I listen mostly to jazz from the 1950's and 60's, and original pressings usually sound much better than reissues including the latest reissues by Classic and other labels. Yes, it can be difficult to locate original pressings in good condition. For my tastes, however, I would rather listen to an older copy with a few ticks and pops and a little distortion in the inner grooves than a pristine quiet reissue where the magic has been scrubbed out along with the noise.
Example: I have a stereo 6-eye Sketches of Spain (Miles Davis) that sounds excellent despite a bit of noise and distortion on peaks. I bought a reissue on an audiophile label (I forget which one) and it's quiet and clean, but it doesn't have the natural tonality and coherency of the original.
I have been disappointed with reissues so many times that I hardly ever buy any these days. And don't pay any attention to reviewers who wax poetically about how much better their reissue sounds compared to an original. Without impugning anyone's integrity by suggesting the reviewers simply want to keep the free records coming, let me say instead that the reviewers must prefer quiet pressings that sound flat and uninvolving to less-than-perfect old records that actually sound like music.
Example: I have a stereo 6-eye Sketches of Spain (Miles Davis) that sounds excellent despite a bit of noise and distortion on peaks. I bought a reissue on an audiophile label (I forget which one) and it's quiet and clean, but it doesn't have the natural tonality and coherency of the original.
I have been disappointed with reissues so many times that I hardly ever buy any these days. And don't pay any attention to reviewers who wax poetically about how much better their reissue sounds compared to an original. Without impugning anyone's integrity by suggesting the reviewers simply want to keep the free records coming, let me say instead that the reviewers must prefer quiet pressings that sound flat and uninvolving to less-than-perfect old records that actually sound like music.