Question for those with “Golden ears”, and a frustration! (The Loudness Wars)


Hello! My first text! My user name, is short for my Companies name.
  Anyway, I ALWAYS wondered, which sounds better to you with $$$$ equipment? The Led Zeppelin Rhino Black box of Japanese made, mini copies of the record album sleeves CD’s of ALL the albums? Or, the large sized four CD disk boxset with the crop circle picture on the front(1990 release?), and the later small box, that had the songs missing from the four box “crop circles” box? The mini-album Japanese CD’s sound pretty damn good to me!  Any thoughts? Which sounds better to you? Those with CD based systems I can only dream of owning?  As to my rant, I went to the Wiki article of: The Sound Wars! And there was a link where you can put in your CD or album title and artist, and it tells you if it’s been compressed(LOUD!), or, not. Specifically: CD’s, (if it’s compressed, the VU meters will stay locked in the red) My favorite Fleetwood Mac CD, The Dance, all in the RED, BAD! 😢 U2’s Joshua Tree (special boxed edt.) All in the GREEN (GOOD). But I swear, the drums/cymbals, IMO, sound awful on that CD! Especially the cymbals! NEVER could find a good sounding Joshua Tree CD that the drums and cymbals sounded good. 🙁 That was my FAVORITE concert!!! 4’th. row seats!! AWESOME! Other albums, NIN CD’s all in the red, Van Halen as well. And the worst, totally unlistenable, got it for Christmas many years ago, Led Zep., The Mothership CD’s. 🤮

Thank you all!!!
savroof9849
The Classic Records Zeppelin releases are much better than the 2014 remasters, at least the two I own - I and House of the Holy.
The only 2014 Zeppelin LP remaster I own is the III. I will have to dig it out and have a listen! I do have it on the 2014 CD. This should be an interesting comparison! Also on hand is the 2014 Physical Graffiti CD. I don't remember if I have a first pressing of the LP. One of the perils of owning a large collection!
Lots more happens between a master tape and a CD or LP than compression, so while it is good to know what has been compressed or not, it's not a total quality assessment.
Most original LP releases sounded better. 
 Love the Japanese releases of everything, they just sound better.


  They lose and gain something when transferring to a CD. 
  My dogs will not stay in the room for long when a cd is playing.  They will lay next to me or in the room when an LP is spinning.