It is in November 1991 released the eighth album of Michael Jackson Dangerous. It will have needed more than 15 months from June 1990 to October 1991 to produce this album. It is a real success with more than 32 million albums sold to date, it arrives behind Bad and Thriller.
For this album, the sound engineer Bruce Swedien used 2 analog tape recorders STUDER with 24 tracks each synchronized and a digital tape recorder Mitsubishi 32-track (more details about the tape recorder here). Michael Jackson preferred his voice to be recorded in analog. The mix was done on an analog console. The 30th anniversary of Dangerous was in 2021, here is a small overview of different versions produced during these 30 years.

You can find the measurements of each edition in the different parts and listen to the samples of these albums here.

This album includes 14 tracks : 

1. Jam
2. Why You Wanna Trip On Me
3. In The Closet
4. She Drives Me Wild
5. Remember The Time
6. Can’t Let Her Get Away
7. Heal The World
8. Black Or White
9. Who Is It
10. Give In To Me
11. Will You Be There
12. Keep The Faith
13. Gone Too Soon
14. Dangerous

We will review 13 editions (Vinyls, Cassette, DAT, CDs, Streaming Qobuz, Tidal and Amazon) of this album. Thanks to Davy from SalutLesFans for the test of the DAT tape.

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.

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 EPC 465802 1 — 1991

Presentation

It is the original vinyl released in 1991.

Label	EPIC
Reference	EPC 465802 1
Format (speed)	Vinyl
Type	Double Lp 33.33 rpm
Master
Mastering/Pressing	Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley or Bill Bottrell Mastered by Bernie Grundman
Original recording	Analog and Digital recording, Analog mixing, Digital Master
State	UE
Year original	1991
Year production	1991

Ed2: Vinyl ref 8875120931 — 2015

Presentation

Vinyl remastered in 2015.

Label	EPIC
Reference	EPC 465802 1
Format (speed)	Vinyl
Type	Double Lp 33.33 rpm 180g
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley or Bill Bottrell
Original recording	Analog and Digital recording, Analog mixing, Digital Master
State	UE
Year original	1991
Year production	2015

Ed3: Vinyl Red Black ref 9439889101 — 2021

Presentation

Vinyl remastered Red and Black Swirl released in 2021.

Label	EPIC
Reference	9439889101
Format (speed)	Vinyl
Type	Double Lp 33.33 rpm 180g Red and Black Swirl
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley or Bill Bottrell
Original recording	Analog and Digital recording, Analog mixing, Digital Master
State	UE
Year original	1991
Year production	2021

Ed4 : Cassette ref EGT 45400 — 1991

Presentation

Cassette released in 1991.

Label	EPIC
Reference	EGT 45400
Format (speed)	Cassette
Type	Cassette with Dolby System
Master	Analog dubling
Mastering/Pressing	Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley or Bill Bottrell
Original recording	Analog and Digital recording, Analog mixing, Digital Master
State	Canada
Year original	1991
Year production	1991

Ed5 : CD ref EPC 465802 2- 1991

Presentation

It is the original CD proposed with 24-page booklet.

Label	EPIC
Reference	EPC 465802 2
Format (speed)	CD
Type	CD 16 bits 44.1 kHz with 24 pages booklet
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley or Bill Bottrell Mastered by Bernie Grundman
Original recording	Analog and Digital recording, Analog mixing, Digital Master
State	US
Year original	1991
Year production	1991

Ed6 : CD Japan ref ESCA 5500 — 1991

Presentation

It is the original CD from Japan proposed with 28-page booklet.

Label	EPIC
Reference	ESCA 5500
Format (speed)	CD
Type	CD 16 bits 44.1 kHz with 28 pages booklet
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley or Bill Bottrell Mastered by Bernie Grundman
Original recording	Analog and Digital recording, Analog mixing, Digital Master
State	Japan
Year original	1991
Year production	1991

Ed7 : CD ref 504424 2 — 2001

Presentation

It is the CD Spetial Edition proposed with 24-page booklet.

Label	EPIC
Reference	504424 2
Format (speed)	CD
Type	CD 16 bits 44.1 kHz with 28 pages booklet
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley or Bill Bottrell Mastered by Bernie Grundman
Original recording	Analog and Digital recording, Analog mixing, Digital Master
State	US
Year original	1991
Year production	2001

Ed8 : CD ref EICP 1197 — 2009

Presentation

It is the CD Japan 2009 proposed with 24-page booklet.

