I actually prefer the AP45. I don't mind having to get up more often to change the vinyl. It gives me an opportunity to get myself another drink as well...lol.
I loved the UHQR. Thought it was a different experience than the 45 and made me enjoy the album all the more. Why can’t they both be good! I’m keeping both.
Another great review. Have an og and the 45. Got the UHQR today and played side one. This one will be my go to copy. To me it sounds better with almost a freshness in the highs that to me is missing in the 45. Remember this is premium vinyl and that makes a difference. Also love listening to a full side uninterrupted as intended
Great analysis as always, David. I have both APs after receiving and listening to the 33 yesterday. It knocked me out in the same way the other Doors 45s do. Frankly I’m inclined to buy any AP product (recordings of music I enjoy). I have hundreds, and the quality is always exceptional. From where I stand, Acoustic Sounds is a truly great American company.
I am stunned by how deep you went into that comparison. That‘s a huge time consuming effort with a very credible outcome. Many thanks for that. I was on the verge deciding to either buy the AP 45 or the AP UHQR 33 but then I dug out my longtime unheard 2009 Rhino 33 cut by BG, and, man, I was so happy with how it sounded, so I can save all that money and probably spend it more on Rhino High Fidelities, some of which, like e.g. the ZZ Top boxset are a steal.
@@SmallPersonRoo funny I found the 45 warmer than the 33 :) while I noticed a modest increase in the 33 towards the top, it wasn’t super sharp to my ears. That’s why I say, different systems and different hearing yield varied results. Thanks for commenting!
I think the most compelling thing with this is Bernie’s take. The 33 1/3 is cool…but Bernie is the most compelling story. It appears you liked the 33 slightly better. Mine arrives tomorrow
Ok, I listened to the AP45 and the UHQR. The 45 seems more bombastic for sure. But I think I prefer the clarity and detailed dynamics of the UHQR. I think AP45 is a little hotter causing some harshness on my system. The UHQR is the winner for me even at 33RPM. The instruments have a tidbit more “reality” then. You can really hear it in the organ….and drums. Bravo Bernie. Dang didn’t think we could beat the 45. Maybe the clarity vinyl helps too. Very very silent background.
Great video David! It is a wonderful album. I prefered the 45rpm AP over the UHQR which supprised me. I much prefere 33rpm vinyl! Thanks again for another great video!
Usually when there is a record that comes out in some super duper new remaster for twice the amount of money, I go back and see if there has been any remasters before in the past for less money that people have written about. In this case, yes. I went and purchased the 2009 Rhino cut by Bernie Grundman. It sounds amazing to me. So I am happy. I purchased a brand new one for around 26.00. And it plays extremely clean, and the sound to these ears is amazing. So, no...I do NOT have to pay 50, or 60.00 more for packaging, I don't care how much its changed. It's not that I am against these kinds of things. I am glad UHQR is out there for those that want them. And I know they sound amazing also. But, just saying. Its the music that counts, not the packaging. And there are many amazing masters out there for purchase.
Great review David! I have the 2X45RPM release and have listened to it many times and love it. Being a huge fan of The Doors, when I heard the new 33 RPM UHQR was coming out, I decide I had to get it. I received my UHQR yesterday and have listened to it twice and am very impressed with it. I haven't actually compared the two yet, but while listening to the new 33 RPM UHQR, my thoughts were that it seemed to be a worthy contender to the 2X45 release. It's interesting your comparison comes to about the same conclusion.....about as close to a tie as possible with the UHQR winning the shootout by the narrowest of margins. I'm looking forward to doing my own comparison soon. Thanks for the great work as always!
I have a few copies of the first pressing since release so I have put an order in to the In Groove. After listening to your review I can't wait to get it!
So essentially, for double the cost of the AP 45 rpm, with the 33 rpm UHQR version you can get up from your chair a bit less. Beyond that, in my experience, having a bunch of the UHQRs, while I've found them to be amazing/best-of versions overall, I've also found the "clarity" vinyl noisy on nearly all of those releases, and certainly noisier than the earlier AP 45 rpm lps I have.
Suggestion: Why not share the digital files you discussed here for downloading? I would be curious to hear your rig via the Hi-Rez files. I assume you are digitizing at 24/96k or 24/192k. If so, what resolution are you talking about and what equipment/program are you using to create the rips? Anyway, just a humble suggestion. Thanks in advance.
