How can it be that some old recordings sound sublime?


How do some older records sound insanely great?

I'm listening to Bill Evans "Song for Debbie" on vinyl. The soundstage is palpable. This is a live recording from 1961.   How is this possible?  
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Showing 1 response by kjweisner

Celtic nailed it--no overdubs, heavy processing, etc.. But also minimal or judicious use of compression.  

A recording being mastered for home listening will not have the dynamic range compression of a recording that is anticipated for radio playback.  Heavy dynamic compression is used for radio playback because radio is often listened to in noisier environments--hence the need for "steady" volume levels.