Birth of the Blue is a special release from Analogue Productions, highlighting four tracks recorded in 1958 by Miles Davis’ legendary sextet during the same sessions as Kind of Blue (full review with 33 versions). These tracks, long overshadowed as compilation bonuses, now receive a dedicated audiophile edition.
The album reflects the transition toward modal jazz that would define Kind of Blue, showcasing Miles Davis’ experiments with harmonic modes inspired by modern classical music. It features the iconic lineup of Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb.
With a high-quality pressing by Quality Record Pressings, this edition delivers an exceptional sound experience, allowing jazz enthusiasts to rediscover these recordings in optimal conditions. The album is also available for streaming, and a SACD version has been announced.

Review updated withe SACD layer and CD layer:

For this review, you will find 4 versions tested: Pure analog vinyl record, Amazon UltraHD, SACD and CD layer from SACD.

Below you will find the description of the different editions, as well as the measurements of each edition in the following chapters.

The album is composed of 4 tracks:

1. On Green Dolphin Street
2. Fran-Dance
3. Stella By Starlight
4. Love For Sale

Summary, scoring and Samples

Ed 1: Vinyl Record – 2024

Presentation

This is the vinyl version produced by Analogue Production. It was mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from a new 30 ips quarter-inch stereo master tape transferred from the original 3-track session tapes. The vinyl, weighing 180 grams, is pressed at Quality Record Pressings. (Ref: AAPJ 172) This a pure analogue vinyl record AAA.

Waveform and Spectrum: DR14

The waveform of the vinyl record shows a high dynamic range confirmed with DR14.

The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with signal above this frequency (white arrow) containing musical information and distortion due to the vinyl record’s operating principle. The black arrow shows a parasitic frequency peak around 30 kHz.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Vinyl Record – 2024 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Amazon UltraHD – 2024 (blue curve).The two curves overlap between 700 Hz and 15 kHz. Below 700 Hz, the vinyl record’s level is lower, reaching up to 4 dB less at 100 Hz. Beyond 15 kHz, the attenuation is more pronounced for vinyl, with a drop of up to 5 dB at 20 kHz. The red arrows indicate parasitic peaks: the first appears at 30 kHz on both the vinyl record and the Amazon version. However, peaks above 40 kHz are only present in the digital version.

Synthesis and listening

Analogue Production has produced a superb vinyl edition of these four tracks from Birth Of Blue. The quality of the pressing is excellent, with very little surface noise, enabling a fine, dynamic reproduction of this iconic album. All the nuances and precision of the six musicians recorded in 1958 can be heard. Every note is rendered with impressive clarity and depth, transporting the listener into the atmosphere of the original recording sessions. The richness of timbre and the warmth of vinyl sound provide an immersive listening experience.

Rating:

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

Sample : “”On Green Dolphin Street” 24 bits 192 kHz:

Ed 2: Amazon UltraHD – 2024

Presentation

Ths is the streaming version from Amazon Music presented in UltraHD 24 bits 192 kHz!

Waveform and Spectrum: DR14

The waveform of the streaming version shows a high dynamic range confirmed with DR14.

The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) with some signal above 30 kHz (white arrow) up to 96 kHz, this is possible because the sampling frequency is 192 kHz. The black arrow shows a parasitic frequency peak around 30 kHz.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the SACD – 2025 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Amazon UltraHD – 2024 (blue curve).The curves of the 2 spectra overlap from 150 Hz to 30 kHz: below 150 Hz, the SACD level is up to 1dB lower than that of the Amazon version. From 30 kHz onwards, we can see that spurious peaks are more present on the Amazon version, and that they are masked on the SACD due to the rise in noise (yellow arrow) caused by the DSD64 operating principle.

Synthesis and listening

Amazon’s high-resolution 24-bit 192 kHz version preserves all the nuances of the master tape. However, the tonal balance is different from the vinyl version, with an accentuation of the bass, bringing the double bass more to the fore, and giving a rendering that is certainly less natural than the vinyl edition. Nonetheless, this digital version offers excellent precision.

