The 1995 album “P.U.L.S.E.” was recorded during the “Division Bell” European tour. The reissue of this 3rd live album in BOX DVD and Blu-Ray is the opportunity to relive this concert which includes the entire live of “The Dark Side Of The Moon” which was restored for the box set The Later Years 1987 in 2019.
Unlike Delicate Sound of Thunder, there was no modification of the original analog recording.

We will review 10 editions (Vinyl , CD, Streaming Qobuz, Tidal and Amazon , remastered 2018 and Blu-ray stereo and 5.1) of this album.
Below you will find the description of the different editions, as well as the measures of each edition in the different chapters and the samples of them here.

This album includes up to 25 tracks : 

1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond
2. Astronomy Domine*
3. What Do You Want From Me*
4. Learning To Fly
5. Keep Talking
6. Coming Back To Life
7. Hey You*
8. A Great Day For Freedom*
9. Sorrow
10. High Hopes
11. Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)
12. One Of These Days**
13. Speak To Me
14. Breathe
15. On The Run
16. Time
17. The Great Gig In The Sky
18. Money
19. Us And Them
20. Any Colour You Like
21. Brain Damage
22. Eclipse
23. Wish You Were Here
24. Comfortably Numb
25. Run Like Hell
26. Take It Back***

The 2018 Remastered version includes 25 tracks, the original version 24 tracks and the bluray 22 tracks. *** is only in the Blu-ray release, ** is only in the Remastered release, * is not included in the Blu-ray vidéo.

First we will analyze each edition in detail (technical and qualitative analysis) then we will compare the successive editions with their dynamics and assign a final score and you will be able to listen some samples.

The streaming versions may change, the streaming versions presented correspond to the version tested at the date of publication of the review, or of an update of the review.

Review of the editions:

Part 1: Presentation of the editions

Part 2 : Waveform and dynamique comparaison

Parts 3 : Spectrum comparisons

Part 4 : Spectrogram comparaisons

Part 5 : Summary, scoring and Sample

Part 1: presentation of the editions

Ed1 : Vinyl ref PFRLP17 0190295996925- 2018

Presentation

This is the box vinyl edition with 4 LPs in 33rpm with 25 tracks. it’s also uncluded a 52 page book.

Label	Pink Floyd Records
Reference	PFRLP17 0190295996925
Format (speed)	Vinyl 33 rpm 180g
Type	BOX , 4 x Vinyl LP with 52 page book
Master	Mastered at The Mastering Lab
Mastering/Pressing	Remastered by Bernie Grundman, James Guthrie, Joel Plante
Original recording	Analog
State	Europe
Year original	1995
Year production	2018

Ed2 : CD ref C2K 67065- 1995

Presentation

This is the original CD Release with 24 tracks in a BOX including 2 CD, a booklet and the P.U.L.S.E led.

Label	Columbia
Reference	C2K 67065
Format (speed)	CD
Type	CD PCM 16 bits 44.1 kHz (BOX with 2 CD and booklet)
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered at The Mastering Lab Columbia Records Pressing Plant
Original recording	Analog
State	US
Year original	1995
Year production	1995

Ed3 : Streaming Qobuz – 1995

Presentation

This is the streaming Qobuz presented in CD quality 16 bits 44.1 kHz (24 tracks).

Label	Pink Floyd Records
Reference	Qobuz (quality CD)
Format (speed)	Streaming
Type	PCM 16 bits 44.1 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered at The Mastering Lab
Original recording	Analog
State	Europe
Year original	1995
Year production	1995

Ed4 : Streaming Qobuz Hi-Res remastered- 2018

Presentation

This is the streaming Qobuz remastered in 2018 presented in Hi-Res 24 bits 192 kHz (25 tracks).

Label	Pink Floyd Records
Reference	Qobuz Hi-Res
Format (speed)	Streaming
Type	PCM 24 bits 192 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered at The Mastering Lab
Original recording	Analog
State	Europe
Year original	1995
Year production	2018

Ed5 : Streaming Tidal – 1995

Presentation

This is the streaming Qobuz presented encoded in Master MQA 16bits 44.1 kHz (24 tracks).

Label	Pink Floyd Records
Reference	Tidal Master
Format (speed)	Streaming
Type	MQA 16 bits 44.1 kHz decoded in 24 bits 88.1 kHz by Audirvana
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered at The Mastering Lab
Original recording	Analog
State	Europe
Year original	1995
Year production	2016

Ed6 : Streaming Tidal Master remastered – 2018

Presentation

This is the streaming Tidal remastered in 2018 presented in Master MQA 24 bits 192 kHz (25 tracks).

