Is the remastered box set worth buying?

[SIRJARVIS01]

I purchased the bonus tracks that are on iTunes but are the remastered tracks actually worth having? I can't even hear a difference between the original masters and the remastered tracks based on the samples I've heard
 

[Daedalus]

There's some difference, mostly just in volume. I'm a completionist, so I needed them, but they aren't necessary.

[SIRJARVIS01]

Correction: I had to buy one full album [GLSV666] I lost my copy and there is some difference there (if it isn't my speakers) I feel like they turned up the kick drum a little to give it more of a "pulse"

[Inferno]

On vinyl, yes.

[666WTLOnVinylFTW]

If you have the bonus tracks, you're good. I don't have the vinyl, but while I've seen some good reviews and I've looked up the DR numbers for them which were solid, I'd be worried about them being the latest victim to have those numbers artificially boosted by digitizing. So just be careful if you decide to pick them up based on that. But if you're someone who vinyl's your thing and it enhances your listening experience listening to them over CD or digital, go for it. Otherwise, save your money.

[Inferno]

These are my personal findings from ripping the Vinyls:

666 Ways to Love: Prologue: DR11
Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666: DR10
Razorblade Romance: DR10
Deep Shadows And Brilliant Highlights: DR11
Love Metal: DR 11

[SIRJARVIS01]

What does DR mean?

[Inferno]

What does DR mean?

Dynamic Range

[SIRJARVIS01]

So all they did was increase the volume? Did they tweak any of the instrument tracks?

[Inferno]

No no no... that's not it at all lol. Remastering has nothing to do with dynamic range. You asked what DR was and I gave you link kinda describing it and why it matters, but even that has nothing to do with making things louder. Remastering is pretty self explanatory, but Dynamic Range is basically a value representing the range between the quietest parts of a track and the loudest. The higher the DR the better. The thing I linked you discusses how music has gone away from being about quality/dynamic range and towards being louder. CDs these days are louder, but they can't do that on Vinyl because it's literally like a sound wave imprinted on a plastic disc. This means that the sound is, in a sense, untouched. When they master audio for CDs they make certain parts louder and it's not necessarily uniform so you're left listening to music as it wasn't intended to be heard.



Go ahead and download and compare my Vinyl Rip of 'This Fortress of Tears' to what you have and you should hear a difference.

Anyways, you'll only get something like this by ripping from the Vinyl which you'd need the equipment to do so which isn't as user friendly as a CD. But in regards to your original question I think the remasters are worth it, but I couldn't tell what all is different and what portions of songs were made better. I personally only want the best sound quality possible which is why I chose the Vinyls and took all the time to rip them myself. I'm also a collector so it's a win/win for me... I get the best audio and the Vinyls get to sit on a shelf and not get ruined because I have all their audio in digital format.

[SIRJARVIS01]

so would a vinyl rip be a better source than the iTunes source? I imagine it would be...

[616]

Vinyl > MC cassette > CD > mp3, aac and any other lossy formats

if you want quality , then anything from iTunes, mp3 and what else is just piece of crap, good for "shift+delete"  ...... you wont get any pleasure from listening to it so its just a waste of money

if you expect anything extra from itunes version of this box, then i would rather say - save your money and buy something nice for your girlfriend or mom they will appriciate it more than you will appriciate lossy version of this box. Even CDs are not worth in my opinion and i absolutely agree with buddy @Inferno - Vinyl + good Vinyl player and better quality headphones (better than those you get to your smartphone :-D) and you will experience something new while listening to those old songs
Anyway CDs are good for bonus discs - to have a copy in your hand and CD is lossless so ...

[Inferno]

so would a vinyl rip be a better source than the iTunes source? I imagine it would be...

Generally yes, but that would depend on the equipment used and how good of a job the person did. The quality of the sound could be better, but it could end up sounding much worse than a CD with a bunch of noise and clicks/pops... Take, for instance, the vinyl rips on SaintScream.ru... They're not terrible by any means, but they're not the best.

I'll tell you what, if you end up buying the vinyl set send me a PM and I may be able to help you out.

[SIRJARVIS01]

Based on iTunes samples, what can you tell me? They're all up at the iTunes store except for 666 wtl. I can send you a sample, what format should I convert it to? ITunes files are usualy m4a

[Inferno]

Based on iTunes samples, what can you tell me? They're all up at the iTunes store except for 666 wtl. I can send you a sample, what format should I convert it to? ITunes files are usualy m4a

I'm not sure what you're asking. Do you want to know what's different about the remastered albums or how the iTunes versions stack up against a CD or Vinyl rip?

Comparing a sample of BABL off iTunes to my Vinyl rip they sound similar, but mine has just a little more detail which can also be seen when comparing the soundwaves using Audacity. The track at the top is the iTunes sample and if you look closely you can see that it's somewhat smooth and a lot less jagged than my vinyl rip. Based on my little program the iTunes sample has a DR of 6 and mine has a DR of 10. I measured the DR of mine using the exact same portion of the song within the sample just to make sure nothing funny would happen.