Definitive Audiophile pressings

On 3 random notes:
  1. I put on Aretha Franklin, Amazing Grace this AM and it really is a delight from open to close
  2. Listening to Keb Mo “Good to Be” — and for a standard weight record, mass release with a noticeable warp on the first LP, it is pretty well recorded. It doesn’t have the space and simplicity of his debut, but it’s a nice record that plays very well… if a little drifting into adult contemporary, Hall & Oates, production at times can be your jam
  3. I swapped out the Hana ML for the Blue — and leaning into all my confirmation bias, it’s been pretty neat from the start. Muddying the waters though, I reconnected my old REL Storm III sub. It connects straight to speaker taps on the PrimaLuna via a neutrik. I’ve had it sitting there unconnected since I got the 0/96 speakers, (it dates from ?’99 and the Sonus Faber Concertos that are now part of another system) because I didn’t think it would make that much difference. I’m only a day in, but I think I was wrong.
Happy weekend everyone
 
HuddieLedbetter said:
On 3 random notes:
  1. I put on Aretha Franklin, Amazing Grace this AM and it really is a delight from open to close
  2. Listening to Keb Mo “Good to Be” — and for a standard weight record, mass release with a noticeable warp on the first LP, it is pretty well recorded. It doesn’t have the space and simplicity of his debut, but it’s a nice record that plays very well… if a little drifting into adult contemporary, Hall & Oates, production at times can be your jam
  3. I swapped out the Hana ML for the Blue — and leaning into all my confirmation bias, it’s been pretty neat from the start. Muddying the waters though, I reconnected my old REL Storm III sub. It connects straight to speaker taps on the PrimaLuna via a neutrik. I’ve had it sitting there unconnected since I got the 0/96 speakers, (it dates from ?’99 and the Sonus Faber Concertos that are now part of another system) because I didn’t think it would make that much difference. I’m only a day in, but I think I was wrong.
Happy weekend everyone
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On that Amazing Grace note, check this out.

 
MikeH said:
I need to back to back them but I do think this one may be a bit system dependent. The MoFi doesn’t have bloated bass on my system but have heard a similar comment from others. I still know some people who prefer the MoFi. I also have the 33 MoFi
So at some point will try to sit down and compare all 3
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I did all three (actually four) over the last couple days. They're all great. The 45 has the best technical detail and clarity imo. But that Mofi signature sound isn't always what I'm looking for. The KG 33 seems to pull everything together in a better synthesis of sounds. I think I agree that Jerry feels a bit more forward on a couple of the tracks, especially in comparison to the Japanese mofi 33, which if it was the only one I'd heard would impress the hell out of me. Last is the 50th, which is no slouch either. It's such a well recorded album that it's an embarrassment of riches on these pressings with minor shades of difference (system notwithstanding). The KG will likely be my go to for it when I want to groove and feel the music. If I want to do a close critical listen I'll go for the mofi 45.
 
markmck79 said:
That Jamal record is quite good, but this one sounds like you’re sitting in the front row.

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fwiw, that Alto Analogue press of Alhambra was used as a needle drop for a hi-res DSD download that used to be available from Acoustic Sounds. Separately, High Def Tape Transfers has a version of Alhambra that is highly regarded.

I have not heard either of the needle drop or the HDTT, but all 3 of the HDTT DSD items I have range from very good to very excellent. I’ve had Alhambra on my HDTT list for potential purchases down the road, so I’ll probably grab it at some point.

Here’s’ a discussion of the AS high res DSD and the HDTT DSD. He prefers the HDTT version: I Bet You’ve Never Heard This … #1
 
Portland Sheriff said:
fwiw, that Alto Analogue press of Alhambra was used as a needle drop for a hi-res DSD download that used to be available from Acoustic Sounds. Separately, High Def Tape Transfers has a version of Alhambra that is highly regarded.

I have not heard either of the needle drop or the HDTT, but all 3 of the HDTT DSD items I have range from very good to very excellent. I’ve had Alhambra on my HDTT list for potential purchases down the road, so I’ll probably grab it at some point.

Here’s’ a discussion of the AS high res DSD and the HDTT DSD. He prefers the HDTT version: I Bet You’ve Never Heard This … #1
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I like the HDTT stuff I have so far. They occasionally have sales too
 
MikeH said:
I like the HDTT stuff I have so far. They occasionally have sales too
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They have 15% ending today. I think that’s their normal discount during sales, but Black Friday was 25%, and that’s when I bought my 3 HDTT items — Somethin’ Else, Getz Gilberto, and One Flight Up. I bought them bc I was interested in comparing w/ my vinyl copies. For me, Somethin’ Else is the standout compared to my BNC vinyl. The other two HDTT sound really nice, but I love the TP of One Flight Up and the AP of Getz Gilberto is probably on par w HDTT but I haven’t spent much time comparing those two.
 
Portland Sheriff said:
fwiw, that Alto Analogue press of Alhambra was used as a needle drop for a hi-res DSD download that used to be available from Acoustic Sounds. Separately, High Def Tape Transfers has a version of Alhambra that is highly regarded.

I have not heard either of the needle drop or the HDTT, but all 3 of the HDTT DSD items I have range from very good to very excellent. I’ve had Alhambra on my HDTT list for potential purchases down the road, so I’ll probably grab it at some point.

Here’s’ a discussion of the AS high res DSD and the HDTT DSD. He prefers the HDTT version: I Bet You’ve Never Heard This … #1
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I have the record, which sounds fantastic. I assume Chad wasn’t able to find the metalwork, which is why he did a DSD needledrop. This is one of those “pry it out of my cold dead hands” pressings.

I may check out the HDTT transfer. I have a few things from them which are really well done. Would be nice to have a backup, as rare as this album seems.
 
markmck79 said:
I have the record, which sounds fantastic. I assume Chad wasn’t able to find the metalwork, which is why he did a DSD needledrop. This is one of those “pry it out of my cold dead hands” pressings.

I may check out the HDTT transfer. I have a few things from them which are really well done. Would be nice to have a backup, as rare as this album seems.
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Ever compared it to an OG or other pressing? I see OGs pretty frequently but have always eyed some of the Alto stuff…
 
MikeH said:
Ever compared it to an OG or other pressing? I see OGs pretty frequently but have always eyed some of the Alto stuff…
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I have heard an OG a few times, but it was probably VG at best and I have a fairly low tolerance for surface noise. I also was not able to directly compare it to my Alto. If you can find a clean OG at a reasonable price it is probably a good pickup.

I bought the Alto new, but these prices now seem to be the norm for all the Altos, Classics, DCCs that I purchased upon release. It looks like a healthy ROI if you look at my Discogs values, but nearly all of these I will never sell. I do feel bad about the prices and scarcity of some of these pressings for people who have just got into the hobby in the last 5-10 years. I just hope my wife and kids can at least recoup the original prices I paid once Chad or Mike or whomever buys out my collection.
 
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