Notation/Rating/Samples:

Ed1 : Vinyl Blue Note ref  1P08110 (1991)

Vinyl is a good pressing with a very nice rendering of the voice and the instruments.
Bass is also present with power, the sound is very dynamic. Music is more airy, with more space.
The surface noise is very lower. It is a very nice vinyl.

• Ratting :
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5/5)
  • Spectrum: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Surface noise: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

Ed2 : Vinyl Blue Note ref  1P08110 (1991) reissue 2014

This vinyl has a rendering very close to the CD, with more treble that gives more precision and details. The sound balance is different, a little less warm, which can be heard in the voice. But the surface noise is higher than the other two vinyls, and is well audible on low level passages.

• Rating :
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Spectrum: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Surface noise: ●●ooo (2.5/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

Ed3 : Vinyl Pure Pleasure Analogue ref  PPAN BST90264 (1991) Remastered 2012

Very nice vinyl with a very good pressing quality. The sound is warm, this is due to low treble compared to the other three versions. It puts more accent on the voice without being aggressive.It is less precise in the highs than the other two vinyls, but the soft sound will not leave everyone indifferent.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Spectrum: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Surface noise: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

Ed4 : CD Blue Note ref  CDP 7 90264 2 0777 7902642 5 (1991)

The CD version has the same balance as the 2014 vinyl. But with sharper attacks and the silence of digital.
Despite a DR of one less, you can’t hear the difference, and the CD remains very dynamic.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Spectrum: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

Ed5 : Cassette Blue Note ref B4-90264 (1991)

The rendering of the k7 is very surprising, one would have expected poorer results when measuring and listening.
The dynamic range is similar to the CD for the measurements, without having such a sharp and precise listening.
The background noise is different from vinyl, with more of a notion of hiss, less oriented in the lower part of the spectrum.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Noise: ●●●oo (3.5/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

*The level has been adjusted to have the same RMS level for an easier comparison.

The choice between the five depends on one’s preferences. The Vinyl Pure Pleasure Analogue has a warmer sound with less treble sharpness. The vinyl remastred in 2014 is similar to the CD for balance, but with more transparency and presence. However, with a surface noise more present on this release. The original vinyl is the intermediate version between the other two releases. If you want more precision in the treble with a reduced surface noise, the original vinyl is a very nice version.
The CD is very clean, dynamique, without the warmth of vinyl, but it offers the advantage of the silence of digital. The surprise comes from the cassette, which, even if it cannot rival the other media, offers a very correct rendering.

Detail of the ratings :

• Dynamic :
  1. Significant dynamic compression, DR less than 7
  2. Compression of the present dynamics, DR between 7 and 9.
  3. Correct piece DR >=10
  4. No dynamic compression (DR >12), dynamic rendering
  5. No dynamic compression, high DR and very dynamic sound rendering
• Spectrum :
  1. Spectrum cut and less than 15 khz
  2. Spectrum cut at 15 khz
  3. Spectrum not conforming to the original and cut (not HD) or original but limited bandwidth (but less than 20 kHz)
  4. Spectrum conforming to the original (but not HD)
  5. Spectrum conforming to the original with HD resolution (higher than 24kHz)
• Surface noise (only for vinyl):
  1. Continuous audible noise
  2. Audible surface noise except on passages with a high level of noise
  3. Reduced surface noise, barely audible on low level crossings
  4. Low surface noise, very good quality
  5. Very low surface noise, no defects, almost inaudible on the quiet passages (exceptional disc)
• Restitution :
  1. Low quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
  2. Average quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
  3. Quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Good record.
  4. High quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Very high level disc.
  5. Maximum quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Exceptional disc.

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