“Come Away With Me” is the first album of Norah Jones released on February 26, 2002 by Blue Note records. This very well recorded album used analog tape recorders which allowed to produce 24-bit 192 kHz versions.

The review includes 9 editions (Vinyl , streaming, SACD and CD and remastered 2022 releases), updated (05/06/2022) with 5 new editions SACD 5.1, Streaming Atmos Binaural and streaming Hi-Res of the remastered 2022 of this album.

Below you will find the description of the different editions, as well as the measurements of each edition in the following chapters.
The synthesis of the review and the samples are available here.

This album includes 14 tracks reviewed:

1. Don’t Know Why
2. Seven Years
3. Cold Cold Heart
4. Feelin’ The Same Way
5. Come Away With Me
6. Shoot The Moon
7. Turn Me On
8. Lonestar
9. I’ve Got To See You Again
10. Painter Song
11. One Flight Down
12. Nightingale
13. The Long Day Is Over
14. The Nearness Of You

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 evolve over time, those presented here correspond to the version tested at the date of publication, or 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 : Spatialization

Part 6 : Summary, scoring and Sample

Part 1: presentation of the editions

Ed1: CD ref : 724353860929 – 2002

Presentation

This is the CD release of this album.

Label	Parlophone
Reference	724353860929
Format (speed)	CD
Type	CD 16 bits 44.1 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Ted Jensen
Original recording	Analog
State	EU
Year original	2002
Year production	2002

Ed2: Qobuz Hi-Rez – 2002

Presentation

This is the streaming Qobuz in Hi-Res (24 bits 192 kHz)

Label	Parlophone
Reference	Qobuz Hi-Res
Format (speed)	Streaming lossless
Type	24 bits 192 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Ted Jensen
Original recording	Analog
State	EU
Year original	2002
Year production	2002

Ed3: Amazon UltraHD – 2002

Presentation

This is the streaming Amazon UltraHD (24 bits 192 kHz or 24 bits 96 kHz)

Label	Parlophone
Reference	Amazon UltraHD
Format (speed)	Streaming lossless
Type	24 bits 196 kHz and 24 bits 96 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Ted Jensen
Original recording	Analog
State	US
Year original	2002
Year production	2002

Ed4: Tidal Master – 2002

Presentation

This is the streaming Tidal MASTER encoded in MQA (24 bits 192 kHz)

Label	Parlophone
Reference	Tidal Master
Format (speed)	Streaming encoded in MQA 24 bits 192 kHz
Type	MQA decoded by Audirvana in 24 bits 96 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Ted Jensen
Original recording	Analog
State	US
Year original	2002
Year production	2002

Ed5: SACD Stereo ref : CAPP 042 SA – 2012

Presentation

This is the SACD from Analogue Production .

Label	Analogue Production
Reference	CAPP 042 SA
Format (speed)	SACD Stereo , Multichannel and Hybrid
Type	SACD DSD64 stereo – remastered
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Kevin Gray
Original recording	Analog
State	US
Year original	2002
Year production	2012

Ed6: Vinyl ref : 724353208813 – 2015

Presentation

This is the vinyl reissued in 2015.

Label	Blue Note
Reference	7243 5 32088 1 3
Format (speed)	Vinyl 33 rpm
Type	Vinyl 33 rpm reissue 150g
Master
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Ted Jensen
Original recording	Analog
State	EU
Year original	2002
Year production	2015

Ed7: Vinyl remastered 2022 ref : 602438842346- 2022

Presentation

This is the vinyl remastered in 2022 in Gatefold.

Label	Blue Note
Reference	7243 5 32088 1 3
Format (speed)	Vinyl 33 rpm, 20th Anniversary Edition, Gatefold
Type	Vinyl 33 rpm reissue 150g
Master
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Ted Jensen Vinyl cutting by Joe Nino-Hernes
Original recording	Analog
State	EU
Year original	2002
Year production	2022

Ed8: CD remastered 2022 ref : 602445077724 – 2022

Presentation

This is the CD BOX of the remastered release with 3 CD and a booklet.

Label	Blue Note
Reference	602445077724
Format (speed)	CD 16 bits 44.1 kHz
Type	CD box with 3 CD and booklet
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Ted Jensen (CD 1 and CD2 (17 tracks) ) Mastered by Greg Calbi (CD 3 (13 tracks))
Original recording	Analog
State	EU
Year original	2002
Year production	2022

Ed9: Tidal remastered 2022 – 2022

Presentation

This is the streaming Tidal Hifi remastered in 2022 in 16 bits 44.1 kHz.

