Definitive Audiophile pressings

OMC said:
Is this the version I should be on the lookout for now that I found out the UHQR version is 45rpm?
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I’ll let you and @Jbraswell know when I get a chance to listen to it. Need to check what other ones I own (have various earlier pressings). But this one has been highly regarded for awhile and I got lucky seeing it on discogs and seller accepted my offer.I grabbed it for $85. Next cheapest now is $165 or something crazy
 
Colonel4Bin said:
Curious on how you think it sounds. I got this a few years ago, compared it with the AB-1006, and sold it. It wasn’t bad, but the AB is so good that I wasn’t impressed by it. It’s still good, but man did BG do a killer job on the original.
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Gave it a spin early this morning since my kid woke up at 530 haha. Thought it sounded pretty excellent. I don’t have the AB-1006 to compare to so maybe ignorance is bliss for now!
 
MikeH said:
He was weirdly into it haha
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Portland Sheriff said:
This video is interesting and has provided me some enjoyment tonight. It is a shoutout between 5 versions of Aja — an OG (details in vid), Cisco, MFSL, the new UHQR, and a Canadian special edition in colored vinyl.

That in and of itself isn’t interesting. There are plenty of comparison vids out there.

The interesting part is that he provides download links to 192/24 high-res files for the same two tracks on each version — Black Cow and Aja, all created in a professional sound studio on a “reference” system (there word, not mine). I’ve been a/b/c/d rapid-fire comparing them w my DAC/network player. That was an interesting exercise. Then I popped on my 1980 Japan Victor press, which is dead-silent so a good way to compare to a digital file bc there’s no surface noise to interfere with comparisons of discrete instruments/vocals/sections. The Victor sounds really good but has some of the limitations JP pressings are notorious for (and I think Victor may be the guiltiest among the JP manufacturers).

I have some conclusions about my preferred version and how these different cuts sound on my system. I don’t know if a poll can be set up here, but if anyone else is interested in this and wants to do similar comparisons on your system and then contribute to a poll, reply to this and, if there’s enough interest, I’ll figure something out for the poll if it’s not easy here.

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Given the Aja discussion, bumping this post in case anyone missed it. The downloads are fun to listen to to compare/contrast the 4 copies discussed in this video.
 
Russ I said:
Would be interested in your impressions. I have enough versions of this on vinyl that I won't be taking advantages of other ways of listening to it!
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The downloads are fee so no cost to listen to them.

But the shootout on my system was really tough call between the UHQR and the OG. UHQR has all the qualities you read/hear about - incredibly open, airy, and detailed. The OG has more punch and guts. Cisco was a nice, close 3rd to both, and Mofi clearly 4th.
 
Portland Sheriff said:
The downloads are fee so no cost to listen to them.

But the shootout on my system was really tough call between the UHQR and the OG. UHQR has all the qualities you read/hear about - incredibly open, airy, and detailed. The OG has more punch and guts. Cisco was a nice, close 3rd to both, and Mofi clearly 4th.
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I appreciate the rundown, and I can't say I'm surprised by your rankings. Also makes me wonder if it isn't the case that improving openness, airiness and detail will come at the cost of some punch and guts. Not a lot, necessarily, but some.
 
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