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion I am not sure why this would be something you would have to think about? Please make them available please. It's the only way for your subscribers to "hear" what your system can reproduce and for each of them to decide for themselves what's what. It makes perfect sense to me. And lastly, whether you decide to share them or not, I had asked why equipment or program you are using to rip and what's the ending resolution. Shot, you might as well share how you reproduce the files. Through an outboard DAC? Using headphones or main speakers? Through your laptop? Sorry for the questions ;-)
Very interesting David! I cancelled my order when I gave it more thought but I will be doing a comparison with a friends copy and the DCC, perhaps an original if available. Great job!
@@rambojohn763 I will be reviewing it, just waiting for a friends copy to arrive. The Pressing Matters will have a review and comparison up in a week or so.
Great job, thanks !!! I wonder if they'll do all The Doors ? I just received the complete 45 series but have only listened to The Doors. Which was outstanding. I also just received the UHQR LA Woman but will probably gift to my son.
VERY tempting, but think I'll be happy with the AP 45's, as I can buy another two of the Atlantic AP 45's instead of this. I have several premium pressings of the same album, where doing a direct A/B comparison, one is better than the other, but if I play them at different times I couldn't tell you which one sounded better. Have a feeling this issue of LA Woman would fall into that category.
I must be really unlucky. My copy arrived yesterday. The first side was terrific. On the lead-in for the second side, I had a "click....click....click" sound; every single song on the second side had this clicking. If I can get a clean copy, and the second side is as great as the first, then this one will be a keeper for this huge fan of the The Doors. Thank you for your review, due to work, I don't have time to compare the 45 rpm with this UHQR. Based on my first listen to LA Woman on the first side, I'm thinking the 45 rpm may sound better for at least that song and also Riders On The Storm. Won't know until I compare my 45 rpm with this UHQR.
Have you calibrated/checked the speed of your turntables for speed accuracy? This would be critical before making any conclusions that the mastering speed may be problematic. I use the rpm app to adjust the speed of my turntable which is a free app and works well.
I had bought the Infinite box set and was really impressed. Just comparing my DCC digital copies didn't even come close as the digital files cut the lower frequencies off. Example My Wild Love, you could hear the 20Hz of the drum only on the 45rpm, not the digital.
I really don't mind having to deal with 45 rpm discs. One problem I have listening on my home theater system is that my turntable there is an Accutrac +6 which automatically selects the speed according to the size of the record, so I can't play a 12" 45rpm disc on it. I would have to play it on my Pioneer QX949 quad system with an original AT-120LP turntable. Both turntables have the Shure M97xe carts. Then there is my Seeburg Home Stereo Console 3 which only can play 33 1/3 rpm 12" discs. It is sonically inferior so I wouldn't even play the new UHQR version on it. lol It will be interesting to compare the new UHQR, when Music Direct decides to ship my copy, to my AP 45 rpm and my OG CSM pressing. The CSM pressings tend to be a bit better due to the higher quality of vinyl they used. Anyway, maybe pressing the records closer to where the records were mastered rather than shipping them all the way across the country counts for something?
He is actively pursuing new material but the pool has its limits (as Speakers Corner has found over the past few years). You can’t snap your fingers to get whatever you want…
I have both the 45 and UHQR. I did a shoot out today. I prefer the UHQR. The vinyl is quieter, bottom end deeper, midrange blooms forward slightly and the top not as hot as the 45. The bonus is it’s a 33 and my lazy bones don’t have to get up from the sofa as often. Just my opinion of it on my system (origin live deck, pass electronics, Heretic speakers).
Thanks for the review. Though I think it's impossible to answer the general question of 45 vs 33 unless you're comparing the same mastering, like if AP put out both a 33 and 45 version of the same exact mastering/product. Otherwise it would be very hard to tell what little differences to attribute to the different rpm's vs the different masterings.
Thanks for the very thorough comparison - just a quick note on this. I find it interesting that in the final analysis you discard the volume difference (+1.5dB is a +19% positive difference in volume, which in theory allows for more amplitude / dynamics, and depending on the mastering, deeper and fuller bass, etc}. Because of this difference, I think in most people’s systems, the simple impression will be that the 45rpm version will sound slightly louder, bigger, more ‘in the room’ as people sometimes say. It is logical to normalize to the same volume for a side by side comparison’, but in practice the 20% volume difference is still very important, especially if you use a MM or low output MC cart. Anyway, thank you for the great review. I was quite surprised by the speed difference you have discovered, and I wonder if it makes an audible difference for the average listener.
The difference in volume can easily (and does) fool people into thinking hotter cuts sound “better”. Now depending on your system, if you don’t have the power to lift the UHQR up to a similar volume without introducing distortion or clipping, then the louder (and in this case, less expensive) option makes more sense! The speed difference wasn’t excessive enough to be discernible on its own, as it only became apparent with direct side by side A-B comparison.