Label	EPIC
Reference	EICP 1197
Format (speed)	CD
Type	CD 16 bits 44.1 kHz with 28 pages booklet
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley or Bill Bottrell Mastered by Bernie Grundman
Original recording	Analog and Digital recording, Analog mixing, Digital Master
State	Japan
Year original	1991
Year production	2009

Ed9 : Qobuz Streaming Hi-Res

Presentation

This is the Streaming Qobuz proposed in Hi-Res (24 bits 96kHz).

Label	EPIC
Reference	Qobuz Hi-Res
Format (speed)	Digital Streaming
Type	Hi-Res in lossless 24 bits 96 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley or Bill Bottrell
Original recording	Analog and Digital recording, Analog mixing, Digital Master
State	US
Year original	1991
Year production	1991

Ed10 : Amazon Streaming UltraHD

Presentation

This is the Streaming Amazon proposed in UltraHD (24 bits 96kHz).

Label	EPIC
Reference	Amazon UltraHD
Format (speed)	Digital Streaming
Type	UltraHD in lossless 24 bits 96 kHz
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley or Bill Bottrell
Original recording	Analog and Digital recording, Analog mixing, Digital Master
State	US
Year original	1991
Year production	2001

Ed11 : Tidal Streaming Master

Presentation

It is the Tidal Streaming MQA Master presented in 24/96.

Label	EPIC
Reference	Tidal Master
Format (speed)	MQA
Type	MQA decoded in PCM 24/96
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley or Bill Bottrell
Original recording	Analog and Digital recording, Analog mixing, Digital Master
State	US
Year original	1991
Year production	1991

Ed12 : Vinyl Picture Disc ref 1907586644-15 — 2018

Presentation

It is the very nice Picture disc vinyl.

Label	EPIC
Reference	1907586644-15
Format (speed)	Vinyl Picture Disc
Type	Double Lp 33.33 rpm Picture Disc
Master	Digital
Mastering/Pressing	Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley or Bill Bottrell
Original recording	Analog and Digital recording, Analog mixing, Digital Master
State	UE
Year original	1991
Year production	2018

Ed13 : DAT Master

Presentation

The DAT master cassette is a very rare piece, I thank Davy for allowing us to include this cassette in this test. Davy is a Michael Jackson fan, you can find him on youtube SalutLesFans. The test and measurements of this DAT cassette were done with Davy. You can also find Davy’s test at the Abbey Road Institute in Paris on Youtube.

Label	Bernie Grundman Mastering
Reference	Michael jackson Dangerous
Format (speed)	DAT
Type	DAT 48 kHz
Master
Mastering/Pressing	Bernie Grundman Mastering
Original recording	Analog and Digital recording, Analog mixing, Digital Master
State	US
Year original	1991
Year production

Part 2 : Waveform and dynamic comparaisons

Waveform

The waveform represents all the tracks of the album.

The vinyl Picture Disc (Ed12) is not included in the measurements because of its very high surface noise as you can hear in the extract in part 5.

We note a beautiful dynamics of the vinyls (Ed1 1991, Ed2 2015 and Ed3 2021) and the cassette (Ed4), the DAT (Ed113) and the CD of 1991 (Ed5 and Ed6). There is no trace of limitation of the dynamics, which will be confirmed with the measurement of the DR.

For the 2001 (Ed7) and 2009 (Ed8) CDs, as well as for the 3 high-resolution streaming versions (Ed9 : Qobuz, Ed10 : Amazon and Ed11 : Tidal), there is a limitation of the dynamic range to raise the average level of the music, with areas where the signal is capped (yellow zone).

Below the detailed analysis of the 12 editions, thanks to Didier for his help in the detailed analysis of Ed1 to Ed11, Didier also has a blog on audio that you can find here.

For this detailed analysis, the signal was zoomed in to compare several representative points that are identified in the red and yellow circles.

The zoom of the waveforms shows the impact that remastering can have, especially to increase the average sound level of the album with compression/limitation of dynamics. Clipping is present on many peaks of the signal. It is a pity to degrade the waveform in this way, knowing the time and the means used and the work of the people who made it possible to obtain the superb mix of this album.