Label	Blue Note
Reference	Tidal
Format (speed)	Lossless 16 bits 44.1 kHz
Type	Streaming
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Ted Jensen
Original recording	Analog
State	EU
Year original	2002
Year production	2022

Ed10: SACD 5.1 ref : CAPP 042 SA – 2012

Presentation

This is the SACD from Analogue Production presented with the 5.1 track.

Label	Analogue Production
Reference	CAPP 042 SA
Format (speed)	SACD 5.1
Type	SACD DSD64 5.1- remastered
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Mark Wilder
Original recording	Analog
State	US
Year original	2002
Year production	2012

Ed11: Amazon Atmos Binaural (remastred 2022) – 2022

Presentation

This is the remastered release presented in Dolby Atmos Binaural

Label	Parlophone
Reference	Amazon Dolby Atmos (remastered 2022)
Format (speed)	Dolby Atmos Binaural
Type	Atmos Binaural
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered in Dolby Atmos
Original recording	Analog
State	US
Year original	2002
Year production	2022

Ed12: Qobuz Hi-Rez remastered 2022- 2002

Presentation

This is the streaming Qobuz (Remastered in 2022) in Hi-Res (24 bits 96 kHz)

Label	Parlophone
Reference	Qobuz Hi-Res (Remastered 2022)
Format (speed)	Streaming lossless
Type	24 bits 96 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Ted Jensen
Original recording	Analog
State	EU
Year original	2002
Year production	2022

Ed13: Amazon UltraHD remastered 2022- 2002

Presentation

This is the streaming Amazon UltraHD (remastered in 2022) (UltraHD 24 bits 192 kHz or UltraHD 24 bits 96 kHz or HD 16 bits 44.1 kHz)

Label	Parlophone
Reference	Amazon UltraHD (Remastered 2022)
Format (speed)	Streaming lossless
Type	24 bits 196 kHz, 24 bits 96 kHz and 16 bits 44.1 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Ted Jensen
Original recording	Analog
State	US
Year original	2002
Year production	2022

Ed14: Tidal Master remastered 2022- 2002

Presentation

This is the streaming Tidal MASTER (remastered 2022) encoded in MQA (24 bits 96 kHz)

Label	Parlophone
Reference	Tidal Master (Remastered 2022)
Format (speed)	Streaming encoded in MQA 24 bits 96 kHz
Type	MQA decoded by Audirvana in 24 bits 96 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Mastered by Ted Jensen
Original recording	Analog
State	US
Year original	2002
Year production	2022

Part 2 : Waveform and dynamic comparaisons

Waveform

The waveform represents all the 14 tracks of the album.

The 3 graphs below represent the album in vinyl versions (Ed6 and Ed7 remastered 2022) and the SACD Stereo (Ed5). There is no sign of level limiting, these three editions are very dynamic.

The graphs below represent the CD versions (Ed1 and ED8 remastered 2022) and the Tidal Ed9 remasered 2022, which are less dynamic than vinyl or SACD. The yellow area shows the effect of compression with dynamic range limitation.

The graphics below represent the streaming of Qobuz (Ed2), Amazon (Ed3) and Tidal (Ed4). The dynamics of these three versions are intermediate between the CD and Tidal 2022 versions, and the vinyl and SACD. The peaks of dynamics are present, but less marked than for the SACD and vinyl.

The graphics below represent the remastered 2022 release of Qobuz (Ed12), Amazon (Ed13) and Tidal (Ed14). These remastered versions are more compressed than the previous versions Qobuz (Ed2), Amazon (Ed3) and Tidal (Ed4). The remastered Amazon version (Ed13) is different from the remastered Qobuz (Ed12) and Tidal (Ed14) versions, with a little less compression.

The remastered Amazon 2022 version (Ed13) is similar to the previous Amazon version (Ed3).

The SACD 5.1 version shows great dynamics like the SACD 2.0 version. All channels are exploited to produce an immersion in the music in 5.1.

The Dolby Atmos Binaural version is a surprise. I checked several times, it is different from what we had obtained on the binaural tracks of other albums (ref Sting), because much more compressed here.

