Sound quality of Rhino Records remasters?


Any general comments about the sound quality of Rhino records remastered CD's and compilation CD's?
mshan
I haven't compared them to the originals but I've always thought they were pretty darn good.
It really depends upon when the title was released. Rhino has alot of product out there. You'll see titles that were released ten or more years ago. You'll also see stuff which is only a year or two old. Check the copyright date on the disc case. Of course, the more recent stuff sounds better than the older stuff.
By the way, the Randy Newman reissues sound way, way better than the original Warner Bros. cd's. The new "Sail Away" sounds great.
A safe buy if you want the music. Not always up to the standards set by the esoteric audiophile labels, but generally good enough. I have never been disappointed in the sound quality of a Rhino compilation.
In general, Rhino is not breaking its back to produce the best sound possible. That doesn't mean they sound lousy, but on average they're probably not much better than the major labels.
When faced with a choice between the original CD and the Rhino reissue on the used market, the Rhino always gets the nod. Added plus, they usually contain some bonus selections. Most recent used Rhino purchase: Iron Butterfly / In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida in psychedelic jewel box with three versions of the hypno-hit. Rhino's Ziggy Stardust and ELP sounded great too but I re-recycled them after the nostalgia wore off. The Butterfly is a keeper.
They seem to be pretty meticulous about sound quality. For most of their "oldies" series - Have a Nice Day etc their CD version is probably the best available. I think that Rhino has recently been acquired by Warner Brothers and the original guys that started Rhino have started a new re-issue label. The bottom line is that old music still sounds best from the original vinyl no matter how good the "remaster" is.