ak2112

QUOTE (drbirdsong @ Dec 11 2011, 03:09 PM) I'm not returning mine. It is easy enough to return a couple of discs for replacements. I just heard Hold You Fire and it is the best version ever. As with all these albums Geddy's bass benefits best from this remastering. Prime Mover is just amazing. This album has some of Ged's best bass lines and it is worth hearing for that alone. The strings can finally be actually heard in Mission and many other subtle sounds emerge. Like it or hate it this one is one of the most improved of the set. And finally A Show Of Hands has the same improvements that Exit... Stage Left has. As soon a The Big Money started I could hear a difference. I think this one is the first time Alex's guitar sounded noticeably better. The bass and drums are clearer and easier to hear along with all the tiny details. The crowd sounds like a big group of human beings instead of white noise. Geddy's vocals sound live again and the whole thing is less slick and processed which is something all the 1980s albums needed. Overall the winner of these box sets is Geddy bass followed by more clarity and dynamic range. Neil Pearts drums are sharper and all his little details and more subtle sounds come through. Alex is Alex and his guitar sounds great on just about any pressing I ever heard. The keyboards and other special effects all benefit from a warmer, more analog sound. Yay. That's it for this fan's review. Merry Christmas Glad you like them since ultimately, all that matters is how they sound to the individual listener and his or her's own system. However, one of your statements is simply not true and that's the statement that there is more dynamic range. I suppose if you're comparing them to the horrible 97 remasters then that might be true, but the Sector remasters have MUCH less dynamic range than previous releases for these albums, including the SHM-CD releases. That probably isnt going to matter to many people, but for me it is critical.

QUOTE (drbirdsong @ Dec 24 2011, 09:52 PM) QUOTE (danielmclark @ Dec 24 2011, 09:39 PM) The most interesting thing about Sectors isn't the music, the remastering, the packaging or anything else to do with the sets. It's that there are a few people that come in here claiming that they are a travesty, that the band sucks for going along with them, that the producers and engineers suck, that they are brickwalled so badly that you can barely hear certain instruments or that it's just garbage... ...and yet there are tons of people reporting exactly the opposite. That it's not brickwalled. That individual instruments have never been clearer. That they sound better than almost any previous release (except for certain foreign pressings, depending on who you ask). Yep... sure is interesting. This. They sound better than anything Mercury has put out before. You can make the argument that the vinyl records sound better, but Geddy's bass rules on these remasters and all of them sound better to me than any version I have ever owned except for the gold discs. Try investing in good stereo system and quit listening on your computer or, God forbid, iPod. Yeah, I know that last sentance will get me yelled at, but really, steal the master tapes and listen to those. Maybe that will satisfy some folks or maybe they will demand that the band fix those too. I listen to my music on a $20K system so I dont think that the statements I made about the audio quality of this boxset are related to my equipment. These recordings ARE brickwalled. Run any one of them through some wavform software and it will be obvious. There's no hate in my comments, I'm just disappointed with the quality. They could have done MUCH better and I just dont understand the lack of quality control with such a great musical legacy. All of this is just my opinion though. If you like them, then thats all that matters.

Man, I hope you ARE right! I've never wanted to be proven wrong so badly in my life!

You're kidding, right? These Sector boxsets are sonic abortions. To each their own I guess. You can find MUCH better sounding masterings for much less money.

QUOTE (Perchance to Dream @ Dec 24 2011, 05:47 PM) I was under the impression that the band didn't have anything to do with this box set? I thought I heard Alex say that in a recent radio interview. Maybe I misheard him. Huh, I'd be interested to hear that interview since I could have sworn I saw a quote from Geddy where he mentioned they were involved in all phases of this release. For sure Rich Chycki was involved in the remastering/remixing process and he's the bands right hand man these days along with their producer. I would actually love to hear that I was wrong about them being involved as that would mean they didnt sign off on this sonic disaster!

QUOTE (D3strukt @ Dec 9 2011, 12:42 PM) No, damn it. For Rush fans you guys certainly MISS a lot of information. THEY ARE SIGNED TO A TWO RECORD DEAL WITH ROADRUNNER TWO. NOT ONE. Gah, sorry, but i'm tired of hearing "It's definitely the last one." Look at the press release. or somewhere, I know I saw it somewhere around that time! Anyway!! I chose all epics, but I'd really take TFOL and Hemispheres out (the two best. lol.) because RIP GEDDY'S VOICE. Just because they signed a two record deal, that could easily mean one studio album (Clowckwork Angels) and one of their now customary live albums from the tour for the album. That would give them two album and fullfill the contract, unless the deal is for two studio albums. No idea what the terms are.