Dynamic

Dynamic represents the ability to reproduce a wide range of sounds from the softest to the loudest. The target is to compare the dynamics of the music and not of the media (CD, digital files or vinyl).

For our 14 editions we have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR) :

Ed1: CD

Ed2: Qobuz

Ed3: Amazon

Ed4: Tidal

Ed5: SACD

Ed6: Vinyl

Ed7: Vinyl 2022

Ed8: CD 2022

Ed9: Tidal 2022

Ed10: SACD 5.1

Ed11: Amazon Atmos Binaural

Ed12: Qobuz 2022

Ed13: Amazon UltraHD 2022

Ed14:Tidal Master 2022

GLOBAL

DR11

DR12

DR12

DR12

DR14

DR14

DR14

DR11

DR11

DR14

DR10

DR11

DR12

DR11

Min

DR09

DR10

DR11

DR10

DR14

DR12

DR12

DR9

DR9

DR12

DR9

DR9

DR10

DR9

Max

DR14

DR15

DR15

DR15

DR16

DR15

DR15

DR13

DR13

DR16

DR11

DR13

DR15

DR13

Don’t Know Why

DR9

DR10

DR11

DR10

DR14

DR12

DR13

DR9

DR9

DR14

DR9

DR9

DR11

DR9

Seven Years

DR9

DR11

DR11

DR11

DR14

DR12

DR12

DR10

DR10

DR14

DR9

DR10

DR10

DR10

Cold Cold Heart

DR11

DR12

DR12

DR12

DR14

DR14

DR13

DR11

DR11

DR13

DR11

DR11

DR12

DR11

Feelin’ The Same Way

DR9

DR11

DR11

DR11

DR14

DR12

DR13

DR9

DR9

DR14

DR11

DR9

DR11

DR9

Come Away With Me

DR11

DR12

DR13

DR12

DR14

DR13

DR13

DR11

DR11

DR14

DR9

DR11

DR11

DR11

Shoot The Moon

DR10

DR12

DR12

DR12

DR14

DR12

DR13

DR10

DR10

DR15

DR10

DR10

DR12

DR10

Turn Me On

DR10

DR12

DR12

DR12

DR14

DR13

DR14

DR10

DR10

DR14

DR10

DR10

DR10

DR10

Lonestar

DR12

DR13

DR13

DR13

DR14

DR14

DR14

DR12

DR12

DR14

DR10

DR12

DR13

DR12

I’ve Got To See You Again

DR11

DR13

DR12

DR13

DR16

DR13

DR14

DR11

DR11

DR16

DR10

DR11

DR12

DR11

Painter Song

DR13

DR14

DR13

DR14

DR15

DR14

DR15

DR13

DR13

DR14

DR10

DR13

DR13

DR13

One Flight Down

DR11

DR13

DR12

DR13

DR15

DR13

DR15

DR10

DR10

DR15

DR10

DR10

DR11

DR10

Nightingale

DR9

DR12

DR11

DR12

DR14

DR12

DR13

DR9

DR9

DR14

DR10

DR9

DR11

DR9

The Long Day Is Over

DR12

DR13

DR12

DR13

DR15

DR13

DR14

DR11

DR11

DR15

DR10

DR11

DR12

DR11

The Nearness Of You

DR14

DR15

DR15

DR15

DR14

DR15

DR15

DR12

DR12

DR12

DR11

DR12

DR15

DR12

The minimum of DR11 is good, but with a small compression for this type of music, which corresponds to the CD, CD 2022 and Tidal 2022 editions. The Streaming Qobuz Hi-Res, Amazon UltraHD and Tidal Master versions have a higher DR with DR12. It is especially the SACD edition which offers the greatest dynamics with a global DR14 and a very important dynamics on all the tracks. The vinyls with DR14 are still below the SACD for the overall dynamics on all tracks.

The update with the remastered 2022 versions (Ed12 Qobuz, Ed14 Tidal Master) with a resolution of 24 bits 96 kHz are identical in dynamics to the ED9 Tidal version in CD quality. The Dolby Atmos version is a little less dynamic with a DR10, which is surprising, the Dolby Atmos versions being until now more dynamic. The SACD 5.1 version has the same dynamics as the SACD stereo version with DR14.

The Ed13 Amazon 2022 version seems closer to the Ed3 Amazon version than the remastered 2022 versions.

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 “Don’t Know Why”.

