Rush Sector Remaster Sets

[WCFIELDS]

So does Power Windows sound much better? It seems like a few people are saying so...

[WCFIELDS]

QUOTE (RUSHHEAD666 @ Dec 5 2011, 01:04 AM)

QUOTE (1 of the 7 @ Dec 4 2011, 01:31 PM) I've always felt the keyboards in Grand Designs, especially at the end of the song, are a bit too loud/intense on the '97 remaster. For those who have Sectors, do you notice any difference in regards to this? I'm listening to the new Power Windows Remaster right now!   I agree with you about the ear slicing keyboard parts on "Grand Designs."   To be honest, this remaster is the best one that I have heard so far. You still get the sharp highs throughout the album yet they added an intense low end that is rumbling throughout my living room.   It's absolutely incredible!!!   "Power Windows" has always been a treble induced album. Well not anymore. They brought in more bass and all around low end tone to this album to make it sound well, magnificent.   Geddy's bass is popping my eardrums out on "Territories" right now.   This remaster gets an A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Think i'll get Sector 3 too Earl...

[GeddyLeeFender]

I want all these remastered but not enough money to spare I would be the most excited to hear Signals in 5.1 considering my regular CD copy sounds like there is someone standing infront of the speakers.. Edited December 10, 2011 by GeddyLeeFender

[WCFIELDS]

Turn the Page (studio) sounds really good.....the vocals come across quite a bit better.

[capoetc]

QUOTE (PolarizeMe @ Dec 10 2011, 01:09 PM)

Looks like I'm gonna have to break my piggy bank for these Sector box sets...probably gonna wait till my birthday in March to get these though since I want the flaws the band management mentioned to be fixed first.

I'm not sure whether waiting will help in this regard. Obviously, the Sector sets are selling, but they are not flying off the shelf. And, the band said (on their website) they are going to wait for production to be completed before they work the fix.

 

So, I suspect that whether you buy the sets now or next March, you will have to send something to somewhere addressed to someone to get the replacement discs.

 

But I could be wrong about that ...

[fordgt99]

[i think i'm going bald]

Hi all, I've returned my sectors box sets today - all three of them for a refund.

 

The faults aren't that bad but, while there's a chance for a refund I suppose I might as well.

 

Does anyone know if the whole lot is going to be re-issued then?

 

I'm going to buy them again when the faults have been rectified.

 

 

[drbirdsong]

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

[capoetc]

[Todem]

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

Yeah Sector three except for Grace Under Pressure (no real major improvement IMO) is a joy.

 

I love Signals to death. Power Windows has big time thump now with a big bottom end that has always been missing. And Hold Your Fire is a vast improvement from the 97 remaster.

 

I am still trying to figure out though if this had a few alternate mixes. I know you can hear the strings on Mission and I dig it. But that extra snare hit on TSS after the first chorus stinks and the Elephant wail on High Water that you hear from Alex's guitar is very off to my ears and sounds like a gaffe. There are wind chimes in the intro of Tai Shan and they sound fine but a remaster would not bring that out.....I am convinced their were some alternate mixes on the master tapes that may have been remixed before the master was made on the original pressings (ala The Weapon missing vocal from Signals) which did not show up on this remaster

 

But the remaster of Hold your Fire is fantastic.

 

A Show of Hands is great as well. Agree on all points.

 

 

I really dug into Sector one and the debut sounds better than ever, COS screams, 2112 is sick and I look forward to a defect free FBN which also sounds fantastic.

 

ATWAS has some decent improvement but nothing to noticeable. It was never a great recording (sonically speaking) to begin with.

 

OVerall though if your a Rush freak, have a good ear for sonic quality, then this set is a must own.

 

The packaging is first class, the sound quality great and overall a great package.

 

10/10

Edited December 12, 2011 by Todem

[danielmclark]

I've heard the Sectors sets now, and of course, the first thing I did was go through and find all the changes that have been mentioned - the extra notes in Mystic Rhythms, the extra hit in Time Stand Still, the strings in Mission...

