@audioguy85 You’re right.
There are bargains to be found but you need a bit of luck. A friend of mine picked up an original mono copy of Sgt Pepper for £5 at a charity shop. He also got a copy of the Beatles Oldies but Goldies for the same amount.
A few years back (pre-plandemic, 2017/8?) I managed to pick up a couple of Glen Campbell LPs for him that were part of a set for £1 each!
Even better, they were both in mint condition. I spent many, many hours browsing in record and comic shops/marts and I don’t regret any of them - but then came the internet...
Anyway, the best of luck in the future.
@mike_in_nc
Remastering is done for three reasons.
- The first is to boost the highs to make them irritating.
- The second is to compress out all the dynamics to get a modern sound.
- The third is to sell more CDs. NEW! IMPROVED! BUY NOW!
It’s all true!
Ok, not all remasters have irritating highs, but many do, and all are boosted.
Even worse, I have yet to hear ANY remaster that didn’t have some form of dynamic compression added, even if was just a hint.
Why oh why do they need to sound modern?
Oh hang on, your 3rd point explains it!
It might sound a bit cynical, but I should tell it like I see it.
I felt like a heretic when I compared the Steve Hoffman remastered Nat King Cole to the earlier Bear Family releases, and, shock horror, preferred some of the earlier transfers.
Steve did an excellent job on sourcing the original tapes no doubt, but even his ingenuity couldn’t quite replicate the famous Capitol Studios echo chamber.
https://www.acontinuouslean.com/2013/12/02/secret-capitol-studios-sound/