Label	Pink Floyd Records
Reference	Tidal Master
Format (speed)	Streaming
Type	MQA 24 bits 192 kHz decoded in 24 bits 96 kHz by Audirvana
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered at The Mastering Lab
Original recording	Analog
State	Europe
Year original	1995
Year production	2018

Ed7 : Streaming Amazon UltraHD – 1995

Presentation

This is the streaming Amazon presented encoded in 24bits 192 kHz (24 tracks).

Label	Pink Floyd Records
Reference	Amazon UltraHD
Format (speed)	Streaming
Type	PCM 24 bits 192 kHz except 3 tracks in 16 bits 44.1 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered at The Mastering Lab
Original recording	Analog
State	Europe
Year original	1995
Year production	2016

Ed8 : Streaming Amazon UltraHD remastered – 2018

Presentation

This is the streaming Amazon remastered 2018 presented in 24 bits 192 kHz (25 tracks).

Label	Pink Floyd Records
Reference	Amazon UltraHD
Format (speed)	Streaming
Type	PCM 24 bits 192 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered at The Mastering Lab
Original recording	Analog
State	Europe
Year original	1995
Year production	2018

Ed9 : Blu-ray Stereo Deluxe Edition ref PFR 3980 0190296709814 – 2022

Presentation

This is the stereo soundtrack of the Box Blu-ray presented in 24 bits 48 kHz (22 tracks), remastered in 2019 from the original tape master. The box include a 60 booklet and 2 bluray (also available in DVD).

The box contains the P.U.L.S.E led like the original CD edition (visible in this small video).

Label	Pink Floyd Records
Reference	PFR 3980 0190296709814
Format (speed)	BOX with 2 Blu-Ray and a 60 page booklet
Type	PCM 24 bits 48 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered at The Mastering Lab
Original recording	Analog
State	Europe
Year original	1995
Year production	2022

Ed10 : Blu-ray 5.1 Deluxe Edition ref PFR 3980 0190296709814 – 2022

Presentation

This is the 5.1 soundtrack of the Blu-ray presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 24 bits 96 kHz (22 tracks), remastered in 2019 from the original tape master. The box include a 60 booklet.

The box contains the P.The box contains the P.U.L.S.E led like the original CD edition (visible in this small video).

Label	Pink Floyd Records
Reference	PFR 3980 0190296709814
Format (speed)	BOX with 2 Blu-Ray and a 60 page booklet
Type	DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 24 bits 96kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered at The Mastering Lab
Original recording	Analog
State	Europe
Year original	1995
Year production	2022

Part 2 : Waveform and dynamic comparaisons

Waveform

The waveform represents all the 22 or 24 or 25 tracks of the album.

No bad surprises concerning the dynamics, all the versions are dynamic with a good variation of the sound levels. The remastered versions are not compressed.

The non-remastered digital versions are identical (CD, Qobuz, Tidal, Amazon) in terms of the dynamics of the waveform.

The remastered digital versions are identical (Qobuz, Tidal, Amazon) in terms of the dynamics of the waveform.

The two sound tracks on the bluray are also dynamic in both stereo and 5.1.

Dynamic

We start this test by measuring the dynamic. Dynamic represents the ability to reproduce a wide range of sounds from the softest to the loudest. 

For our 10 editions we have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR):

	Ed1: Vinyl	Ed2: CD	Ed3: Qobuz	Ed4: Qobuz remastered	Ed5: Tidal	Ed6: Tidaal Remastered	Ed7: Amazon	Ed8: Amazon remastered	Ed9: Blu-ray Stereo	Ed10: Blu-ray 5.1
GLOBAL	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12
Min	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR9	DR10
Max	DR14	DR15	DR15	DR14	DR13	DR14	DR13	DR14	DR14	DR14
Shine On You Crazy Diamond	DR12	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR12	DR12
Astronomy Domine	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR9	DR12
What Do You Want From Me	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11
Learning To Fly	DR14	DR12	DR12	DR13	DR12	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR11	DR14
Keep Talking	DR14	DR12	DR12	DR13	DR12	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR12	DR12
Coming Back To Life	DR14	DR12	DR12	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR12	DR12
Hey You	DR12	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11
A Great Day For Freedom	DR13	DR12	DR12	DR13	DR12	DR12	DR13	DR13
Sorrow	DR12	DR11	DR11	DR12	DR11	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR10	DR10
High Hopes	DR12	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR12
Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)	DR15	DR13	DR13	DR14	DR13	DR14	DR13	DR14	DR12	DR12
One Of These Days*	DR11			DR11		DR11		DR11	DR11	DR12
Speak To Me	DR13	DR15	DR15	DR12	DR13	DR14	DR12	DR12	DR14	DR14
Breathe	DR13	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR10
On The Run	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR11
Time	DR12	DR11	DR11	DR12	DR11	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR10	DR11
The Great Gig In The Sky	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR12
Money	DR13	DR12	DR12	DR13	DR13	DR12	DR12	DR13	DR10	DR13
Us And Them	DR11	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10
Any Colour You Like	DR12	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR9	DR11
Brain Damage	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR12	DR11
Eclipse	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR10	DR12	DR10
Wish You Were Here	DR13	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR14	DR12
Comfortably Numb	DR12	DR10	DR10	DR11	DR10	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR10	DR9
Run Like Hell	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR13	DR12	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR11	DR14
Take It Back									DR10	DR12

