Thanks for the responses Bongofury (very thorough) and Buconero (concise). I was trying to figure out how to tell - ahead of time - if the CD production quality would be up to par prior to actually listening to certain music. Case in point: I have a lot of jazz that crosses a few labels ... Blue Note, Columbia, Verve, Impulse, Prestige, etc. But the sound is inconsistent. For example, one would think that Rudy Van Gelder's (RVG) "signature sound" - especially during the 60's hay day - would be pretty much the same. I have found that some of his re-engineered, re-mastered stuff is superior to the original recordings on CD; some of the CD's (same title) sound really compressed compared to vinyl, while some can sound nearly analog in presentation ( Wayne Shorter's re-engineered "Speak No Evil" for instance).
What's bothersome sometimes is to go through the track list on-line, then get the product home only to find that it's not very engaging. Guess trial and error ... actual listening tests will have to do.
What's bothersome sometimes is to go through the track list on-line, then get the product home only to find that it's not very engaging. Guess trial and error ... actual listening tests will have to do.