Sade This Far


I purchased this set with great anticipation. I have been a Sade fan for nearly 38 years and own multiple compilations and albums. I was so excited thinking finally her voice will be treated as it deserves. Half speed mastered, the works. I waited for months. This is seriously the biggest let down I’ve had since I got into vinyl in 2014. I have a $100k analog front end so it’s not the gear (Ortofon MC Anna, Kuzma 4Point, SMARTractor, etc.). The sound on these albums is dull, lifeless and simply nothing to talk about, I couldn’t even get through one album before getting fatigued. 
The packaging is also cheap!

Two hundred of my dollars gone for this poorly remastered cheaply packaged mess. You would do far better to just go to eBay or discogs and seek a clean copy of an original pressing. I usually treat my new albums to a new hi-end record sleeve after I clean them in my KLAudio ultrasonic record cleaner. Not these, I put this mess back in their original cheap paper sleeves.

If I seem bothered, I am as this stinks of just a rush to push something out there with little regard for quality just to make a quick buck.
audiofun

Showing 3 responses by geof3

@audiofun funny, I’ve sort of come around to your side a bit after listening to them for awhile now. Not quite the disaster you describe, but certainly could be better mix wise and packaging. One thing I’ve noticed is inconsistent panning. The presses are not great for sure. On the other hand I’m listening to The Yes Album currently. That just kicks a$$!

Wow, I couldn’t disagree more. Listening to it right now... I received my set, and short of the paper insert sleeves (they get ditched anyway) I think the entire collection is excellent. The casing is pretty standard, though basic, for these types of sets as well. Not much different than my Pink Floyd and Zepp boxed sets. Granted, I don’t have original releases of the albums. Perhaps you received a bad copy...
@audiofun it will be interesting to see. And yeah, all forms of recorded playback suffer at times. There are the stand outs in both realms for sure. Hopefully, your next copy sounds great. I may pick up a couple these albums as early presses to compare. I too waited months...