Question about Remastered Albums

[TheMusicalMarine]

Good evening

I've purchased a few Rudy Van Gelder remasters and I was curious as to which other remaster series are currently prevalent. Are some out there better than others? And is it worth it to spend a few extra bucks on a remastered album than the original? Is the sound transfer noticiably(sp) better?

Thanks

[Gary Sisco]

Yes, the sound is often better. Not always but often. Especially when it comes to dynamics, and more especially if he's remastering BNs that were originally re-released as CDs during the 80s, which was a dreadful time for CD sound.

I wish they'd remaster and reissue "Conquistador." The sound on that model is a crime.

[Tanager]

Originally posted by Gary Sisco
I wish they'd remaster and reissue "Conquistador." The sound on that model is a crime.

According to Jazzmatazz, the RVG of Conquistador comes out in March or thereabouts. They must have heard you .

[Tanager]

BTW, I think the K2 remasters of the Fantasy catalog (Riverside, Prestige, etc.) are often quite excellent-sounding as well, definitely much better than the original CD transfers.

[chuckyd4]

I was about to mention that about Conquistador - I've been waiting to buy a CD of that until they would give it some proper treatment. I have the vinyl, but my record players been busted for about a year now, so it's been a long time since I've been able to hear that session.

As far as the thread topic goes, I'd say it obviously depends on who's doing the remastering... but definitely if you're comparing early CD issues from the '80's against some of the more recent series (like the RVG), it is worth the money. Actually, something like the RVG series costs about the same, so it's not even a financial question - I find that there is a marked improvement between the two. I'm not an audiophile in any sense of the word, though, and i know a lot of people here get kind of picky when it comes to sound, so some of them may tell you that RVG sounds too _____ - I'd say buy one from any series you're curious about and let your own ears answer the question.

In general though, CD remastering has come a long way since the early days of "No Noise" or whatever was called, where they basically made a disc sound like it was recorded in a metal bucket, in order to "clean it up".

[Gary Sisco]

Good news about "Conquistador." Finally.

One thing you can count on with the RVGs (at least the ones I have): They're loud mofos.