I bought the Sector 1 Boxset and borrowed the other 2 from a friend of mine for comparison. I pretty much got Sector 1 for the Fly By Night DVD-A, but was curious to see if they had done a better job of remastering than the god-awful 97 remasters. All I can say is that I'm tremendously let down by this whole effort. While not as quite as loud as the 97 remasters, most of the Sector CD's are brickwalled trainwrecks and the packaging is cheap and not befitting the legacy of such a great band. I have heard that the band had direct input on this boxset so I am mystified why they've allowed such a piss poor mastering and packaging mess to come to the market. Every one of the albums in the Sector 1 boxset has sections of clipping and there is almost zero dynamic range. I need to do a more detailed run through with Exact Audio Copy to see what all the levels are, but I can tell you that if you're looking for the best sounding versions of Rush's catalog, the Sector CD's are most certainly NOT the ones to get. The Japanese 1st release 25.8P or 32.8P versions blow the Sector CD's out of the water as do the MFSL Gold CD's. I'm convinced that Rush has thrown in their lot with Rich Chycki and if this is the case, nooone should expect any audiophile quality releases from our favorite band. The 5.1 mixes are interesting and are fun at times to listen to, but again, there seems to be an almost complete lack of attention to dynamic range and envolping mixing on the surround sound albums. And why the hell they decided to only release three albums on DVD-A 5.1 is beyond my understanding. If you want to hear what a proper 5.1 surround mix in high-rez sounds like, check out the new Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here SACD. That album will blow you away! These Sector sets will most certainly not and this reality fills me with sadness.

Last I heard, they were recording in Nashville. How do you know they're in Toronto?

You wont find a bigger Rush fan than myself and I would absolutely rank them as one of the top 5 bands ever, but in my opinion, nonbody can top the Beatles for pure originality, innovation, melodicism and songwriting. Rush is great, but even they cant compete with the Beatles.

The whole concept of the way these things are being released is just stupid and nothing but a cash grab by the label and the band...yes, the band is responsible for this as well. The worst part as for as I'm concerned is that these new remasters are even louder than the sonic abortions that were the 97 remasters. If anyone wants the best sounding versions of these albums, get the original US Atomic versions, the MFSL's, or the original Canadian CD's. Of course, if you think louder = better sound quality, then by all means get these CD's.

I do not have them myself, but I've heard there have been issues with the Farewell to Kings DVD-A version of Closer to the Heart and some issues with other tracks here and there. Personally, I wont be getting these unless they release the DVD-A versions as stand-alone albums. I'm VERY disappointed with the bands decision to release these latest remasters in this way. I think its just another cash grab and BTW, the band DID have a hand in this release. The whole thing was terribly thought out and from what I understand, they are mastered even louder than the sonically horrible 97 remasters, which I didnt even think was possible. Yep, I'm passing on this one. Bad move boys!!

QUOTE (Oracle @ Nov 5 2011, 06:39 PM) I'm just glad that they're getting some of the albums properly remastered. Though the 97 remasters were great, the possibilities of technology today would really do the albums justice. The 97 remasters were an abomination. Brickwalled and beyond loud with zero dynamic range. There are several other earlier masterings that blow them away.

QUOTE (1 of the 7 @ Oct 8 2011, 05:54 PM) I've said this elsewhere - I hope this doesn't mean the individual '97 remasters suddenly become hard to find. I still have a few left to collect and don't want to buy the whole mess over again. I don't have a great sound system to justify the new ones, and have to save my $150 for tix next year. Since the 97 remasters are easily the worst sounding versions of their albums, I wouldnt worry too much about not having them all. If you really want the best versions, go out and find the MFSL versions (except 2112, which is almost as loud and brickwalled as the 97 remasters), then search for either the original "atomic" CD's, the Japanese "P" masterings (i.e. the 25.8p versions of Moving Pictures or the 32.8p version of Power Windows), or the Canadian WANK/VANK/ANC masterings, which are pretty easy to find on ebay and can be had for pretty good prices if you're patient. Any of the above mentioned versions will blow away the 97 remasters in terms of dynamic range and detail.

Agreed...this is total cash-grab bullshit! And who decided which albums would be in 5.1? AFTK over Hemispheres? Ridiculous. Like others on here, I'll wait for the individual albums to be put out in 5.1 or I'll get nothing at all. f***ing stupid.