The interesting features on this curve Ed6 Vinyl (white) vs Ed1 CD (blue) are the following:

1. The two curves are almost superimposed on each other up to 22 kHz.
2. The yellow arrow shows a small increase (2dB) for the vinyl in the low frequencies, also in the high frequencies (purple arrow) where the difference is very small.
3. The green arrow shows the CD limit at 22 kHz due to the 44.1 kHz sampling rate of the CD.

The interesting features on this curve Ed7 Vinyl 2022 (white) vs Ed6 Vinyl (blue) are the following:

1. The two curves are superimposed between 100 to 15kHz.
2. The yellow arrow shows a small increase (up to 3dB) for the vinyl 2022 in the low frequencies (100 Hz).
3. The yellow area shows a difference above 15 kHz, with a little more level for the remastered 2022 vinyl.
4. The red arrows show two interferences at about 30 kHz and 40 kHz. These peaks are not present on the high resolution digital versions. There are 2 hypothesis, they are well on the original tape but they have been removed on the digital versions or they appeared during the cutting of the remastered 2022 vinyl.
5. The purple arrow shows a lower noise level. The noise level seems to be lower than the original tape jump noise present on the high resolution digital and vinyl versions.

The 2022 mastering of the CD (Ed8) stands out in the treble (yellow zone) with an attenuation of up to 5 dB at 20 kHz compared to the CD (Ed1). This will have an impact on the treble and also on the voice.

The curves below of the CD mastered 2022 and Tidal Hifi mastered 2022 versions are perfectly superimposed.

The curves below show a different mastering between the CD (Ed1) and Qobuz Hi-Res (Ed2) with a higher treble level on the CD (yellow area) and a small difference in the bass (yellow arrow). The Qobuz version goes up in frequency well above the 22 kHz of the CD (green arrow) until 96 kHz!

Below, the superposition of the frequency curves between the Qobuz Hi-Rez and Tidal Master versions is perfect. The overlay is limited to 48 kHz for Tidal. This is due to the limit of the 96 kHz sampling rate allowed for the MQA software decoding used by Tidal.

The curve below represents the Amazon UltraHD (Ed3) version and the Qobuz Hi-rez (Ed2) version. The Amazon edition is particular because it mixes 192 kHz and 96 kHz tracks. This sample is analyzed at the 96 kHz sampling rate, as shown by the frequency limit indicated by the green arrow at 48 kHz. The two curves merge up to 10 kHz. Beyond that, the Amazon version has a slightly lower level up to 2 db at 20 kHz. This may be due to a sample rate conversion (192kHz to 96 kHz) depending on the filter used.

The curve below represents the SACD Stereo (Ed5) version and the Qobuz Hi-rez (Ed2) version. The curve is similar between the two versions but with a difference in the low frequencies (yellow arrow) and in the high frequencies (yellow zone) where the level of the SACD version is several db higher than the Qobuz version. This is due to the difference in mastering between the two versions. The red arrow indicates a spurious peak at 23 kHz. The attenuation above 30 kHz (green arrow) is due to the filtering applied to reduce the noise boost in the high frequencies of the DSD64 conversion.

The graph below represents the 2 Tidal remastered 2022 versions in CD quality (Ed9) and Master (Ed14). The two curves overlap perfectly up to 22 kHz (yellow arrow), the limit for CD quality with the 44.1 kHz sampling rate. The Master version goes up to 48 kHz (limit for 96 kHz sampling rate). The red arrow shows a parasite frequency peak around 30 kHz. The result is consistent with the formats used.

The graph below represents the Tidal 2022 Master (Ed14) and Qobuz Hi-Res (Ed12). The two curves overlap perfectly up to 48kHz, the limit for the 96 kHz sampling rate.

The graph below represents the Qobuz Hi-Res (Ed2) with a 192 kHz sampling rate and Qobuz Hi-Res remastered 2022 (Ed12) with a 96 kHz sampling rate. We note a difference in the bass and treble between the two versions (white arrows) due to the remastering of 2022. The remastered version is limited to 48 kHz (yellow arrow) due to its 96 kHz sampling rate. The red arrow shows a parasite frequency peak around 30 kHz.

We see the same curve for the Amazon (Ed3) and Amazon remastered 2022 (Ed13) versions. We should have different curves between the 2002 version and remastered in 2022. There is a problem in the files, the problem will certainly be corrected when you read this text.

