beatles albums on the new remastered CDs are all now presented in STEREO. The 1988 CD issues of these used the mono mixes. The stereo versions do sound quite different with pronounced instrument separation.
Again, these remasters have not had their "volume raised to contemporary standards". If this had been done it would have been unpardonable! Google 'Loudness Wars' to see what this is all about.

[Ian b]

I've looked at the 'loudness wars' in Google, but it's all a bit too technical for me, but I get the Idea. I have copied a small piece here which was of interest " Compression can also be used on instrument sounds to create effects not primarily focused on boosting loudness. For instance, drum and cymbal sounds tend to decay quickly, but a compressor can make the sound appear to have a more sustained tail. Guitar sounds are often compressed in order to obtain a fuller, more sustained sound". The 'Rubber Soul' remastered is in Mono, and the older CDs I mentioned are all mono, and not dated. I shall have to keep an open mind about it for the moment and see if there is anything said in the press.