MONO or STEREO?

[Alfred]

At present I possess no records of the 200g Quiex SV-P Classic Records series but I intent to buy some titles. Should I get the Mono or Stereo releases? Which one sound better?

[wolff]

I have a few of each(Blue Note) and I prefer the mono's. As you can read at Classic's site they really went all out to get the mono re-issues right.

[sidewinder]

The 'Hank Mobley' and Lee Morgan 'Candy' sound fantastic and are just a wee bit less damaging on the wallet than having to source copies of the original 'deep grooves'. Both highly recommended.

I've not heard the Kenny Drew 'Undercurrent' issue from Classic but that one promises very great things indeed !

Edited October 27, 2003 by sidewinder

[wolff]

Listening to the Griffin(mono) now. Very nice warm and rich midrange. Nice having the deep groove and flat edge like the originals. The dynamic range seems much, much wider than my few originals from this time period.

The stereo's seem brighter and less realistic sounding.

I wish Classic would triple their production on these. What do they have..10 titles?

Not enough!!!

Looks like these will be out soon.

Lee Morgan: Indeed! (Mono) (Classic Records LP BLP 1538)

John Jenkins: John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell (Mono) (Classic Records LP BLP 1573)

Edited October 27, 2003 by wolff

[sidewinder]

Amen to that !! I wish these guys would re-issue all of the Mobley 50s sessions, the Blakey Blue Notes of this period and the Morgans. Maybe it will happen in time?

Second the comment about the deep groove and flat edge. Nice to see original sleeves and thick cardboard to wrap them in too !

[Sundog]

I think it depends on the vintage of the recording and other factors when judging whether mono or stereo sounds better. Cannonball's "Something Else" sounds great in mono. As a rule of thumb, I would buy the album in the format it was originally released in.

Edited October 27, 2003 by Sundog

[jazzhound]

I'll take a 2nd pressing blue Note over any Classic reissue. the upper midrange is jacked up on the Classics making the cymbals sound wierd and the horns not as good as on the originals. (based on the mono BlUe Train and Candy I heard on a high end system. Along with earlier isssues I own. stereo ones.)

Time takes its toll on master tapes.

[kh1958]

How does one determine what pressing an LP is? Are there marks on the inner groove of the LP itself? Just curious.

[jazzhound]

usually the label is used to identify pressings; different record companies have different identifying clues.

the address on the label, the color, markings in the dead wax ect. are all used to tell whats what.

[desertblues]

The Hank Mobley 200gm does indeed sound great. However, the original mono Blue Train just beats the hell out of any reissue I've ever heard! I recently added a mint mono 1st pressing of Idle Moments to my collection - it is like hearing it for the first time, just incredible (and I thought the RVG cd was pretty damn good)!!! To me, many of the Blue Notes do sound better in mono. One cool thing about those Classic reissues is that some are offered in "comparison packs" where you get both stereo & mono versions. Costs more, of course, but might be worth it for something you really like.

B)