 

I love it all. Seriously, even the "elephant guitar" in High Water. Of all of them, the strings in Mission elevate that song from an 8 to a 10 for me. The only thing I don't like about them is that there aren't more of them. I feel like they should have been all over the rest of the track after the second chorus (and they do come back briefly toward the end). They could have been up just slightly higher in the mix, too, but I'll take them as they are.

 

I know, it's supposed to be like when Lucas fks with the original Star Wars movies and messes them up... but I don't think any of these modifications changes the core of the song. They're an embellishment, not a major rewrite.

 

As for the rest - I haven't enjoyed their 70's output this much since I first became a fan 20+ years ago. The clarity of even the debut album is stunning, and I even got into CoS in a way I haven't in a long, long time.

 

Signals is amazing.

 

Hold Your Fire and Power Windows sound great. P/G didn't benefit much from the remaster, for reasons that have been explained elsewhere.

 

Yeah, maybe the MFSL releases sound better, but good luck finding one for a decent price, and they've only been done for four albums. Sectors is awesome.

[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.

[drbirdsong]

QUOTE (ak2112 @ Dec 25 2011, 08:12 PM)

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. I guess I could say that it is simply not true that what I said is simply not true, but you can see how that argument begins to circle itself.   For the first fifteen years and the first fifteen albums these will do for me. The 97 remasters are gone from my home. I have the gold discs and if any more are released I will buy them, but the Sector box sets are the ones I will be listening to from now on. I suppose that at some point it may be possible to imbed the songs into a chip and put it in my brain, but that will cause a whole new set of arguments.   If you want the "ideal" versions then invest in a high end turntable and listen on vinyl. It is a small niche listening experience these days, but I guess someone is always willing to rip the records and put them on the internet where they are downloaded and converted to 128kbps and then re-uploaded and converted to flac and then downloaded and converted to 256kbps and then stuck on a $10 mp3 player. We used to have the same argument in the late 70s and early 80s about re-recording over used cassette tapes.   I'm done with the audiophile arguments and plan to just listen to

[Ron2112]

QUOTE (ak2112 @ Dec 25 2011, 08:12 PM)

[/quote] 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.

We may be argunig semantics at this pont, but I agree with DMClark's assessment. As with the recent Beatles' and Floyd remasters, the bass end on the Sector sets just sounds like it has much better resolution than any previous releases. Whether that's "dynamic range" or is labeled with some other term is up for debate, but my ears aren't lying to me.

 

Peace,

Ron

[Ron2112]

QUOTE (drbirdsong @ Dec 26 2011, 08:40 AM)

I suppose that at some point it may be possible to imbed the songs into a chip and put it in my brain, but that will cause a whole new set of arguments.

Well.....it will certainly change the nature of the argument when someone criticises the system on which you're doing your listening, won't it?

 

Peace,

Ron

[Blue2112]

QUOTE (Ron2112 @ Dec 26 2011, 08:42 AM)

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]
We may be argunig semantics at this pont, but I agree with DMClark's assessment. As with the recent Beatles' and Floyd remasters, the bass end on the Sector sets just sounds like it has much better resolution than any previous releases. Whether that's "dynamic range" or is labeled with some other term is up for debate, but my ears aren't lying to me.

Peace,
Ron

I agree Ron2112. The Sector remasters have a much "warmer" overall tone. Richer and clearer with more punch and clarity to the bass. They sound as good as a 1st turn on my 25 yr old B&O turntable would have sounded. I am very pleased with the work of Chykli and VanDette.

[danielmclark]

QUOTE (drbirdsong @ Dec 26 2011, 07:40 AM)

If you want the "ideal" versions then invest in a high end turntable and listen on vinyl.

