Japanese CD's

[justonemore]

Hi everyone,

This is my first question I've asked. Lots of good people and a wealth of knowledge here.

How do the japanese remastered cd's sound? Some say 24 bit remastered and some just remastered. Are they worth the extra money? I've bought some cd's that sound so bad you can't even listen to them.

Thanks, Doug

[Fish]

My experience has been if it was a good master to start they really

sound good.If it was a poor master it may be a little better but still

not great although they seem to be good quality.I've bought a few for

about the same as regular cd,for twice as much it would have to be a

hard to find or one of my all time favorites.

[JBryan]

There are great as well as some real piss-poor Japanese CDs out there so its buyer beware. The better pressings/releases are very nice indeed and show great care and attention to the details. Generally, the recordings very quiet and detailed and maybe a bit bass-shy. The best releases are as true to the original as possible and often include all the original posters and literature. Lately, these tend to be limited to the "gatefold" covers and the newer versions utilize the latest mastering technology.

On the other hand, some domestically-released CDs that were printed in Japan are usually marketed on that ploy to sell pretty cheesy sounding albums. Blue Note and Verve come to mind - especially the "digitally-remastered" versions.

Of course, the less-than-desirable CDs tend to cost significantly less than their better counterparts so its pretty easy to distinguish them.

[PrestonTom]

There are great as well as some real piss-poor Japanese CDs out there so its buyer beware. The better pressings/releases are very nice indeed and show great care and attention to the details. Generally, the recordings very quiet and detailed and maybe a bit bass-shy. The best releases are as true to the original as possible and often include all the original posters and literature. Lately, these tend to be limited to the "gatefold" covers and the newer versions utilize the latest mastering technology. On the other hand, some domestically-released CDs that were printed in Japan are usually marketed on that ploy to sell pretty cheesy sounding albums. Blue Note and Verve come to mind - especially the "digitally-remastered" versions. Of course, the less-than-desirable CDs tend to cost significantly less than their better counterparts so its pretty easy to distinguish them.

This is a surprising statement. In general, and there are exceptions, some of the best Jazz performances and sonic quality come from the Blue Note recordings (esp circa late 50s early 60s). Gee, I hope these have not been trashed during the re-mastering.

Good Luck,

-Tom

[JBryan]

"...some of the best Jazz performances and sonic quality come from the Blue Note recordings (esp circa late 50s early 60s). "

You're right Tom - Blue Note has some of the best recordings in its catalogue but they've been seriously compromised with digital remastering over the years although I'm sure they've gotten better. Here's an example...

[JBryan]

...but the Verve International Jazz Series is really harsh compared to the original recordings. Here's one to avoid...