Originally Posted by
Gardo
Just found an Atco original issue CD of SEBPT, and last night I did a shootout with the DE. The Atco was much better, to my ears. The downside is that it doesn't sound like a first-gen tape master: I hear a slight thinning of the textures that I associate with a second-gen. master. I also be there's a little more top-octave sparkle in the original tapes, as the Atco sounds a tiny bit rolled off up there. Otherwise, though, the Atco sounds very, very nice. Big and deep soundstage, very natural-sounding instruments and voices, and an exciting dynamic range.
By contrast, the DE is way too processed, and the comparison really points this out. There's a bass boost in the EQ that puts some sludge in the drums. But that's not a dealbreaker. The real reason I won't listen to this one again is the top end boost, which turns Gabriel's sibilants into whistles at times and makes all the cymbals sound tizzy and unpleasant. Worst of all, when the top-end boost hits the NR, some strange and unpleasant things result. Example. One of my favorite Genesis tracks is "Cinema Show." The Atco sounds lovely on this track. The DE screws it up. The delicate opening is vital for the song's mood. Listen to the little bicycle bell at the end of the first verse:
<ring>Can she be <ring> late for her <triangle hit> Cinema Show?
The bicycle bell is a little sonic grace note in the Atco. In the DE, it's way too present. But the worst moment is when the triangle comes in. On the Atco it sounds sweet and true. On the DE, the EQ collides with the NR and the result is so smeared that it's hard to tell what's making that bright sound.
I sure wish Barry's mastering of these tapes had seen the light of day, but since they didn't, it's now the Atco for me.:thumbsup: Now to find the other originals (except for W&W), all of which I traded in years ago, of course.
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