Steely Dan UHQR


There is a great interview with audio engineer Bernie Grundman on the new UHQR album "Aja". At $150 it better be amazing. He talks about how they had to modify the sound of albums in the past so they would play on crappy turntables and how this album, at 45rpm, is designed for the best turntables and cartridges. He also speaks about how the "Dan" gang wanted to use their own speakers to listen to the master and not Bernie's. (Wish he had called out the speakers) But let me ask you this, can a sound engineer with 80 year old ears (born 16 December 1943), have the hearing to engineering a UHQR album to audiophile standards......I know my hearing is shot due to what I did in my 20's with Rock n Roll sound levels....At 70, no way could my ears be trusted for such a task.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGLFTm6jMrY

rbertalotto

That’s good news that they say they finally got it right.  It only took 45 years and a much bigger price tag I guess. 

Meanwhile all these high end demos using that record have been deficient all these  years it would seem.  
 

Go figure!   A congressional investigation might be in order for this level of incompetence.  

 

Man! I am so fed up with this BS about how, back in the day, they had to

"modify the sound of albums in the past so they would play on crappy turntables and how this album, at 45rpm, is designed for the best turntables and cartridges."

This is the same argument people keep making about why the Tone Poets reissues MUST be better than any Van Gelder version. Meanwhile every one of those I hear is easily demolished by a half-way decent RVG.

If this UHQR of Aja comes anywhere close to the better early pressings of this album I'll be absolutely astonished.

So, I just had to look. In my stacks I currently have three copies of this record with the AB 1006 stamper. One is a yellow wax version. One is a really clean (looking) regular wax version and #3 is also very nice in regular wax. Completely forgot about the yellow one. I may have to see how they compare. Been awhile on this one. Not spending much on records these days. definitely not $150.00.

It’s good… as mentioned, probably one of the most silent pressings I’ve ever heard. Is it better than a really good version of the original? Tough call. I’ve got one, fantastic pressing. Back to back, I’d probably go to the original. If anything, the new version sounds a little too “clean” IMO. Still excellent overall. The packaging is first class.

I have my original LP and it still sounds great. Amazingly, the 70s cartridges didn't destroy it, and consequently I have no need for a new $150 version.