Opinions on sound: Brownie EmArcy Box

[sjarrell]

I've got a shot at the Brownie box, but it's old remastering. How does it sound?

[Chuck Nessa]

If the price is decent (you should have said), buy the sucker. I will not replace my box and my "estate" can sell it.

The music is not mis-represented by the mastering.

[sjarrell]

Thanks, Chuck. I can own it for $75...

[pryan]

Chuck, as usual, offers good advice. Don't worry about the re-mastering. the music is what counts with this set. "Desert island" material (the majority of the set, anyway) for sure, especially the group co-led by Roach and Brownie. Get it at that price!

[Brad]

Don't miss out man. Some of the best music anywhere. I dig the sound.

[Free For All]

You can say that again!

[brownie]

I say: GET THIS!

[mailman]

Run don't walk; buy this box. There's way too much obsession in this forum with mastering etc. This is classic music and is a must to own if you can afford it.

[Claude]

I have all of the quintet sessions on individual CDs and I upgraded some of them to the Master Editions during the recent VME sale in Germany. The remastered versions sound fuller and more dynamic (especially the drums), but the difference is not spectacular. Hifi nuts will want them, all others can live with the old remastering.

This box was sold for 50 Euro at Zweitausendeins for years, but they don't offer box sets anymore.

[J.A.W.]

Run don't walk; buy this box. There's way too much obsession in this forum with mastering etc. This is classic music and is a must to own if you can afford it.

It's nothing compared to certain other forums.

In my opinion there's nothing wrong with wanting to hear great music like this in the best possible sound. However, I agree that this is classic music that belongs in every serious jazz collection, and if the box is the easiest way to get it, grab it! It's the music that counts, the sound comes second.

[sidewinder]

Both this set and the Mercury Rahsaan Roland Kirk are absolutely magnificent. I have no gripes about the sound quality. Go for it !

[sjarrell]

Thanks, everybody- I've got most of the individual CDs already, including the VMEs of Basin Street, Brown and Roach and the Sarah Vaughan. But I don't have CB's All-Stars or all of the extra Dinah Washington tracks. Nevermind that there's a host of alternate takes.

I think I'll be saving this one for the estate as well.

[DrJ]

The more I listen on a good system, the more I realize that the vintage of the CD remastering is not always a concern. Despite being relatively early in the CD era, the Emarcy series of CD boxes/reissues overseen by the Japanese - including Brownie, Kirk, Merrill, Webster - was uniformly excellent, including sonics. You won't be disappointed at all with these remasterings. There are basically trade-offs to my ears: in some ways they are better than the more recent single discs (less over-emphasis on the high end), in some ways a bit inferior (less sonic detail). Overall I think I prefer these earlier versions, but the point is, all things weighed equally (having it all in one place, excellent booklet, etc), the box (particularly at a good price) clearly seems the way to go.