Dynamic

Dynamic represents the ability to reproduce a wide range of sounds from the softest to the loudest.

For our 13* editions we have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR):

	Ed1: Vinyl 1991	Ed2: Vinyl 2015	Ed3: Vinyl 2021	Ed4 : Cassette 1991	Ed5 : CD 1991	Ed6 : CD 1991 Japan	Ed7 : CD 2001	Ed8 : CD 2009	Ed9 : Qobuz	Ed10 : Amazon	Ed11 : Tidal
GLOBAL	DR14	DR11	DR12	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR7	DR7	DR9	DR9	DR10
Min	DR11	DR9	DR9	DR8	DR10	DR9	DR5	DR5	DR7	DR8	DR9
Max	DR15	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR12	DR13	DR10	DR10	DR12	DR10	DR12
Jam	DR15	DR13	DR13	DR13	DR12	DR13	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR10	DR11
Why You Wanna Trip On Me	DR15	DR12	DR13	DR13	DR12	DR12	DR9	DR8	DR8	DR9	DR9
In The Closet	DR14	DR11	DR11	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR7	DR7	DR10	DR9	DR10
She Drives Me Wild	DR14	DR12	DR13	DR12	DR11	DR11	DR7	DR7	DR8	DR8	DR9
Remember The Time	DR13	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR7	DR7	DR8	DR8	DR9
Can’t Let Her Get Away	DR15	DR12	DR12	DR13	DR12	DR12	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR9
Heal The World	DR14	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR11	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR9	DR10
Black Or White	DR14	DR11	DR11	DR10	DR12	DR12	DR7	DR7	DR8	DR9	DR10
Who Is It	DR14	DR11	DR11	DR10	DR12	DR12	DR7	DR7	DR9	DR9	DR10
Give In To Me	DR11	DR9	DR9	DR8	DR10	DR9	DR5	DR5	DR9	DR8	DR8
Will You Be There	DR14	DR12	DR12	DR10	DR12	DR12	DR8	DR8	DR8	DR10	DR11
Keep The Faith	DR14	DR11	DR11	DR9	DR11	DR11	DR6	DR6	DR10	DR9	DR9
Gone Too Soon	DR12	DR12	DR12	DR10	DR12	DR12	DR10	DR10	DR12	DR10	DR12
Dangerous	DR15	DR12	DR13	DR10	DR11	DR11	DR7	DR7	DR7	DR8	DR8

There are two categories:
Vinyl, cassette, DAT and CD media from 1991 have a DR between DR11 and DR15 (for DAT).
CD 2001, CD 2009 and streaming versions have a more limited dynamic range between DR7 and DR10 (Streaming Tidal).

The results are in line with the results of the waveform analysis.

* The vinyl Picture Disc (Ed12) is not included in the measurements because of its very high surface noise as you can hear in the extract in part 5.

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 vinyl Picture Disc (Ed12) is not included in the measurements because of its very high surface noise as you can hear in the extract in part 5.

The curve represents the average frequency distribution over the sample “Why You Wanna Trip On Me”.

The spectrum of CD 1991 (Ed5) and vinyl 1991 (Ed1) are very close. The yellow arrow shows a faster attenuation above 20 kHz for the vinyl. Above 8 kHz there is a small difference in level in favor of vinyl (yellow area). The green area shows a small difference in the low frequencies, with a higher level at 30 Hz for the CD.

The spectrum of the CD 2001 (Ed7) and vinyl 2015 (Ed2) overlaps from 150 Hz to 10 kHz. The yellow arrow shows a faster attenuation above 10 kHz for the vinyl with 10 dB less at 17 kHz. The green area shows an increase in bass below 150 Hz for the vinyl with a maximum of 3 dB. The rendering will be warmer for vinyl, with less detail in the high frequency range.

The spectrum of vinyl 2001 (Ed2) and vinyl 2015 (Ed1) overlaps from 150 Hz to 8 kHz. The yellow arrow shows a faster attenuation above 10 kHz for the 2015 vinyl with 10 dB less at 17 kHz. The green area shows increased bass below 150 Hz for the 2015 vinyl with a maximum of 5 dB. The rendering will be warmer for the 2015 vinyl than for the original 1991 vinyl, with less detail in the high end. The sound balance will favor the presence of the bass.

