Dire Straits Brothers in Arms Comparison

Have you tried the SACD version?

or the XRCD version?

I've got the original LP and CD, the remastered CD and XRCD. For my money the XRCD is the best. I hate to say it but it was worth the big money.

I'm with Vegasears, the XRCD is excellent

Agree with the XRCD!

If you have not heard the original British pressing, you are missing a real treat as it absolutely walks over the subsequent reissues. Please note that I have various American issues (vinyl) and the latest 180 gram reissue (which is actually very good) as well as the original CD and the XRCD. Of the digital issues, the XRCD is the best that I have heard but again does not equal the British vinyl original pressing. Note that the same is true for Love Over Gold.

Has anyone compared the DVDA version? I hear it could be the best.

The XRCD and the SACD are both very, very good. On a great SACD player the SACD may have a slight edge.

We don't own the SACD or XRCD versions. They were not included with the comparison. If I come across one I will give it a listen. The LP is the way to go.

Either way, it's a grainy early digital recording. You can't put lipstick on a pig, IMHO

If I remember correctly, so is Gaucho. But everybody seems to love the sound of that (not me -- it leaves me cold). And that Stravinsky Firebird on Telarc I believe. Sheesh.

I just listened to an early Vertigo West German pressing.
Unlike the SACD, it was not grainy sounding at all. I prefer listening to it. My sacd will be mothballed for the time being.
Some of these early non remastered cds are outstanding. If the hardware was better at that time, I think that the cd would have been better appreciated by the audio public. At the time digital playback was not ready.

Regards,

The XRCD is outstanding. The original CD is very close to the vinyl. The CD remasters are not good (hot or loud). You get don't get grain but due the extreme clarity it sounds a little unnatural (recorded in a dead environment). I mean you are hearing everything close miked.

If you want some outstanding natural recordings check out Mojo by Tom Petty.