CD sound quality: original pressings vs regular remaster vs MFSL, etc


I'm expanding my music collections and acquiring/reacquiring many very old works e,g, Cat Stevens, Traffic, Moody Blues, Coltrane/Miles Davis/Brubeck, and some classical and newer popular works as well.

Does it matter much whether the disk I get is "original" older pressing, or a remastered version?  Or a MFSL?

I remember CDs were unlistenable first 5-10 years, but no idea if that was the disk or the players and not sure I'd run across any used CDs that old anyway.

Thanks for your time.
berner99

Showing 1 response by kink56

I find one cannot generalize on whether an original, a remaster or a audiophile version of a particular title is the best . I CAN generalize that when the mastering is brickwalled, avoid it like the plague. Sometimes the remasters are simply compressed and LOUD. What is the point of having a format that allows for much more dynamics than the LP to be so compressed? So do not assume just because a title is remastered that it will sound better than the original issue on CD. And there are many audiophile titles that are not as good as their regular issue counterpart. It is all in the mastering techniques and the sources used. It is hit and miss. It may take a LOT of research to find the pressings that you would prefer over the others. (the ones that have been almost universally recognized as the best typically are expensive).

I feel for the "remastered" hype too many times. I have the 2008 Moody Blues remastered/expanded series. They HURT my ears, very harsh and grainy. I have ended up seeking out older issues on many CDs because of my foolish mistakes.