I think all of what has been said already is true in some cases. Old releases are sometimes better than new ones. Sonically more and more new music is tweaked for the ipod listener. On the other hand some new releases such as the Beatles remasters are iMO much improved over the old. Other things to take into consideration are whether a new release contains multiple formats such as a reissue of DSOTM of a few years ago which was stereo and 5.1 or a new release that is encoded with say HDCD, a format which requires your player to be able to decode it but is a great sound. Besides sound, another thing to look for is whether the new release contains extra tracks or even video. Asian versions make sure not a knock off.
How do you guys choose between CD releases?
This has been been bugging me for some time now and I'm wondering if any of you guys have a sensible way of choosing which release of a CD to buy. I buy the vast majority of my CDs on Amazon and too frequently have to choose between two releases of a CD e.g., 1990 or 2003. If there is a remaster I usually go with it, unless I'm warned off. That doesn't bother me, it's choosing between to releases with no more to go on than the year of release. You can't judge by sampling; you don't even know which release you're listening to, and Amazon reviews are seldom release specific. Should I just buy the newest, the cheapest or (gulp) most expensive? Any secrets? How do you guys decide?