As shown in the waveforms, all editions are dynamic with an average DR of DR12. The DR of the tracks are between DR10 and DR15. The remastered versions were not impacted by the loudness war. This can serve as an example for other remasterings.

As a reminder, the scale goes from 0 to more 20, but the dynamics are considered good from 12, quite good between 10 and 11, and deteriorate below 10.

Part 3 : spectrum comparisons

Spectrum

The Spectrum allows to check the tonal balance of the music (balance between treble, medium and bass sounds) and to detect process that may have been carried out during the recording, the mixing, mastering or manufacturing phases. It is also possible to detect frequency interference issues.

The curve represents the average frequency distribution over the sample “Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)”.

The interesting features on this curve Ed1 Vinyl (white) vs Ed4 Qobuz remastered (blue) are the following:

1. The two curves are superimposed up to 14 kHz.
2. The yellow area shows an increase in high frequencies from 14 kHz with a peak of 10 dB above 15 kHz, followed by a dip and a new peak. This is due to an excessive correction or an engraving problem.
3. The yellow arrow shows the drop at 20 kHz which is 10 dB lower than the digital version.
4. The red arrows show the correspondence of the parasitic peaks at 30 kHz and above 70 kHz between the digital version and the analog version.

The spectrum of the remastered Amazon (Ed8) and Qobuz(Ed4) versions below are totally superimposed. We find the same parasitic peaks (red arrow).

The spectrum of the Tidal (Ed6) remastered version overlaps with the Amazon (Ed8) and Qobuz (Ed4) versions, but with a 48 kHz limit (yellow arrow) due to the software decoding which is limited to a 96 kHz sampling rate in software. You need an MQA compatible DAC to be able to decode MQA 192 kHz.

The spectrum of the stereo version of the Blu-ray differs slightly from the remastered Qobuz version with an attenuation of the highs of a few dB (yellow zone) and also in the bass (green zone). The blu-ray version uses a different mix or mastering.

The spectrum of the Qobuz (Ed3) and Qobuz remastered (Ed4) versions are almost identical, except for an accentuation around 1 dB between 4kHz and 20 kHz of the Qobuz version (Ed3). The yellow arrow shows the limit of the Qobuz Ed3 version at 22 kHz, which is normal with the 44.1 kHz sampling frequency.

The spectrum of the original CD version (Ed2) and the Qobuz version (Ed3) are exactly the same. The yellow arrow shows the limit at 22 kHz, which is normal with the 44.1 kHz sampling frequency.

The Tidal Ed5 version is encoded in MQA, as we have already seen, imposes a decoding with a sampling frequency of 88.2 kHz instead of 44.1 kHz of the master. This causes spectrum folding (yellow zone), this principle of spectrum folding has been detailed here. The yellow arrow shows the normal attenuation at 22 kHz.

For the track “Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)”, the spectrum of the Amazon (Ed7) and Qobuz (Ed3) versions is identical due to the fact that this track on Amazon is in 44.1 Khz like the tracks “Money” and “Us And Them”. All the other tracks are in 24 bits 192 kHz.

The following two graphs show that the Amazon (Ed7) 24-bit 192 kHz tracks are more similar to the remastered version than to the original Qobuz (Ed3) version as shown in the following track “On You Crazy Diamond”.

The 5.1 version of the blu-ray shows a good average level of the surround channels which gives a good spatial distribution of the music. The yellow arrow shows that the maximum frequency is above 40 kHz which is normal for the 96 kHz sampling rate. The LFE channel also shows a good level of support in the low frequencies.

Part 4 : Spectrogram comparaisons

Spectrogram

Spectrogram is another representation of frequency versus time of a track. For each channel (right and left), horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents frequency. The amplitude is represented by the intensity (brightness) of the color of each point in the image.

The spectrogram of the Ed1 Vinyl, shows that the frequencies are mainly below 20 kHz (yellow arrow). The white arrow represents mainly distortion due to the operation of the vinyl record and little audio signal (see the spectrum curve). The green area shows the horizontal variations that are caused by the level variations between 14kHz and 20 kHz.

The Qobuz (Ed3) and CD (Ed2) versions are identical with a maximum frequency of 22 KHz (yellow arrow). Above, there is a black band (white arrow) which indicates that there is no more signal above 22 kHz.