The Amazon Dolby Atmos Binaural version (Ed11) is very different from the Amazon UltraHD version (Ed 3). There is an accentuation of the bass of more than 10 dB (purple arrow) and also the treble (green arrow). The bass level will be much higher than on the other versions. We find the limit at 20 kHz (yellow arrow) due to the encoding in Dolby Digital Plus.

No surprise for the SACD 5.1 version, we find the same type of curves with a filtering from 30 kHz (green arrow). The yellow arrow shows the attenuation of the bass channel above 200 Hz, but this attenuation remains not very strong.

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 2 spectrograms below represent the vinyl versions (Ed6 and Ed7 2022). The signal goes beyond 20 kHz (yellow arrow). The white arrow represents signal and the harmonics generated by the reading of the vinyl. For the remastered vinyl of 2022 (Ed7), the two black arrows show the 2 frequency peaks (30 kHz and 40 kHz) present on the spectrum of this version.

For CD (Ed1 and Ed8 2022) and Tidal (2022 quality hifi) below , we find the same representation with a maximum frequency of 22 kHz (yellowarrow) due to the 44.1 kHz sampling rate. The white arrow shows that there is no signal above 22 kHz (black area) unlike vinyl.

The spectrogram of the Qobuz Hi-Res version shows a spectrum that goes beyond 20 kHz (yellow arrow), the signal is present up to 96 kHz (white arrow) due to the sampling frequency of 192 kHz. The original recording was made on analog tape.

The spectrogram of the Amazon UltraHD version shows a spectrum that goes beyond 20 kHz (yellow arrow), the signal is present up to 96 kHz (white arrow) due to the sampling frequency of 192 kHz. But not all songs are at this sampling rate, some are at 96 kHz and go up to a limit of 48 kHz (blue arrow). There is no explanation for the mixing of these 2 sample rates.

The spectrogram of the Amazon UltraHD Remastered 2022 version shows a spectrum that goes beyond 20 kHz (yellow arrow) excepted for 3 songs limited à 22 kHz due to the sampling rate at 44.1 kHz (Green arrow). The signal is present up to 96 kHz (white arrow) due to the sampling frequency of 192 kHz for 3 songs. But all other songs have a sampling rate at 96 kHz and go up to a limit of 48 kHz (blue arrow). There is no explanation for the mixing of these 3 sample rates.

The spectrogram of the Tidal Master, Tidal Master 2022, Qobuz 2022 versions show a spectrum that goes beyond 20 kHz (yellow arrow), the signal is present up to 48 kHz due to the sampling frequency of 96kHz. The white arrow shows no signal above 48 kHz. For both remastered 2022 versions (Tidal and Qobuz), the black arrows indicate spurious frequency peaks above 30 kHz.

The SACDs go up above 20 kHz (yellow arrow), but a filtering is applied above 30 kHz to reduce the rise of noise in the high frequencies due to the operating principle of DSD64. With the filtering, the attenuation of the high frequencies is more important (white arrow).

The SACD 5.1 go up above 20 kHz (yellow arrow), but a filtering is applied above 30 kHz to reduce the rise of noise in the high frequencies due to the operating principle of DSD64 (whire arrow). We also notice that the LFE track is not strongly filtered to leave only the bass.

For the Dolby Atmos Binaural (Ed11) we find a maximum frequency of 20 kHz (yellow arrow) due to the Dolby Digital Plus encoding. The white arrow shows that there is no signal above 20 kHz (black area). The spectrogram has more small black areas than the other versions, this is due to the Dolby Digital which suppresses the high frequencies that have a level below a certain threshold.

Part 5 : Spatialization

Spatialization allows you to define the sound distribution of the music on all the channels. The spatialization indicator and the description of the graph are described here.

Part 6 : Summary, scoring and Samples

Ed1: CD ref : 724353860929 – 2002

The original CD presents a clean and detailed reproduction, with a beautiful rendering of the voice.

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

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:

Ed2: Qobuz Hi-Rez – 2002

The Qobuz version brings the maximum definition available in Hi-Res version with 24 bits 192 kHz. The rendering is very precise and very detailed, in particular on the voice. The rendering also seems more dynamic than the CD version.

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

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 24 bits 192 kHz:

Ed3: Amazon UltraHD – 2002

We find for this edition two different resolutions according to the tracks (96 kHz or 192 kHz for the sampling frequency). We are very similar to the Qobuz rendering, with a little less precision in the high end for the 96 kHz tracks.