Rating:

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

Sample : “”On Green Dolphin Street” 24 bits 192 kHz:

Ed 3: SACD – 2025

Presentation

This is the hybrid SACD produced by Analogue Production. It was mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from a new 30 ips quarter-inch stereo master tape transferred from the original 3-track session tapes. (Ref: AAPJ 172)

Waveform and Spectrum: DR14

The waveform of the SACD shows a high dynamic range confirmed with DR14.

The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow) the characteristic noise of DSD64 beyond 30 kHz (white arrow). The black arrow shows a parasitic frequency peak around 30 kHz.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the SACD – 2025 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Vinyl Record – 2024 (blue curve).The two curves overlap between 700 Hz and 15 kHz. Below 700 Hz, the vinyl record’s level is lower, reaching up to 3 dB less at 100 Hz. Beyond 15 kHz, the attenuation is more pronounced for vinyl, with a drop of up to 5 dB at 20 kHz. The red arrows indicate parasitic peaks: the first appears at 30 kHz on both the vinyl record and the SACD version. However, peaks above 40 kHz are only present in the digital version.

Synthesis and listening

Analogue Production has produced a superb SACD edition of these four Birth Of Blue tracks. Here we find all the digital precision and sound rendering of the DSD64 used for the SACD. All the nuances and precision of the six musicians recorded in 1958 can be heard with greater precision than in the excellent vinyl version. The soundstage is very realistic, transporting the listener into the atmosphere of the original recording sessions. Compared with the Amazon version, there’s a little more naturalness in the lower end of the spectrum.

Rating:

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

Sample : “On Green Dolphin Street” 24 bits 176.4 kHz:

Ed 4: CD layer SACD- 2025

Presentation

This is the CD layer from hybrid SACD produced by Analogue Production. It was mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from a new 30 ips quarter-inch stereo master tape transferred from the original 3-track session tapes. (Ref: AAPJ 172)

Waveform and Spectrum: DR14

The waveform of the CD Layer from SACD shows a high dynamic range confirmed with DR14.

The spectrogram shows that the signal rises to 22 kHz (yellow arrow) with no signal above this frequency (white arrow) due to the 44.1 kHz sampling frequency.

The graph below compares the spectrum of the SACD – 2025 (white curve) with the spectrum of the CD layer – 2025 (blue curve).The two spectra overlap perfectly up to the maximum frequency of 22 kHz for the CD layer due to the 44.1 kHz sampling frequency used.

Synthesis and listening

As is often the case, the SACD version features a slightly softer treble presentation than the CD version, probably due to differences in DAC processing between PCM and DSD64 signals. The result is a very pleasant rendering on this format.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4.5)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5)

Sample : “On Green Dolphin Street” 16 bits 44.1 kHz:

Analogue Production’s beautiful vinyl edition of this “Birth of the Blue” album manages to immerse us totally in the recording of this prequel to “Kind Of Blue”. The streaming version is a little different, with more present bass, the final result of which may also depend on the balance of the listening system. But we’ll have to wait before we can listen to the SACD version offered by Analogue Production, which should be the ultimate digital version.

SACD version update:
Analogue Production offers a beautiful SACD version that will delight those who prefer digital editions, bringing more precision than the superb vinyl version.

Dynamic Range measurements are shown below.

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Measurements

Dynamic Range comparaisons

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).

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 4 editions reviewed have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR) :

	Vinyl Record – 2024	Amazon UltraHD – 2024	SACD – 2025	CD layer SACD- 2025
Global	DR14	DR14	DR14	DR14
Min	DR14	DR13	DR13	DR13
Max	DR16	DR16	DR16	DR15
On Green Dolphin Street	DR16	DR16	DR16	DR15
Fran-Dance	DR14	DR14	DR13	DR13
Stella By Starlight	DR14	DR13	DR13	DR13
Love For Sale	DR14	DR14	DR14	DR14

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.

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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