Remasters - just louder

Innuendo is - wow - great. The album, I mean. It sounds so much richer and clearer now. Notable mentions: the intro of Innuendo blew me away, the drum track in I Can't Live With You sounds very crisp, Don't Try So Hard sounds impeccably clear and Brian's guitar in Bijou has never sounded so crisp and clear before.

Clear and rich, in sum.

More opinions? Or am I the only one who bought the new remasters? ;-)

To compared the remasters to my old cds (CDP) I ripped both with EAC in secure mode and applied replay gain (album). The remasters do sound a lot better on my computer, my hifi system (Popcorn C200 player (FLAC) > optical > HK 3940 amp > KEF Q900 loudspeakers), and also in my car. They are definatly not just louder, they sound overall a lot better. Imho ofc. I don't care if I have to set the amp to -30 odr -35 db for normal listening.

Well, IMHO these remasters -which I bought- DO sound better, especially Queen, Queen II, Jazz, Flash Gordon and the superb ANATO, cos The Game and News of The World sounded good before on japanese 2001 versions. But some time after hearing them several times, and searching for any "loudness war" victim among the tracks, I was a little dissapointed.

Then I found some of the original pressings on vinyl from various sources, and they have a beautiful sound, but lack of the "refreshment" the 2011 CDs have, though the CDs are terribly loud. (with "refreshment" I mean the texturized voices, the crispy sound of the guitar on Great King Rat, those pumping awesome basses on ADATR)

Sometimes even felt my ears tired when upped the volume level. Never happened before with Queen ;)
So I love the remasters, but actually they are loud.

Some time ago, I just opened a waveform from a random ADATR track in Audacity and my surprise was huge: they are brickwalled to the most. Also did the same thing with Ride The Wild Wind (which remaster I love), and the result was the same: LOUDNESS.

I am a defendor of the highest dynamic range (that concept of hearing the loudest and slightest sounds with differences between them, and not all at the same dB level) but my judges are always my ears, and obviously, absolutely LOVE the Queen´s vinyl sounds. Even SHA, Queen II or Queen I which are definetly muddy in vinyl pressings and they hide some things that appear properly on the IRR remasters. But the vinyl pressings have that special sound so hard to emulate on cds.

I Personally own the 1993 digital master series. I don´t listen to them anymore. I don´t listen the new releases, either. Only when I want to compare them with the vinyl releases.

I loved the new remasters at first, because I heard so many new things in each and every track on every album, but soon I got tired of that brickwalled sound. It´s a pity, because I like the improvements in matters of the mixing so much.

I think the final answer to this mixed feelings might be the release of the Island Records Vinyl Pressings, and they will surely be the best Queen collection available.

Greetings from Argentina... that´s the best english I can write ;)

What a great first post.

Indeed, the loudness war has gone much too far - although I have heard MUCH worse than the latest round of Queen remasters.

These 2011 versions were cleaned up in many ways, but the peak to average ratio is lost at so many key moments, especially on the early albums. Many songs don't have nearly as great an impact as they once did.

[QUOTE]
Sometimes even felt my ears tired when upped the volume level. Never happened before with Queen ;)
So I love the remasters, but actually they are loud.
Some time ago, I just opened a waveform from a random ADATR track in Audacity and my surprise was huge: they are brickwalled to the most. Also did the same thing with Ride The Wild Wind (which remaster I love), and the result was the same: LOUDNESS.
I am a defendor of the highest dynamic range (that concept of hearing the loudest and slightest sounds with differences between them, and not all at the same dB level) but my judges are always my ears, and obviously, absolutely LOVE the Queen´s vinyl sounds. Even SHA, Queen II or Queen I which are definetly muddy in vinyl pressings and they hide some things that appear properly on the IRR remasters. But the vinyl pressings have that special sound so hard to emulate on cds.
I Personally own the 1993 digital master series. I don´t listen to them anymore. I don´t listen the new releases, either. Only when I want to compare them with the vinyl releases.
I loved the new remasters at first, because I heard so many new things in each and every track on every album, but soon I got tired of that brickwalled sound. It´s a pity, because I like the improvements in matters of the mixing so much.
[/QUOTE]
ABSOLUTELY agree with this part. I could not say it better

[QUOTE] [b]The Real Wizard wrote:[/b]
What a great first post.
Indeed, the loudness war has gone much too far - although I have heard MUCH worse than the latest round of Queen remasters.
[/QUOTE]

---------
Indeed. Have you ever heard the 'Stop The Clocks' album from Oasis?
I like my music loud, but THAT was just way too loud, so loud that you actually miss little parts in songs. A massive dissipointment!

This blast from the past thread reminded me of this great little youtube clip by way of explanation...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gmex_4hreQ

This remasters sounds to me just a lot louder. The best masters of the songs are the Greatest Karaoke Hits (I think from Japan) or the Greatest Video Hits ones: Just compare Hammer To Fall or Body Language.

The new remasters not only have a horrible clipping parts. They also have a permanent hiss in every song. I copy this from another thread I started on the Fan Mixes forum:
For every album, the best song to listen to this hiss are (notice the beginning):

Queen - Liar
Queen II - TMoTBQ (FtS was ruined due the heavy clipping (2:05 - 4:00))
SHA - Tenement Funster
ANatO - Sweet Lady
ADatR - You and I
NOtW - SHA (WATC was ruined too, the last chorus (2:34!)WEE EAHGOSA THE GHKAHDMPCINSONS)
Jazz - Mostly Fun It, but all.
Game - Don't Try Suicide
Flash - Flash's Theme
Space - Soul Brother
Works - ITtWWC?
AKoM - WWtLF
Miracle - Stealin'
Innuendo - Don't Try so Hard
MIH - IWBtLY

They included the HD mix of Teo Torriate as a bonus track on ADatR (That is how the new remasters should have sounded at 2011 with all the new technology available). But as OwenSmith said, this are just the same stereo tapes very louder. The rest is imagination (despite the Jealousy bass drum, which could had been included as a bonus track to keep the original one).

[QUOTE] [b]mooghead wrote:[/b]
This blast from the past thread reminded me of this great little youtube clip by way of explanation...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gmex_4hreQ [/QUOTE]


Very good one.

i've just bought a new player so that i could have a listen to some good sacds. from what i've read on various forums it seems the queen's sacds are rubbish, except maybe for their second album, its this true?
is it worth buying any of queens remastered releases?
did roger and brian have anything to do with these releases?