Classic records reissue - very disappointing

I agree with Syntax. The earlier ones were definitely better than these newer 200 grams, but not as good as the Chesky.

I also heard Scheherazade on Chesky and Classic and again, it is no contest. The Chesky blows it away. It was so obvious that my friend and I looked at each other and started laughing. My friend has top analog gear and he also noticed the overemphasized mids and highs on the Classic version. The older living stereo's sound very different from the Classic Reissues.

The Pines of Rome in the original release is amazing. I am not sure it is worth its price tag, but it blows away the Classic. It is just more natural sounding, more real sounding.

Classic says they use tubes on some of there reissues but it does not sound like they were used on all of them.

More than anything that I am annoyed with is the quality of the vinyl. It is just horrible and I did get a couple with fingerprints on them. I do agree with Elizabeth on that. Quality control is lacking as is customer service. They do not return emails.

Why is there so much gain on the Classic reissues? The 200 gram reissues in particular. Is it just me or has anyone else noticed it.

I also love the work that Kenneth Wilkinson did. He was amazing and quite arguably the best at what he did. I wish someone would release the Readers Digest Handels Messiah he engineered. That is a great recording, one of the best I have ever heard, except not on Dynagroove vinyl. You can get the Chesky CD but that is it. I would also like the Night On Bald Mountain with Sir Adrian Boult and the New Symphony Orchesrta of London. I always hear about Liebowitz and The Power of The Orchestra but the Boult version is incredible.

The Scheherazade from Chesky:
They used the pure 2-Track Tape without the - normally - added 3. channel. This means, the mid Part (left-mid-right) is not supported or 'pushed'. The result is, the listener gets a more realistic Soundstage. The recordings simply sounds more real. I also have the Chesky records. Outstanding good remasterings. A pity, they didn't made more.

The CR:
In a way they have to sound a bit different, mainly based on
- other pressing machines
- different cutting heads
- different power amps for those
- different cutting angles
- different Quality of Vinyl
and very important
- 30 years difference in the Age of the Tapes

Tapes are magnetic and this stored information is not stable. The loss of information is natural, specially in the extremes of both areas, maximum highs, lowest Bass.

(the faster they made the cutting process, the more dynamic are the records. The fastest from all was Bob Fine)

When the tapes were running on the Westrex / Scully now, you can choose different equalizations. but there never was a Standard for that. It was changed from time to time because something new came in, something different was tried, 1954-1959 it was the N.A.R.T Standard for magnetic Tapes, later NAB Standard...

When the tape is old, the noise (rush) will get louder...a remaster needs a lot of work to be done right, and in this chain a lot can be done wrong.
CR tried to do it as best as possible and based on the age of tapes, equipment, they made the best possible results (Chesky did go a different way). Wilkinson still had the datas of everything, they went back to these datas and some was made identical, and when not possible based on technical issues, they went as close as possible to the written datas.

What we got is still the impression what happened 30 years ago without wrong information, and let us not forget, for 29.99 $ we got a LSC-1817.
did you know what you had to pay for a mint copy 1993? 700+ USD and you had to say 5x"Thank you" to the Seller..

CR was so proud to go to RTI (I think, that was the one) for pressing, not knowing, that this company would ruin their name...

Interesting information.

Why did Chesky stop making vinyl? That was the best thing they ever did.

Hmmm, perhaps I have only heard the more recent Classics reissues. I can only repeat that every one I have ever heard has sounded downright bad, especially compared to the original release of the same recording, and also compared to other popular re-releases such as the Chesky's mentioned. I also do not find it necessary or productive to criticize systems I have never heard of those who disagree with me. I trust my ears, they help earn me my living as a professional orchestral musician, but I don't expect others to therefore agree with what I say. Different strokes for different folks.