Jethro Tull "Aqualung" Shoot out results

This last weekend I did some listening comparisons of 3 copy's of Jethro Tull "Aqualung" on vinyl. They were palyed on my Basis Debut table and were A/B for sonics. Listed below are the pressings.

1. UK Chrysalis ILPS 9145

2. US Chrysalis CDR 1044

3. US Reprise Records MS 2035 (Tan Steamboat Label)

All records were cleaned with the Disc Doctor to make it fair and played at the same volume level. The UK Chrysalis copy sounded fair only. I noticed a lack of clarity and transparency across the entire audio range, in general is sounded muffled and was somewhat dynamically constricted. I was disappointed with the sound quality of this UK pressings as I expected better.

The US Chrysalis sounded surprising similar to the UK copy except it was slightly duller but had a bit more punch where the UK copy sounded a bit more laid back and slightly clearer in general. Both copies had so much in common sonically that one could conclude they were probably cut from the same master but to be honest both were quite disappointing and luckily I only paid $3-$4 each and the loss was not that great.

The US Reprise Steamboat label was the big surprise. When I heard the first note played on my turntable from this 1971 original I knew instantly it was superior to the two previous copy's by a very noticeable margin. The Muffled quality was gone are replaced with a much clearer, cleaner and more dynamic sound not present in the other inferior copy's. The mid bass had greater definition and impact and the midrange came across with much more pinpoint clarity of notes and musicality. While I would not describe this LP as a sonic blockbuster it was very enjoyable to listen to and really showed the shortcomings of the previous other pressings listed above. It just goes to show you not all pressings are equal.

As a side note I can say based on experience that no two pressings, even with the same matrix numbers, are the same. This is especially true with US vinyl records. As a example I have (3) US copy's of Pink Floyds DSOM and they all sound different and they are all US originals with exactly the same label and cover. By process of elimination I have selected the best copy of the (3) and discarded the other two pressings. My best US DSOM betters my UK and German pressings. I shall later give my shoot out results for 5 different pressings of this record but my point is don't assume because you have a original copy of your favorite album that it is the best copy sonically. Where I live in California I can go to record surplus or Amoeba Music in Hollywood and buy 3-4 copy's of the same record for $2-$4 each. I go home and spend 10-15 minutes selecting the best copy of the bunch and using that copy as my future reference. This method is still cheaper than buying a inferior $30 180 gram reissue but does take more time and effort to seek out various pressings but in my opinion provides you with the best possible source material available on vinyl. It is amazing to me that people will spend thousands of dollars on audio equipment and not spend the same amount of time or effort to acquire the best source material. THE SOURCE MATERAIL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE AUDIO CHAIN. Johnny