Best pressing of Peter Gabriel - So?

[Johnny Vinyl]

I've been giving this album more and more playtime in the last few weeks and it's been nice to rediscover it again. My original CAN copy is in wonderful condition and it sounds really good, but I wouldn't mind hearing from others about different pressings. Is there a "de facto" pressing of this (priced within reason of course)?

 

[mep]

I would love to have a great sounding copy as well. My copy has always had a problem in one spot on "Don't Give Up" which sounds like somebody farted. It always bums me out.

 

[Andre Marc]

I've been giving this album more and more playtime in the last few weeks and it's been nice to rediscover it again. My original CAN copy is in wonderful condition and it sounds really good, but I wouldn't mind hearing from others about different pressings. Is there a "de facto" pressing of this (priced within reason of course)?

I hate to butt in, but the B&W 24 bit/48 Khz remastering by Gabriel's personal recording engineer is excellent.

Oh, and there is no surface noise.
http://www.bowers-wilkins.com/Society_of_Sound/Society_of_Sound/Music/Peter-Gabriel-So.html

 

[rockitman]

Classic Records 45 rpm is hard to beat. I have it on clarity.

 

[puroagave]

"SO" is digital, why bother searching for the ultimate LP from a digital source tape. Same goees for Dire straights brothers in arms also digital, i never had the want to collect it on vinyl. As for the B&W remaster of SO i cant comment on the sonics but my gut says its probably the version to have.

 

[rockitman]

"SO" is digital, why bother searching for the ultimate LP from a digital source tape. Same goees for Dire straights brothers in arms also digital, i never had the want to collect it on vinyl. As for B&W remaster i cant comment on the sonics but my gut says its probably the version to have.

I was not aware that RL version of Brother in Arms was digital. Why would you want it on vinyl ?

If the choice is a 16 bit cd, I would rather have a vinyl copy sourced off the hi-Rez digital masters whether it be 20 or 24 bits.

 

[Andre Marc]

"SO" is digital, why bother searching for the ultimate LP from a digital source tape. Same goees for Dire straights brothers in arms also digital, i never had the want to collect it on vinyl. As for the B&W remaster of SO i cant comment on the sonics but my gut says its probably the version to have.

Who told you So was digital? It was mixed to half inch analog tape....

Brothers in arms is the opposite. it was recorded to digital multitrack and mixed to digital BUT..the anniversary SACD remaster was remixed to analog and captured in DSD!
Mind blowingly good. A friend bought it for me as birthday gift and it is simply the closet you will get to studio playback.

 

[Andre Marc]

For the same reason the Patricia Barber tape is better than the LP and the CD? Think there's a lot of comments in the past that even digitally recorded albums sounded better on LP.

They subjectively sound "better" but are clearly a full generation if not more removed from the digital master.

 

[Andre Marc]

I was not aware that RL version of Brother in Arms was digital. Why would you want it on vinyl ?

If the choice is a 16 bit cd, I would rather have a vinyl copy sourced off the hi-Rez digital masters whether it be 20 or 24 bits.

Why not get the SACD, remixed from the multi-tracks to analog..then archived to DSD?
Simply stunning.

 

[rockitman]

Why not get the SACD, remixed from the multi-tracks to analog..then archived to DSD?
Simply stunning.

That is one format my rig does not support so I have no media SACD. I have taken DVD-Audio and ripped those to wav's to playback on my PS Audio PWT

 

[Andre Marc]

That is one format my rig does not support so I have no media SACD. I have taken DVD-Audio and ripped those to wav's to playback on my PS Audio PWT

I have also ripped my DVD-As to my server.

FYI, in many cases, especially in rock and jazz, SACD offers the best sounding version of many titles.

Just like the best sounding versions of other titles are on LP, some on CD.

For example, the very best version of Van Morrison's Moondace is on Steve Hoffman's vinyl,
from the original, real mccoy analog tape.

Conversely, the best sounding version of Albert King's Born Under A Bad Sign is on the MFSL CD.

It is much better not to be a format absolutist. That is not aimed at you, but in general.

 

[puroagave]

Who told you So was digital? It was mixed to half inch analog tape....

no one told me, the spars code on my cd says DDD.

 

[puroagave]

It is much better not to be a format absolutist. That is not aimed at you, but in general.

and you're not? when was the last time you spun vinyl or used it in your reviews

 

[Andre Marc]

no one told me, the spars code on my cd says DDD.

Check the link I posted...a description from the mastering engineer.

Those SPARS codes were flaky at best.

 

[Andre Marc]

and you're not? when was the last time you spun vinyl or used it in your reviews

Nope I am not. I have no interest in a vinyl set up. However, I do enjoy it when I hear it elsewhere. And I just fully admitted
that some titles sound their very best on LP. Kinda excludes me from being an absolutist.