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Impressions of the Stones SACDs

I bought the Hot Rocks compilation just to dip my big toe in the remastered waters. I don't have an SACD player, so the purchase was based on good reviews of the Red Book sound.

So far, I'm far from sold on it. The recordings do sound open and detailed and crisp in ways that I haven't heard before, but overall they sound too bright and very, very hard. Songs like Honky Tonk woman have a thin and glaring vocal quality that makes me run for cover. The guitars are edgy too.

Has anyone else experienced this? I'm trying to tell if this is just weekness of my system right now (It can sound bright and hard with bad recordings, but is usually pretty good sounding with good recordings).

Paul
paulraphael

Showing 2 responses by jeffj

jeffj
7 posts
 
Hi:

I have all of them, LOVE them overall, especially Let It Bleed, Beggar's Banquet and Their Satanic Majesties Request live record....

BUT......the "Hot Rocks" compilation sucks, sonically. I think it must've sucked to begin with, and now it's just a much better grade of "suckitude"...

I was first alerted to this when, after I'd raved about the remasters to an audiophile friend, he subsequently told me how underwhelmed he was. Once I picked myself up off the floor in shock, he'd told me that he purchased "Hot Rocks", and that was what he was basing his disdain upon.

So, I then went and purchased "Hot Rocks" for myself, and, whaddya know? He was absolutely right.

So, all that being said, don't let the suck factor of "Hot Rocks" prejudice you or keep you from the awesome sound of the other albums in the series....and enjoy!!

Thanks - Jeff
jeffj
7 posts
 
Hi:

Exactamundo.

I am in the music business, and that is what's done, usually (and unfortunately).

I'm betting that the original masters for "Hot Rocks" were compressed like CRAZY to fit 'em onto two LPs, and I am ALSO guessing that the "Hot Rocks" compilation featured radio single versions of the songs, as opposed to original album tracks.

That being the case, radio mixes were compressed even FURTHER (to make 'em sound louder on the radio -- to "cut through", if you will), and the Hot Rocks masters are/were aso surely COPIES of the original masters, removing even ANOTHER generation (or two, or three) from the original sound.

Believe me, if you ever saw what we in the music biz do to recordings, you'd give up high end (unless you're crazy, like me -- and if you're even ON this site, then.....well, welcome!)

Thanks - Jeff
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