I know this is a can of worms, but... why is vinyl automatically the best representation of the recordings? I've heard lots of vinyl releases in my life, and people can talk about how "warm" they are - a nebulous term, to say the least - but I've never thought that something I heard on vinyl was the ultimate experience compared to something I've heard on CD. A properly mixed and mastered recording will sound no worse on CD than on vinyl, IMO.

[Blue2112]

QUOTE (danielmclark @ Dec 26 2011, 11:40 AM)

QUOTE (drbirdsong @ Dec 26 2011, 07:40 AM) If you want the "ideal" versions then invest in a high end turntable and listen on vinyl. I know this is a can of worms, but... why is vinyl automatically the best representation of the recordings? I've heard lots of vinyl releases in my life, and people can talk about how "warm" they are - a nebulous term, to say the least - but I've never thought that something I heard on vinyl was the ultimate experience compared to something I've heard on CD. A properly mixed and mastered recording will sound no worse on CD than on vinyl, IMO. Happy to agree with you this time

Edited December 26, 2011 by Blue2112

[ak2112]

[ReRushed]

QUOTE (danielmclark @ Dec 26 2011, 11:40 AM)

QUOTE (drbirdsong @ Dec 26 2011, 07:40 AM) If you want the "ideal" versions then invest in a high end turntable and listen on vinyl. I know this is a can of worms, but... why is vinyl automatically the best representation of the recordings? I've heard lots of vinyl releases in my life, and people can talk about how "warm" they are - a nebulous term, to say the least - but I've never thought that something I heard on vinyl was the ultimate experience compared to something I've heard on CD. A properly mixed and mastered recording will sound no worse on CD than on vinyl, IMO. YES!

[drbirdsong]

Edited December 27, 2011 by drbirdsong

[drbirdsong]

QUOTE (danielmclark @ Dec 26 2011, 11:40 AM)

QUOTE (drbirdsong @ Dec 26 2011, 07:40 AM) If you want the "ideal" versions then invest in a high end turntable and listen on vinyl. I know this is a can of worms, but... why is vinyl automatically the best representation of the recordings? I've heard lots of vinyl releases in my life, and people can talk about how "warm" they are - a nebulous term, to say the least - but I've never thought that something I heard on vinyl was the ultimate experience compared to something I've heard on CD. A properly mixed and mastered recording will sound no worse on CD than on vinyl, IMO. Agreed. Listen to what sounds good to your own ear.

[drbirdsong]

QUOTE (Ron2112 @ Dec 26 2011, 08:48 AM)

QUOTE (drbirdsong @ Dec 26 2011, 08:40 AM) I suppose that at some point it may be possible to imbed the songs into a chip and put it in my brain, but that will cause a whole new set of arguments. Well.....it will certainly change the nature of the argument when someone criticises the system on which you're doing your listening, won't it?   Peace, Ron

[danielmclark]

QUOTE (drbirdsong @ Dec 27 2011, 08:32 AM)

Bullcrap. I don't care what software program you put the music into. I think you are missing my point. I like the way the Sector versions sound. I don't care what argument you make and your "facts" are going up against my human ears and brain and they are the ultimate analog experience.

Actually, he's right. Dynamic range is measurable - whether or not something is "better" or "worse" is subjective, but it is generally accepted that a brickwalled recording, lacking in dynamic range, is not as good as a properly mixed and mastered recording.

[ak2112]

QUOTE (danielmclark @ Dec 27 2011, 11:17 AM)

QUOTE (drbirdsong @ Dec 27 2011, 08:32 AM) Bullcrap.  I don't care what software program you put the music into.  I think you are missing my point.  I like the way the Sector versions sound.  I don't care what argument you make and your "facts" are going up against my human ears and brain and they are the ultimate analog experience. Actually, he's right. Dynamic range is measurable - whether or not something is "better" or "worse" is subjective, but it is generally accepted that a brickwalled recording, lacking in dynamic range, is not as good as a properly mixed and mastered recording. What he said! You of cours can stil prefer the sound of a recording with less dynamic range, but that's not the point I was making. Dynamic range is easily measured and visually observable.