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

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 24 bits 96 kHz:

Ed4: Tidal Master – 2002

the Tidal version uses MQA encoding to allow for smaller file sizes. In software decoding, we find a limit of the sampling frequency to 96 kHz, against 192 kHz with a compatible DAC like the ESS9068. The rendering remains very precise and detailed, similar to the Qobuz version.

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

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 24 bits 96 kHz:

Ed5: SACD Stereo ref : CAPP 042 SA – 2012

The SACD stereo version from Analogue Production is the most dynamic, open and detailed of all the versions. We find a natural rendering, as with the vinyl, but without any surface noise. All the smallest details are retranscribed.

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

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 24 bits 88.2 kHz:

Ed6: Vinyl ref : 724353208813 – 2015

The vinyl version brings its rendering closer to the SACD than the other digital versions. We find here a natural, detailed and open rendering, with a very pleasant voice.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Surface noise: ●●●●o (4.0/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5/5)

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 24 bits 88.2 kHz:

Ed7: Vinyl remastered 2022 ref : 602438842346 – 2022

The remastered vinyl is very similar to the previous vinyl, but with a little more bass. The rendering remains precise and natural.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Surface noise: ●●●●o (4.0/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5/5)

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 24 bits 176.4 kHz:

Ed8: CD remastered 2022 ref : 602445077724 – 2022

Very nice deluxe CD set with a small book and 3 CDs with a total of 44 tracks. We find the 14 tracks of the original remastered album. The remastered version of the CD brings a slightly warmer rendering than the original CD version, a balance that slightly increases the presence of the bass while keeping details in the voice and the high spectrum.

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

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:

Ed9: Tidal remastered 2022 – 2022

The Tidal version presented here is the version in “Hifi” quality in 16 bits 44.1 kHz, ie equivalent to CD. We naturally find the same rendering as the remastered CD (Ed8).

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

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:

Ed10: SACD 5.1 ref : CAPP 042 SA – 2012

The 5.1 version brings space to the SACD stereo version. We find almost the same rendering with the spatialization in more. It remains natural with a tonal balance close to the original unlike the Dolby Atmos version.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Spatialization : ●●●oo (3/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5/5)

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 5.1 24 bits 44.1 kHz:

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.

Ed11: Amazon Atmos Binaural – 2002

The Dolby Atmos mix is really very different from the stereo version, in binaural Atmos listening we find a very important bass level, even too important. This is compensated by the presence of the highs. After this surprising rendering, it is the spatialization which is interesting during this listening. It is another listening, another approach of the mixing. We should not try to compare it to the stereo version which is more the most faithful version.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●oo (3/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●oo (3/5)
  • Restitution: ●●ooo (2.5/5)

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” Dolby Atmos Binaural for headphone listening:

Ed12: Qobuz Hi-Rez remastered 2022- 2002

The remastered version 2022 is only available in 24 bits 96 kHz. This version is very similar to the Ed9 Tidal Remastered and ED14 Tidal Master remastered.

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

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 24 bits 96kHz:

Ed13: Amazon UltraHD remastered 2022- 2002

With the problem encountered concerning the identical pieces between the 2002 version and the remastered version 2022, the appreciation is partial while waiting for the correction, which may be corrected at the time you read this text.

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

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 24 bits 96 kHz:

Ed14: Tidal Master remastered 2022- 2002

The Tidal Master remastered 2022 is a frequency extended version of the Ed9 Tidal remastered 2022. We find the same dynamics and the same tonal rendering between the two versions.

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

• Sample : “Don’t Know Why” 24 bits 96 kHz:

We always ask the same question, is the new remastering better? The good news is that there was no race for dynamics compression, the new CD/vinyl version is identical to the previous one. The rendering of the remastered version is a bit warmer with a balance favoring a bit more bass. The choice in these conditions is also related to its personal tastes. But, out of these 9 versions, the SACD version brings certainly one of the best rendering. The updated review does not change the results, with the SACD version showing the best stereo and multichannel performance.

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)
• Spatialization :
  • Between 0 and 5 for 5.1 or 7.1 channels configuration
  • Between 0 and 10 for Atmos configuration (7.1.4)
  • For more information on spatialization, you can read the article describing this parameter here.
• 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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