The spectrum of vinyl 2021 and vinyl 2015 overlaps above 150 Hz at 8 kHz. The green area shows bass attenuation below 150 Hz for the 2021 vinyl with a maximum of 2 to 3 dB. The 2022 vinyl will therefore have less presence in the bass below 100 Hz.

The spectrum of vinyl 2021 (Ed3) and vinyl picture disc (Ed12) is very similar with a little more treble above 15 kHz (yellow arrow), but the vinyl picture disc is much noisier because of the printing.

The spectrum of the cassette and the 1991 CD overlap from 800Hz to 15 kHz. Below 800 Hz (green area), the cassette has one or two dB more than the CD. On the other hand, the recorded cassette is limited in the high frequency range above 17 kHz (yellow arrow). This will make the tape sound a bit warmer with less precision in the high frequencies.

The spectrum of the CD 1991 (Ed5) and the Japanese CD 1991 (Ed6) overlaps perfectly on all frequencies. This indicates the use of the same master.

The spectrum of the 1991 CD (Ed5) and the 2001 CD (Ed7) is similar, but above 2 kHz, the 2001 CD is 1 to 5 dB lower than the 1991 CD. There is also a slight difference in the low frequencies below 400 Hz (green zone). This will impact the sound balance by favoring a warmer balance for the 2001 CD.

The spectrum of the CD 2001 (Ed7) and the CD 2009 (Ed8) overlaps perfectly on all frequencies. This indicates the use of the same master.

The spectrum of the Qobuz (Ed9) version and the 1991 CD(Ed5) overlap from 700 Hz to 21 kHz. Below 700 Hz (green area), the streaming has one or 3 dB more than the CD. Above 21 kHz (yellow arrow), the signal continues for the high-resolution Qobuz version, showing the use of the original multi-track analog tapes for this version. The sound of the Quobuz version will have a slightly warmer sound balance.

The spectrum of the streaming Amazon (Ed10) and the streaming Qobuz (Ed9) overlaps perfectly on all frequencies. This indicates the use of the similar master.

The spectrum of the streaming Tidal (Ed11) and the streaming Qobuz (Ed9) overlaps perfectly on all frequencies. This indicates the use of the similar master.

The spectrum of the DAT (Ed13) and the CD 2009 (Ed8) overlaps perfectly up to 20 kHz (yellow arrow). This indicates the use of the same master.

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.

For the Ed1 1991, Ed2 2015 and Ed3 2021 vinyl spectrograms, the yellow arrow indicates the limit at 22 kHz, the signal rises above this 22 kHz frequency as shown by the white arrow. This area is made up of the signal but also of the distortion produced by the vinyl playback principle. On the Ed2 vinyl 2015 and Ed3 vinyl 2021, the black arrow shows a spurious frequency present on the recording.

The cassette (Ed4) below has a frequency response that does not go beyond 20 kHz (yellow arrow), we find beyond the noise (white arrow) of reading the cassette on a Nakamichi LX3, without Dolby B NR.

For all digital media with a sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz (Ed5: CD 1991, Ed6: CD Japan 1991, Ed7: CD 2001, Ed8: CD 2009) and 48 kHz (Ed13 DAT), there is a high frequency limit at 22 kHz or 24 kHz (yellow arrow) and no signal above these frequencies (white arrow).

The streaming versions offered in high resolution 96 kHz (Ed9 : Qobuz Streaming HiRes, Ed10 : Amazon Streaming UltraHD, Ed11 : Tidal Streaming Master) are not limited to 22 kHz (yellow arrow) and go up to 48 kHz (white arrow). The master was made from the analog multi-track tapes. The black arrows show spurious frequencies that are present on some songs.

Part 5 : Summary, scoring and Samples

Ed1: Vinyl ref EPC 465802 1 — 1991

The 1991 vinyl is very close to the CD version, we find the impact of the highs and a very clean bass, but being less hard than the CD version, what we call the heat of the vinyl.

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

• Sample : “Why You Wanna Trip On Me” Vinyl 1991 24 bits 176.4 kHz :

Ed2: Vinyl ref 8875120931 — 2015

The 2015 vinyl version has been remastered, there is more bass and a less detailed extreme treble than the 1991 vinyl. The pressing is of good quality.

