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The difinitive recording of AJA

I have just listened to the SHM SACD recording of Steely Dan's AJA. I am not overwhelmed with the sonics. The cymbals are still too faint, the bass lacks punch and snap and the vocals still seem hidden behind a piece of cloth. I much prefer the MFSL gold CD of this title. As far as vinyl goes, the current Cisco version seems more lively than MFSL. So, which is the ONE COPY of this album that is THE MUST HAVE? I am also looking for the MUST HAVE recording of Supertramp's CRIME OF THE CENTURY. Again, I have the new SHM recording, the MFSL gold CD, the MFSL vinyl pressing, and the Speakers Corner vinyl addition. I like both vinyl versions over the CDs with the Speakers Corner version being better -- more punch, imaging, and gutsy. Feedback please.
128x128dramapsycho
audiofeil
4,011 posts
 
Hot stampers.

LOL
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,887 posts
 
For $800 buy 400 $2.00 used copies in good shape and test them one by one.

All will sound really good. Only one will sound best, but you can decide.

Take your time.....
g_m_c
443 posts
 
Audiofeil- have you ever played and compared one of Tom Port's hot stampers, or you just that all-knowing?

Mapman- 400 x 10 minutes to clean each copy, say 15 minutes of play time for each per copy to compare times maybe a 1000 spins total to narrow it down to the best copy... add the time to find and buy each copy... do the math... and you are still not guaranteed to find a great copy. I don’t have the time or patience to do it and besides, I would hate the album after that effort.

The poster asked "So, which is the ONE COPY of this album that is THE MUST HAVE?" The best usually costs more, right?

Have any of you naysayers had a BAD experience with Tom Port? Have any of you nay sayers even tried one? There is a money back guarantee! Try one and then get back her and give us an opinion with some legitimate evidence to back up your statements. Or, are you all just that all-knowing?
paanders
43 posts
 
chill, brother. one needn't be all-knowing to know that $500 for a used mass market record that was a best-seller for years and years and is in no way a rare item IS a very high price indeed.

one needn't be soaking in ressentiment (what Nietzsche famously called slave morality in THE GENEALOGY OF MORALS--a book crucial for fans of Steely Dan and meditators on the "royal scam" and such) to venture this opinion.

And of course to appreciate a $500 album one would presumably need a $20,000 system with a $4000+ cartridge, as Mr Port himself admits. So let's put all this in perspective, as this is a fun hobby that includes teachers, preachers, musicians, orthodontists, insurance adjusters, social workers, legal aid lawyers, and hedge fund managers.

I remember my local audiophile salon (where they sell $10K turntables and such) had plastic bottles of "ultra pure water" available in the glass case behind the counter. I asked the salesman about its worthy provenance in contrast to distilled water. He shrugged his shoulders, giggled conspiratorially, and noted that "like all hobbies, some customers do go over the deep end."
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