To return to the OP's question concerning Blue Note reissues, I can recommend the londonjazzcollector website, which gives very detailed information on the label and a ranking of sound quality of all the various (re)pressings over the years.
There is hardly any doubt that the original RVG mastered issues from the '50's and early '60's are superior to everything that came after. But most of these originals are financially out of reach for 'normal' record collectors, as these are now regarded as financial investments.
The second best option are the pressings that were made after Blue Note was sold to Liberty. Liberty immediately ended the association with Plastylite, who manufactured all Blue Notes up until then (identified by the so called 'ear' mark, which is actually a stylized 'P') and started using their own pressing facility. But in the first years after the takeover they kept using the existing (and still fresh) RVG mastered plates and they kept Van Gelder on as recording and mastering engineer. These early Liberty pressings are actually VERY close to the Plastylites and much cheaper. Their value is on the rise as well, but many titles can still be found for $50 or less.
The next best option is to hunt down the Japanese issues from the '70's and '80's, first on King records, later on Toshiba. The former are generally preferred, probably because they were earlier and made from less used master tapes (or first generation copies more likely). Although neither are as explosively dynamic as the originals, they still have plenty of life. These Japanese issues were made in large quantities, so they're not particularly rare or expensive (between $25-50 depending on the title).
Those are much better ways to spend your money than on those cheap current reissues, which are made from digital masters and have all the drawbacks of digital and (bad) vinyl combined. It's just a last ditch attempt from these global 'media' corporates to make a few bucks on the current vinyl fad. Sound quality is definitely NOT on their agenda and asking them to improve the quality is like asking a mosquito to kindly stop sucking blood...
This brings us to the so called 'audiophile' reissues from the US, claimed to be made from the original analog masters. I've tried various titles from both Classic Records and Music Matters (both on 45 and 33rpm). The Classics generally have a lack of dynamics, which would seem to suggest that those master tapes have become very tired. The ones I've heard sounded anemic and boring. Then came the Music Matters issues, which proved that these tapes are apparently still quite healthy, if you know how to deal with them. They don't have the typical RVG explosiveness of the 'originals', but it was RVG's signature to cut these records very loud and very 'hot'. So perhaps the Music Matters issues more faithfully represent what is on the master tape. I've never heard one of those, so this is pure speculation. Whether you like this more 'polite' presentation is a matter of taste, but at least it offers a viable alternative to the originals. And their label name is aptly chosen: they DO care about the sound quality.
PS: stay away from the Japanese 'facsimile' issues that are currently on the market. These are not cheap either (between $50-100 on ebay) and the artwork is absolutely gorgeous, but they sound compressed and lifeless. They're also claimed to be made from the original analog masters, but I find that very hard to believe.
There is hardly any doubt that the original RVG mastered issues from the '50's and early '60's are superior to everything that came after. But most of these originals are financially out of reach for 'normal' record collectors, as these are now regarded as financial investments.
The second best option are the pressings that were made after Blue Note was sold to Liberty. Liberty immediately ended the association with Plastylite, who manufactured all Blue Notes up until then (identified by the so called 'ear' mark, which is actually a stylized 'P') and started using their own pressing facility. But in the first years after the takeover they kept using the existing (and still fresh) RVG mastered plates and they kept Van Gelder on as recording and mastering engineer. These early Liberty pressings are actually VERY close to the Plastylites and much cheaper. Their value is on the rise as well, but many titles can still be found for $50 or less.
The next best option is to hunt down the Japanese issues from the '70's and '80's, first on King records, later on Toshiba. The former are generally preferred, probably because they were earlier and made from less used master tapes (or first generation copies more likely). Although neither are as explosively dynamic as the originals, they still have plenty of life. These Japanese issues were made in large quantities, so they're not particularly rare or expensive (between $25-50 depending on the title).
Those are much better ways to spend your money than on those cheap current reissues, which are made from digital masters and have all the drawbacks of digital and (bad) vinyl combined. It's just a last ditch attempt from these global 'media' corporates to make a few bucks on the current vinyl fad. Sound quality is definitely NOT on their agenda and asking them to improve the quality is like asking a mosquito to kindly stop sucking blood...
This brings us to the so called 'audiophile' reissues from the US, claimed to be made from the original analog masters. I've tried various titles from both Classic Records and Music Matters (both on 45 and 33rpm). The Classics generally have a lack of dynamics, which would seem to suggest that those master tapes have become very tired. The ones I've heard sounded anemic and boring. Then came the Music Matters issues, which proved that these tapes are apparently still quite healthy, if you know how to deal with them. They don't have the typical RVG explosiveness of the 'originals', but it was RVG's signature to cut these records very loud and very 'hot'. So perhaps the Music Matters issues more faithfully represent what is on the master tape. I've never heard one of those, so this is pure speculation. Whether you like this more 'polite' presentation is a matter of taste, but at least it offers a viable alternative to the originals. And their label name is aptly chosen: they DO care about the sound quality.
PS: stay away from the Japanese 'facsimile' issues that are currently on the market. These are not cheap either (between $50-100 on ebay) and the artwork is absolutely gorgeous, but they sound compressed and lifeless. They're also claimed to be made from the original analog masters, but I find that very hard to believe.