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

• Sample : “Why You Wanna Trip On Me” Vinyl 2015 24 bits 176.4 kHz :

Ed3: Vinyl Red Black ref 9439889101 — 2021

The red and black vinyl released in 2021 for the 30th anniversary of the album is similar to the 2015 vinyl, with a little less bass.

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

• Sample : “Why You Wanna Trip On Me” Vinyl 2021 24 bits 176.4 kHz :

Ed4 : Cassette ref EGT 45400 — 1991

The result of the tape is correct with a good dynamic, more present bass and a slightly attenuated extreme high. It is the pleasure to listen to a cassette!

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

• Sample : “Why You Wanna Trip On Me” Cassette 24 bits 96 kHz :

Ed5 : CD ref EPC 465802 2 — 1991

The 1991 CD brings a very rich sound in treble with a very clean and tense bass. This can make the sound seem more aggressive with today’s systems than with the new mixes. But the mix remains exceptional.

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

• Sample : “Why You Wanna Trip On Me” CD 1991 16 bits 44.1kHz :

Ed6 : CD Japan ref ESCA 5500 — 1991

The 1991 Japanese CD is similar to the 1991 Ed5 CD version.

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

• Sample : “Why You Wanna Trip On Me” CD Japan 1991 16 bits 44.1kHz :

Ed7 : CD ref 504424 2 — 2001

The CD of 2001 was remastered, the sound balance was changed to attenuate a little the highs in order to allow a reinforcement of the bass which is also helped by the compression of dynamics. The rendering is thus less brilliant than the CD of 1991 with a base in the bass more important.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Why You Wanna Trip On Me” CD 2001 16 bits 44.1kHz :

Ed8 : CD ref EICP 1197 — 2009

The 2009 CD is similar to the 2001 CD in terms of sound balance and rendering.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3/5)

• Sample : “Why You Wanna Trip On Me” CD Japan 2009 16 bits 44.1kHz :

Ed9 : Qobuz Streaming Hi-Res

The qobuz version in high resolution brings a sound balance with the highs less hard and the lows more present and a little more precise than the CD versions of 2001 and 2009. We find the attacks more marked in the bass than on the versions of 1991.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3.5/5)

• Sample : “Why You Wanna Trip On Me” Qobuz Hi-Res 24 bits 96kHz :

Ed10 : Amazon Streaming UltraHD

The streaming amazon version in high resolution is similar to the Qobuz version.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●ooo (2.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●oo (3.5/5)

• Sample : “Why You Wanna Trip On Me” Amazon UltraHD 24 bits 96kHz :

Ed11 : Tidal Streaming Master

The Tidal version is a little different from the Amazon and Qobuz versions. We find the same overall balance, but with different bass that seems more natural.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ●●●oo (2.5/5)
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5/5)
  • Restitution: ●●●●o (3.5/5)

• Sample : “Why You Wanna Trip On Me” Tidal Master 24 bits 96kHz :

Ed12 : Vinyl Picture Disc ref 1907586644-15 — 2018

The listening reveals the very strong surface noise due to the graphic impression on the disc. This very nice disk is made to decorate and not to listen.

• Rating:
  • Dynamic: ooooo (-/5) not measured
  • Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4/5)
  • Surface Noise: ●oooo (1/5)
  • Restitution: ●oooo (1/5)

• Sample : “Why You Wanna Trip On Me” Vinyl Picture Disc 24 bits 176.4 kHz :

Ed13 : DAT

Listening to the DAT highlights the clarity and dynamics of the music, with a balanced rendition. This version is similar to the 1991 version in terms of accuracy, but with better balance and less aggressive highs.

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

• Sample : “Why You Wanna Trip On Me” DAT 16 bits 48 kHz :

It is not always easy to choose between the different versions, especially for an album of this technical quality. The choice between the original and the remastered versions also depends on the tastes of everyone. For those who prefer the original version, the 1991 vinyl or the 1991 CDs are the best choice to get the sound of 1991. The remastered version changes the tonal balance with an attenuation in the highs and more present bass. One loses in the passage a little of dynamics (which is translated by a deterioration of the signal). If you prefer this tonal balance, the streaming versions are a good compromise with their high resolution edition. But the surprise comes from the DAT version, not commercially available, which brings dynamics and balance of the original version.

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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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