Salvatore's comments are mainly directed to classical reissues. He says in the text that:
"The original pressings of Rock, Pop and Jazz LPs are almost always preferable to the vast majority of their respective reissues."
I can certainly vouch for that in my experience. I listen mostly to jazz from the 1950's and 60's, and original pressings can sound much better than reissues including the latest reissues by Classic and other labels. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to locate the original pressings in good condition. They are all too often damaged from excessive playing.
For my tastes, I would rather listen to an older copy with a few ticks and pops and a little distortion in the inner grooves than a pristine quiet reissue where the magic has been scrubbed out along with the noise.
Example: I have a stereo 6-eye Sketches of Spain (Miles Davis) that sounds excellent despite a bit of noise and distortion on peaks. I bought a reissue on an audiophile label (I forget which one) and it's quiet and clean, but it doesn't have the natural tonality and coherency of the original.
Another example: One of the very best sounding records I have is an old Mono copy of the The Jazztet. It is one of most dynamic and exciting recordings of a jazz combo ever---rich, warm and vibrant. I ran across a reissue from the 70's in stereo. The newer pressing is cleaner and quieter, but the music isn't nearly as lifelike. It's like the difference between a high quality tube preamp and a cheap transistor unit from the 1970's. In fact, that may be the explanation on the Jazztet---the original pressing was mastered using all tube equipment, and the reissue probably went through some early generation transistor gear.
Dave
"The original pressings of Rock, Pop and Jazz LPs are almost always preferable to the vast majority of their respective reissues."
I can certainly vouch for that in my experience. I listen mostly to jazz from the 1950's and 60's, and original pressings can sound much better than reissues including the latest reissues by Classic and other labels. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to locate the original pressings in good condition. They are all too often damaged from excessive playing.
For my tastes, I would rather listen to an older copy with a few ticks and pops and a little distortion in the inner grooves than a pristine quiet reissue where the magic has been scrubbed out along with the noise.
Example: I have a stereo 6-eye Sketches of Spain (Miles Davis) that sounds excellent despite a bit of noise and distortion on peaks. I bought a reissue on an audiophile label (I forget which one) and it's quiet and clean, but it doesn't have the natural tonality and coherency of the original.
Another example: One of the very best sounding records I have is an old Mono copy of the The Jazztet. It is one of most dynamic and exciting recordings of a jazz combo ever---rich, warm and vibrant. I ran across a reissue from the 70's in stereo. The newer pressing is cleaner and quieter, but the music isn't nearly as lifelike. It's like the difference between a high quality tube preamp and a cheap transistor unit from the 1970's. In fact, that may be the explanation on the Jazztet---the original pressing was mastered using all tube equipment, and the reissue probably went through some early generation transistor gear.
Dave