Comments on Profile Post by luckybaer

I've only heard the 2009 releases, loved most of the mono tracks

I have, or will have, all the studio albums (except LiB and BfS) on CD (‘87, ‘09) and vinyl (‘12, ‘17 SPLHCB, ‘18 White). What fun!

Are you asking if listening to the FLAC files from the CDs disqualifies you to discuss the CDs?

@Merrick You got it. The files should sound the same, but the FLAC files would be going USB to DAC, whereas CD goes from CD Player via digital coax to DAC. <shrugs>

Mastering engineer Barry Diament ran tests where he played the same mastering of the same album on CDs pressed from different factories in the same CD player. He found each CD sounded different. He then ripped the files to lossless digital files and they all sounded the same. Apparently the materials in the CD itself do affect sound to some extent. So by listening to the FLAC files, you remove that factor.

Never heard that @Merrick maybe I will have to try to listen to some of those gold CDs

I wonder if that’s why it seems used CDs made in Japan or Europe seem to be more desirable than those made in the USA?

@luckybaer More likely those EU/JP masterings are desirable.