New Steely Dan Aja

I assume you mean the double-45rpm version from Acoustic Sounds? I think it's awesome sounding, and I've got an original 70's promo from the day it was released. That is brilliant sounding, but nothing like the double-45, to me.... 

I just listened to this all the way through this morning. This is probably my fifth time spinning it, and while I always go in with the thought that I will play a couple of tracks and move on to something else, the combination of sound quality (I'm speaking of the AP 45s) and the amazing material makes it impossible and I am still smiling during the closing notes of Josie. I have a nice clean Japanese pressing that I always thought sounded great but it doesn't hold a candle to the new set. Highly recommended.

I will also add just for context that I found their (AP's) Pretzel Logic to sound much better than a lot of reports stated. It's the worst of any of the catalog so far, but still nice quiet vinyl, and if I toe my speakers in a little bit more than usual, I can get a little treble boost, so it ends up still sounding better than my OG.

Maybe not completely relevant, I have the same mastering by Bernie G/ Acoustic Sounds on SACD. This beats my Japan pressing on vinyl, which beats my US pressing and streaming from Qubuz. Worth getting IMO.

The CISCO pressing has been a reference for many folks, so would be interesting to compare this new one to a CISCO.

@jdjohn - I've seen a few YouTube videos that did that, along with some others. CISCO seems to be a very popular one, but I haven't seen a review yet that liked anything else better than the UHQR double-45... 

The CISCO pressing has been a reference for many folks, so would be interesting to compare this new one to a CISCO.

@jdjohn  Here’s the Stereophile review where the UHQR gets much higher marks than the Cisco version…
https://www.analogplanet.com/content/steely-dans-200g-45rpm-2lp-aja-pride-analogue-productions-uhqr-neighborhood

Very interesting!  High praise, and actually cheaper than the CISCO pressings, so...I have placed my order 

IMO, this album (and some others from Steely Dan) are almost over-produced, so getting a good version can be difficult to find.  Too much post-recording production can lead to compression.

Thanks, all! Yes, I mean the double-45rpm version from Acoustic Sounds but other new mastering efforts, too. I have been seeing reviews but wanted to know the thinking here. Hope you're all having a great independence day holiday! Great time for tunes!

I have the Cisco, and frankly, I think it's over-rated.  I have standard pressings that sound better and the AP UHQR is in another league altogether.

I have the UHQR pressings of Pretzel Logic, Aja, and Gaucho. I consider these the best pressings of Steely Dan that I have. Granted I don’t have a CISCO pressing of Aja, but I have found these superior compared to the OG, Japanese, and audiophile reissues I have.