Surprising, but there was an Anniversary edition of LA Women. No discussion from Bruce about mastering was available. Always hear talking about a black background, and that what was heard for the Anniversary versus the original 45 RPM set. One can assume some digital process. Both played on my Revox turntable with Soundsmith Aida cartridge.
Interesting. I've had the UHQR for a couple days, but still haven't cracked it open just yet. I also have the 2x45rpm and an OG Santa Maria pressing... It'll be interesting when I do my own shootout. I'm curious though, why do you have 2 copies of the UHQR? 🤔
My favorite The Doors album. They went out with a banger of an album imo. Am I dreaming David or did you initially mention in the video that you detected a channel reversal in your comparisons? Also you mention in the comments you listen blind. Can you share how you are doing this? If the AP 45 truly is faster than the 33.3 UHQR and og then it would be a sound impact. That would affect pitch, right? Speaking of the 45 process, the ability to increase volume is part of the equation that many, including myself, consider a bit of snake oil. So not surprised that the 45 is 1.5 decibels higher. Getting back to the speed issue, speed can also fool us into thinking “more energy” which translates to a false picture of improved sound. Reminds me of how they would speed up old 50s artists a tad because it just sounds more exciting. Have no idea if the speed issue on the 45 is purposeful or not. If it is indeed there. But it isn’t too far fetched to entertain the speeding up as purposeful. In this world of conspiracies I wont push the idea :) Too much “breath of life” equals wheezing?… ;) We know that the midrange is where the human aspect of soubd lies. The reason that the midrange edged out a bit with the new UHQR is because there is a bump (once again) in the upper mids. We know this bump higher frequencies can give us the image of more detail. That along with tech improvements affecting sound quality seems to be the practice now. Sometimes it works and sometimes not so much. Can lose musicality and tonality also. For me, this new UHQR is a not so much occasion. I find the cymbals for instance to be fairly harsh and everything just to be a bit much forward. Not as lacking as the old BG Doors boxset which was pretty bad but still I much prefer the AP 45 and DCC lps. I even prefer the DCC gold cd to this UHQR. I am just not a fan of the hyperdetailed and even at times bright (Rhino HiFi) mastering these days. Again, musicality and tonality. For those who do not have an original Artisan it might be difficult to obtain one that is NM for less than $125.00. Though Clarity vinyl rarely plays NM. So I suppose the UHQR is an option if one is very opposed to the 45 rpm for 60 bucks. For me, the AP, DCC versions and the original Artisan are what I am sticking with. Plus that clamshell box sucks worse than the other one. It will fall apart as all paper hinged type boxes do. Mofi may have a bad rep but the one thing they have gotten right is the switch to their slimline boxes. Why not just go with that? Thanks for your efforts and the video!
Content with my 2009 Rhino pressing cut by Bernie Grundman. I think it cost me £20. Have flirted with the idea of the AP45 at times, but then I listen to my 2009 again and I'm like 'Meh, I'm good for L.A. Woman' ☺
I'll stick with Blutoothing Spotify 😉 It's cheaper, don't have to worry about a bad or noisy pressing and it actually sounds really good. I love vinyl but if im totally honest with myself when you compare the cost and convenience i don't know if can justify it anymore
Tha difference between 33 and 45 RPM is so small it’s not worth disturbing the natural flow of the album and getting up every 20 minutes to turn it over
Lots of people dropping out of the reissue game…not so many original collectors quitting. Doesn’t that tell you something about the future values of all of these? The funny thing about it is that you and everyone already knows. There are so many of these games where everyone pretends together. Political societal..even records…. Having watched this come into vogue and develop, it’s a fascinating study on the human mind..
You cannot fully compare accurately from memory, that’s call Recall Bias. Playing side by side (and not knowing which is which)!is the fairest method. On the speed, I digitized them both from the same turntable so there was no physical speed variation.
I hope the 33rpm reissues totally outsell 45rpm reissues -- a 33rpm UHQR Aja would have been very tempting. I don't want to mess with 2 LPs, and I don't think I'm in the minority on that.
Great comparison! I already own the 2x45. Thanks to you, I know my $125 would be better spent elsewhere. Appreciate your thoroughness and your thoughtful approach in your videos.
I just don't think I want the 33. I don't have either yet and I actually almost bought the 45 the day before the announcement. I was buying some stuff on Elusive Disc and needed the third buy for the free shipping. I kept it in the cart for a while and then changed my mind and got something else. I wish I had bought the 45 now. LOL. I'm just not a huge fan of the Doors, but then again, I'm not a huge fan of 90% of what I buy.
