thanks for the info, I didn't realize some of those things were available. Not really feasable for me to go down the mono or open real path, though, at those prices.
MF Beatle Boxes are awfully dear.
Back in the 80's, I was looking for a box set of Beatle records, and a set of Japanese pressings on high quality vinyl sounded better, to me, than the MF, which seemed to have exagerated bass (not so unusual for MF records) and not so much clarity in the highs. Several reviewers shared that view. Older mono Parlophones were considered by many to be ultimate versions of the genre (the artificial stereo versions of the early records can be irritating - like hearing George play in one channel while singing in the other). Now, the MF sets seemingly command the highest prices. Did the "conventional wisdom" somehow change, over time, did everyone just "forget", a younger generation just doesn't know any better, some strange artifact of marketing hype, or what?