As indicated in the spectrum analysis, the Tidal version (Ed5) should have cut at 22 kHz (yellow arrow), but the MQA decoding causes a spectrum folding which is visible in the red rectangle between 22 kHz and 44 kHz. No signal above 44 kHz (white arrow).

The spectrogram of the Amazon version (Ed7) shows that the frequencies are above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) except for 3 tracks indicated by the green arrows. The black arrow shows the horizontal line of the interference peak at 30 kHz

The spectrogram of the remastered Amazon (Ed8) and Qubuz (Ed4) versions shows that the frequencies are above 20 kHz (yellow arrow). The black arrow shows the horizontal line of the interference peak at 30 kHz.

The strectrogram of the remastered Tital version shows that the frequencies are higher than 20 kHz (yellow arrow), but still limited to 48 kHz by the software decoding (white arrow indicating the black area without signal). The black arrow shows the horizontal line of the interference peak at 30 kHz.

The Blu-ray 2.0 versions have a maximum frequency of 24 KHz (yellow arrow). Above, there is a black band (white arrow) which indicates that there is no more signal.

The 5.1 version shows good exploitation of the 96 kHz sampling rate with signals above 20 kHz in both the front and surround channels.

Part 5 : Summary, scoring and Samples

Ed1 : Vinyl ref PFRLP17 0190295996925- 2018

Very beautiful vinyl pressing with a very dynamic rendering and with a good spatialization. The sound is a bit warmer than the digital version, but the accentuation of the treble above 14 kHz brings out all the details in the high frequencies.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4.5/5)
  • Surface noise: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

• Sample : “Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)” 24 bits 88.2 kHz:

Ed2 : CD ref C2K 67065- 1995

The 1995 CD version is dynamic and balanced, but there is a little less precision than the remastered version.

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

• Sample : “Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)” 16 bits 44.1kHz:

Ed3 : Streaming Qobuz – 1995

The 1995 Qobuz version is similar to the original CD version in terms of dynamics and rendering.

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

• Sample : “Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)” 16 bits 44.1kHz:

Ed4 : Streaming Qobuz Hi-Res remastered- 2018

The Qobuz version remastered in 2018 fully exploits the capabilities of the original analog recording through the use of high resolution. We find the dynamics and all the details of the music.

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

• Sample : “Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)” 24 bits 192kHz:

Ed5 : Streaming Tidal – 1995

The Tidal version is similar to the CD and Qobuz versions in 16/44.1. The difference is due in particular to the MQA compression which modifies the rendering and imposes a higher sampling frequency.

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

• Sample : “Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)” 24 bits 88.2kHz:

Ed6 : Streaming Tidal Master remastered – 2018

The Tidal remastered version is similar to the Qobuz remastered version.

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

• Sample : “Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)” 24 bits 96kHz:

Ed7 : Streaming Amazon UltraHD – 1995

The Amazon version is composed of a mix of 24/192 and 16/44.1 tracks. The 44.1 kHz tracks are similar to the original version, for the 192 kHz tracks, they seem closer to the remastered version. The sample is a 16 bit 44 kHz track.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4.5/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4/5)

• Sample : “Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)” 16 bits 44.1kHz:

Ed8 : Streaming Amazon UltraHD remastered – 2018

The Amazon remastered version is very similar to the Qobuz remastered version, with in both cases a beautiful dynamic and a fineness of restitution of the original analog source.

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

• Sample : “Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)” 24 bits 196 kHz:

Ed9 : Blu-ray Stereo ref PFR 3980 0190296709814 – 2022

The stereo version of the video blu-ray is a different mix than the remastered music versions in 2018, with a less dynamic rendering with a slightly different balance. The stereo version is presented in 24/48 when the media allows more. The 5.1 version is better processed.

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

• Sample : “Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)” 24 bits 48kHz:

Ed10 : Blu-ray 5.1 ref PFR 3980 0190296709814 – 2022

The blu-ray gives us a 5.1 version in high dynamic resolution and very spatialized. All the channels are exploited, Pink Floyd control the multichannel, they do it for many years with the quadraphonic. Whether it is the passage of the helicopter, the pieces of Money which surround us, or the music distributed in all the space, we are really in the concert and in the music. This is the richest and most impressive version for the video concert.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5/5)

• Sample : “Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two)” 5.1 24 bits 96kHz:

The sample is in 5.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and “Save Audio As…” and play it with an external player.

The Blu-ray version offers in addition to the image a very well remastered high resolution 5.1 sound version that highlights the multi-channel mastery of Pink Floyd. The remastered versions of 2018 have not been compressed and allow a very nice restitution of the original analog recording. The vinyl version brings a slightly warmer rendering and a nice opening.

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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