New Springsteen Box: Opinions?


Got my Music Matters holiday catalogue and saw this 1973-1984 box set which is supposed to have been remastered from the original tapes by Bernie Grundman. I've always been a big fan but thought Bruce was not well served by his recording team. Of the original LPs the only ones that sound halfway decent are "Wild Innocent…" and "Darkness". "Born to Run" is a particularly lousy recording. Any chance a silk purse can be made out of a sows ear with these? Has anyone got the new box and compared with the original LPs?
dodgealum
I got the LP box last week and have listened to the first four albums and the first LP from The River (once each). At work right now and cannot write in detail, but I can say that while not all are over-the-top perfect, there are many significant sonic improvements to my originals. There is greater clarity and separation than there is in my originals. In some instances my initial thought was the sound might have been a little "thinner", but upon reflection I think it is an artifact of the now recognized muddiness of originals having been removed. I was most impressed with how Darkness came across. In a nutshell, I would not hesitate to recommend you taking the dive. I plan on ordering another set as a gift to a die hard family member.
Hey, sorry I don't got the new box yet but I though to post.

I find Springsteen's recordings really dull compared to his live, stage performed ones. Unfortunately the ones I like have lots of noise and only MP3 quality.

Personally I think The Boss is one of those artists who sound better live than the recordings!
Got it yesterday at Princeton Record Exchange. Thanks for chiming in--I'll do the same after a listen.
I have the box as well. It's really well done IMO and probably the most fun way to play these albums I've found. The mastering is by Robert Ludwig, not Grundman. I think Grundman may have done the lacquers for the vinyl though.
Received the Japanese box set today. Listened to three CD's so far. Sound excellent to my ears. Never thought they sounded very good before so major improvement IMO.
Listened to "Greetings" all the way through on Wednesday. I'm very pleased--my impressions mirror Jerroot. Less mud, more clarity and separation of instrumental lines, greater detail. I get a much better appreciation for the artistry. Pressing is quiet but not dead silent. Overall, recommended so far......
My take is the same as others. I think this a very big improvement of these records' sound quality.
Note Springsteen fans---his concert from Agora Cleveland 1978 (Darkness tour) is available for download in hi res or cd on his website. Mastered by R Ludwig using the Plangent process.
Getting through these slowly....Listened to "Wild, Innocent" last night. Very impressed. These are a big improvement over my original pressings. So far so good!
Got to "Darkness" the other day. Not as big a difference (improvement) between this and the British pressing I had but certainly better. I am finding these reissues very enjoyable.
Listened to "BTR" the other day. While I have always felt this recording to be one of his worst, the new reissues bring it up to "decent" level. Songs with dense mixes like the title track, "Shes the One" and "Jungleland" still sound pretty mucked up but "Thunder Road', "10th Ave" and "Meeting" are much improved over the standard issue LP I've had for years. Next up, "The River".
Agora sounds much better than any tape or bootleg version and is sometimes redbook quality, sometimes not. All in all easily worth the price. Incidentally, there is a clear very visible defect in my cd 2 substrate (looks like a mini oil slick under the surface) that causes the cd to skip on a few tracks. Currently trying to contact the seller for a replacement. Hopefully a one off problem which will be corrected.
I have also ordered the Tower theater cd which has not yet arrived.
Anyone know if these are all analog or digitally  mastered . I Have hi res digital files and early pressings . Just wondering if its worth buying again