![]() ![]() Both sound absolutely great, so the choice may just come down to personal preference or better matching to your audio system. The main choice here seems to be between the overall sweetness and relaxed sound of the original, or the increased dynamics and added information of the reissue. My listening notes are written in such a way that makes it easier to describe the differences I've heard and get the "message" across to the reader, but much more than that is left unsaid (it would take pages and pages to describe everything). ![]() the main changes are more related to subtle EQ moves and maybe the overall transparency of the mastering chain. Tonality, the timbre of all the elements, is just about the same, listening to any of these versions will give you pretty much the same information about the instruments being played or who's singing. To sum it up, I'd say that these two masterings are not very different, they are certainly closer than many other shootouts I've done. Overall it sounds with more dynamic range and better resolution of details. Neil's voice has less of that eery quality to it, sounds more upfront and present in the room. Drums, and specially cymbals, are brought back into the mix in a more realistic presentation. Lower frequencies, that bass, are now a little tighter and faster. There's a general sweetness to the sound, it is very relaxed and enjoyable. This can be heard in the way Neil's voice and the drums cymbals present themselves, these can sound a little muted sometimes. Mid band frequencies seem to be a little recessed in the soundstage, and the higher frequencies a little bit rolled off. Lower frequencies, specially bass notes, bloom wider and with more intensity, more of a room filler sound that also gives a "slower" feeling to the rhythm of the songs. A couple of hours into the comparison work, track by track runs and looking for all the little details and nuances, these were my listening notes. I was very much intrigued all these years by so many people mentioning the original Lee Hulko cut, so I had to find one to hear it myself! Well, after a long search for an original LP that was truly in great condition (not an easy task, most of them were played to death back then and surface noise can be a problem) I finally found one and now I was able to make my own comparison review, this article is about the 1972 Original vs 2009 Reissue shootout. When this reissue appeared in 2009, being cut from the best source by one of the best Mastering studios in the world today, the first big question was obvious: how does it compare to the original LP? Can it sound even better? There have been other releases from other countries, some reissues, and even audiophile attempts like the Half Speed Mastered Nautilus Series "Harvest" LP from 1982, but when it came to put the best up on the throne, Lee Hulko's cut was the ultimate choice for most experienced listeners. When it comes to "Harvest" on LP, the most appreciated version and almost universally preferred LP has always been the famous 1972 original USA release mastered by Lee Hulko at Sterling, the famous engineer whose work is utterly respected by audiophiles and professionals alike. For this reason, Chris Bellman from Bernie Grundman Studios was given the original Master Tapes to cut these new vinyl reissues that are produced 100% analog and provide amazing sound quality and the highest possible fidelity. We are lucky to have Neil's music and even more lucky because Neil Young is a true Audiophile! He's not only a music legend, but this is also a man seriously concerned with the sound quality that can be appreciated when listening to his music, he makes all possible efforts to ensure his fans get to hear these beautiful albums with the highest possible fidelity to the source recording. Brilliant music from the pure genius of Neil Young. The music is sublime and the album has a strategic harmony to bring the listener running through emotional fields full of sweet melodies like "Out On The Weekend" and "Harvest", sometimes taking you through memories and stories of mild nostalgic despair like "A Man Needs a Maid" and "Old Man" setting the ground for the spine tingling "The Needle and The Damage Done" and shivering your soul up to the mind blowing finale with the power of "Words".
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |