LJazz Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 Has anyone done a comparison of the sound of the Coltrane box against some of the individual sessions that are (or were) available as K2s? I purchased the box from the Concord sale but also purchased the K2s that were available (probably because I was in a hurry when I did it). I haven't opened any of them yet. I figure there may not be any need to keep the K2s since all of it is on the box, but if the sound is generally that superior it may be worth keeping them also. I know I could just compare them myself, but what fun would that be? Seriously, I figured I would get some opinions here rather than open the K2s because I might wind up selling or trading them and I figure it might be better to keep them sealed for now. LJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 I don't have any Coltrane K-2s but I do have the SACDs, and to my ears there is, of course, some drop off in sound, not enough for me to want to trash the box, or to go out looking for updated disks. IMO, the Coltrane box sounds very good, and it is more of an "Old School" master. What I mean by that is the cds don't have the fingerprints of whoever remasted the cd all over it. For me, some of the newer stuff, it sounds as if whoever is remastering wants to let you know that he/she was there, and notice how wonderfull I am, and let me eq the heck out of the treble, and boost the bass, etc. On the Coltrane box, the sound is more mellow, smoother, less attention grabing than you hear now-a-days. As you can tell by my comments, I really like the sound on this box; that, however, is a combination of my personal taste and my system. Results may vary of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trane_fanatic Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 (edited) Has anyone done a comparison of the sound of the Coltrane box against some of the individual sessions that are (or were) available as K2s? I purchased the box from the Concord sale but also purchased the K2s that were available (probably because I was in a hurry when I did it). I haven't opened any of them yet. I figure there may not be any need to keep the K2s since all of it is on the box, but if the sound is generally that superior it may be worth keeping them also. I know I could just compare them myself, but what fun would that be? Seriously, I figured I would get some opinions here rather than open the K2s because I might wind up selling or trading them and I figure it might be better to keep them sealed for now. LJ Ya know, I got the box preparing to be dissapointed with the sound of a set that came out in '91. Much to my surprise, the sonics sound Tony The Tiger greeeeeeeaaaat. Ditto for the Evans collection. I also got virtually all the K2s that were in the Concord sale, including the titles that were in the Trane and Evans sets, but may not bother opening them now. I had purchased the K2 of the "Coltrane" Prestige a while back and the sound of the tracks from the box hold up well against the much-later Japanese mastering. One thing I have noticed about the K2s is that they are louder and have a little more detail than the original CD pressing, but I am no audiophile... Edited August 31, 2006 by trane_fanatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 I only have one Coltrane K2 (Burrell/Coltrane), but also other DCC, XRCD and SACD versions. The OJC remastering (which I suppose is identical to the box) is generally good, but sounds less dynamic and detailed, and more distant than the newer versions. So there is less "in your room" feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trane_fanatic Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 There is a Japanese version of this box that is all K2, right? I would guess, however, that it would be "mad bank". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJazz Posted August 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 I only have one Coltrane K2 (Burrell/Coltrane), but also other DCC, XRCD and SACD versions. The OJC remastering (which I suppose is identical to the box) is generally good, but sounds less dynamic and detailed, and more distant than the newer versions. So there is less "in your room" feeling. That was my experience with the Sonny Rollins K2s and his Complete Prestige set. I imagine the mastering comparison is similar with the Coltrane recordings. Thanks all for the input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDK Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 Y'know, I'm not sure why so many people think that the "old" CDs are so inferior sounding. Sure, some of the very early processors (circa 1984-5) weren't very good (or as good as now), but provided the original tapes were used and not multi-generational copies or LP masters, those "old" discs should sound mighty fine. If anything, I have more of a problem with some of the newer remasters, which are all too often too loud, overly compressed, or poorly equalized just because the mastering engineers have more high-tech gadgets at their disposal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 Y'know, I'm not sure why so many people think that the "old" CDs are so inferior sounding. Sure, some of the very early processors (circa 1984-5) weren't very good (or as good as now), but provided the original tapes were used and not multi-generational copies or LP masters, those "old" discs should sound mighty fine. If anything, I have more of a problem with some of the newer remasters, which are all too often too loud, overly compressed, or poorly equalized just because the mastering engineers have more high-tech gadgets at their disposal. Hear Hear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Posted August 31, 2006 Report Share Posted August 31, 2006 Ray is right about the quality of the OJC mastering, but the K2 engineers have also done a very good remastering job, with superior equipment. I recently heard a japanese K2 CD of Steve Lacy's "Reflections", and it really blew the OJC away. There's nothing wrong with the OJC, it sounds neutral and clean, but the K2 has a lot more clarity, without sounding too bright. With other K2's, the difference is much more subtle though. But I've never been disappointed by any K2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted September 1, 2006 Report Share Posted September 1, 2006 (edited) Ray is right about the quality of the OJC mastering, but the K2 engineers have also done a very good remastering job, with superior equipment. I recently heard a japanese K2 CD of Steve Lacy's "Reflections", and it really blew the OJC away. There's nothing wrong with the OJC, it sounds neutral and clean, but the K2 has a lot more clarity, without sounding too bright. With other K2's, the difference is much more subtle though. But I've never been disappointed by any K2. I've had a few Japanese K2s that were contestants in the loudness wars that rage these days, and I got rid of them. They also sounded quite bright to my ears, and I preferred the OJC counterparts. Unfortunately, it's quite some time ago now and I can't remember which ones. Edited September 1, 2006 by J.A.W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.