The Mobile Fidelity Gold CD of Moving Pictures for me. Blows away the horrific 97 remasters and the new DVD-A.

I dont get the hate for Dog Years. It's one of the few songs on T4E that I do like. There are others that are infinately worse. Without a doubt, my least favorite Rush tune is Rivendell. That song is a disgrace.

QUOTE (fordgt99 @ Aug 26 2011, 06:42 PM) QUOTE (ak2112 @ Aug 25 2011, 11:54 PM) QUOTE (micgtr71 @ Aug 25 2011, 01:24 PM) QUOTE (Harperspace @ Aug 24 2011, 10:36 AM) Thanks for the reply. Of course reverting to vinyl is always an option, but the question was really around the varying CD releases. Yes, I understand. What I meant is that the only noticeable difference that I can tell (original cd release, 97 remaster, German version) is the volume. The 97 remaster sounds great. The 97 remasters sound loud! Thats about all you can say about them. They're brickwalled to shit and have zero dynamic range. If all you car about is ear bleeding loudness than go for the remasters by all means. However, if you have a decent stereo system, care about dynamic range and recording, mixing and mastering quality, than go for anything OTHER than the 97 remasters. I have done a lot of comparing between different masterings (I have 7 different masterings of Moving Pictures for instance....a little much, I know) and the difference is night and day. Just add "I think" to half of this reply. I DO have a decent system and I THINK the remasters sound fine. To each his own but I'm not putting any time into hunting down the older cds, especially when there are some great vinyl rips out there. No "think" about it. The 97 remasters ARE louder. Thats not an opinion, its a fact. Every one of the 97 remasters is between 3 to 5dB louder than the original CD's.

QUOTE (micgtr71 @ Aug 25 2011, 01:24 PM) QUOTE (Harperspace @ Aug 24 2011, 10:36 AM) Thanks for the reply. Of course reverting to vinyl is always an option, but the question was really around the varying CD releases. Yes, I understand. What I meant is that the only noticeable difference that I can tell (original cd release, 97 remaster, German version) is the volume. The 97 remaster sounds great. The 97 remasters sound loud! Thats about all you can say about them. They're brickwalled to shit and have zero dynamic range. If all you car about is ear bleeding loudness than go for the remasters by all means. However, if you have a decent stereo system, care about dynamic range and recording, mixing and mastering quality, than go for anything OTHER than the 97 remasters. I have done a lot of comparing between different masterings (I have 7 different masterings of Moving Pictures for instance....a little much, I know) and the difference is night and day.

Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I have a link that lists pretty much every version of Rush's CD's that are out there, so hopefully this will at least help you know whats available. Check it out! http://www.wellers.demon.co.uk/Compact%20D...tm#_Toc49851782

QUOTE (reani14 @ Aug 24 2011, 05:24 PM) who cares. Wow, what a helpful post....not! I dont know about different masterings at GuP forward for the most part, but you can almost never go wrong with the Japanese pressings (either 25.8P or 32.8P catelog numbers) or the original Anthem Canadian CD's. They both usually sound better than their US counterparts, though this is not always true.

I think his singing on Snakes and Arrows was some of the most melodic of Rush's career.

That means the SHM is better. More dynamic range and less compression. Louder does not equal better.

QUOTE (fordgt99 @ Jul 22 2011, 11:16 PM) Gee I'm shocked you rated the 97 remaster as the worst...NOT!!! You shouldnt be shocked....most of the 97 remasters sound like they were done by Helen Keller.

I agree with drbirdsong about the booklet. It does look like shit and I'm surprised by such a half assed attempt at recreating the booklet. However, what really matters here is the music and it sounds better than it ever has. I have the original US CD release from 1991 to compare it to. The original CD is about 3 to 4dB louder than the new AF version but thats a good thing. What that means is that this new gold CD has plenty of dynamic range and you can really crank it without having to worry about distortion. This CD is a good example of why most of the 97 remasters suck ass: lack of dynamic range, brickwalled to ear bleeding standards and fatiguing on the ears. This new version of RtB is none of that. It is warm and organic and lacks the cold sterility of the original release. Geddys bass has never sounded better and even the drums finally have some life to them. The original CD makes the drums sound lifeless and dead. No more! This AF gold CD is now the definitive version of this album in my opinion and it reminds me of why I got into audiophile quality releases. It's a triumph. Go out and get a copy now because these might sell out and, after all, they are a limited edition release so I suspect they'll become very valuable collectors items years from now (mine is CD No. 250).