Iron Maiden albums (CDs) pressings with best sound quality

Nothing wrong with a used copy. I would imagine the thing making it hard for pilau is location.
 
Cornfedhick, with all due respect, I have tried getting this DVD-A since 2005! Just like LC, they didn't sell it here, and I had to look for other sources - but I was too late. Never bumped into a copy of it, not even on e-bay. But this is not very important. You see, I think I have bought over the years 2.5 times the entire discography of Maiden on CDs (for myself and for friends) and I also own SIT and POM vinyls which cost me a lot of money. Flight 666 & RiR DVDs. Not to mention merchandise, t-shirts... If I could find a copy of this DVD-A, believe me, I would probably buy it if it wouldn't cost too much of a fortune.

What's the difference between this and downloading the first Japanese pressing? None at all. If you are against this kind of action, why didn't you castigate all the other participants of this thread as well? Why didn't you condemn this thread on the beginning? It was pretty obvious what it was for.
 
pilau said:
Cornfedhick, with all due respect, I have tried getting this DVD-A since 2005!
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Well, good news, I posted a link to several retailers apparently selling new copies through Amazon Marketplace.  It wasn't particularly hard to find, it was the first place I looked.

That said, I'll man up and concede I'm wrong if, but only if, those retailers are really only reselling aftermarket used copies, as chaosapiant and LC suggested.  That didn't occur to me (probably because they are described as "new" on Amazon's site).  If you're right, if a product is out of production and not available at retail, and if you already own the version(s) of the product publicly available in your region, then no harm done, in my personal view (but don't take that as formal legal advice).  And you'll have my apologies.  But, if I'm right, and the product is still available for first sale at retail or in e-commerce, then you really should buy it, not share it. 

To the broader point, perhaps you didn't know this, but I am a lawyer at a firm that represents music companies.  I don't expect you to be persuaded by the usual arguments that file-sharing is wrong, and deprives music suppliers of money they should get.  As you note, you have spent lots of money on Maiden stuff.  Great.  So let me appeal to something that you might care about.  I like this forum.  You seem to like this forum.  I don't want it to be sued or shut down, even temporarily.  Websites that facilitate file-sharing get caught and targeted by music companies.  Trust me.  That is why, as LC told you, this site has a policy against posting copyrighted links for purposes of file-sharing.  Which you did.  LC and the other mods have done yeoman's work policing this stuff, particularly with the TFF leaks, because they don't want the site to get in trouble.  You goofed, link removed, no harm done.  But then you once again use this public forum to openly solicit file sharing.  If you want to share files, that's your business.  But don't use this public forum to arrange it.  Use emails.  I'm not a mod, and apologies to LC and the others if I'm overstepping my bounds, but it really isn't a good idea to openly arrange for file sharing on a public forum, particularly if you enjoy and respect the forum as I and others do ( and presumably pilau does too).

pilau said:
What's the difference between this and downloading the first Japanese pressing? None at all.
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Again, assuming that the DVD-A product is still available for public sale through Amazon, as it appears to be, it's actually a pretty darn big difference, in my view.  Japanese first pressings are over 20 years old and no longer commercially available.  If, however,  the DVD-A is also not commercially available except for used copies, then, mea culpa.  I'll be man enough to admit I'm wrong.  (But, again, Amazon does describe them as "new" so I assume that's accurate.) 

 
 
I see your point, and I ask you to please accept my apologies. I think you understand where I came from (to clarify - from a place where I believed the DVD-A versions is out of print and that there's no chance of me ever finding an original copy). So, I learned from my mistake.
 
Got 2 of these today, and one of the 1st printings of the regular Japanese version which is already out of print (which is why 1st pressing Japanese discs are collectible).  Probably won't get a chance to do a comparison any time real soon, but I suspect it will be the same as the other versions.  I did check the wav forms and they are identical to my UK and US versions.

You can right click > view image if you want to see it bigger.

img0304g.jpg
 
Ranko said:
What's with the black and white booklet?
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That's the Japanese lyric booklet, they are always black and white.  The color booklet is still in the case, and to the right of the black and white booklet is a sticker of the cover.  The OBI strip is next to the tin case, they usually just cover the spine but in this case it extends to cover the whole back of the case.  The sticker that covers the front of the case is on the outside of the resealable mylar bag.
 
Oh, so they actually get a transcripted booklet in Japanese, while the original stuff is sealed inside. Didn't know that.
 
Ranko said:
Oh, so they actually get a transcripted booklet in Japanese, while the original stuff is sealed inside. Didn't know that.
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Actually they are packed like this;  Everything inside the case, with the Japanese booklet and stickers stuffed inside the normal booklet.  I took everything apart to take a picture for someone (on a different forum) who claimed I couldn't possibly have received the Japanese version yet since it isn't released in Japan until the 18th.  Dumbass didn't take into account that they shipped them to me early so I would receive them on time.  

CDJapan.co.jp has great service.  They use EMS so I get things from Japan to Boston in 3 days time.  It's a bit pricey, but not outrageous, but you just order a few things at once and it's worth it.  Plus I like having a tracking number and signed delivery for items so I can be reimbursed if they don't show up.
 
Twarkle said:
A lot of this hogwash was started by the mastering engineer/liar/thief, Steve Hoffman, and his band of sycophants at his forum.  It should be noted that in the world outside his little forum and in the record industry, and amongst his peers, that Hoffman is considered a joke.  Mention his name to any engineer worth his salt and you'll be greeted with laughter.
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Why so negative towards him? He's one of the few mastering engineers providing music lovers releases that actually have dynamics. That's very uncommon these days. He may not be the best, but at least he has the right mindset towards the way music should be listened to. The way it was intended(even though he may colour the sound sometimes). Most of those engineers "worth their salt" you mentioned don't even care and just let the record companies bullying them into brickwalling their work.
 
Unfortunately Twarkle has not been active in the last three months, so I wouldn't count on a response.
 
I have heard of Hoffman being criticized as a narcissistic blowhard and overrated, but I have never heard him described as a bad engineer who does bad work.  His remasters usually sound pretty good.  I'm not one of those snobs who has ten recordings of Dark Side of the Moon and charts the peak levels like the dweebs on his forum, nor do I have $30K invested in home audio like some people, but I will pay a little more for better equipment than what is stocked at Best Buy, and I do appreciate a master that doesn't have the clicking static whenever the music gets loud. Hoffman avoids that.  His goal is to make the CD sound like vinyl without the surface noise, which was what CDs promised when they were first released in the 1980s.  If that's not something that interests you, then don't spend the money on his audiophile masterings.  If it is, maybe check out what he's done. 

EDIT:  all that said, and in keeping with the name of this thread, I'm not aware of any Hoffman-mastered Iron Maiden CDs.  Of interest to some members of this forum may be his masterings of Deep Purple MkII albums, currently in print on the Audio Fidelity label.  In Rock, Fireball and Machine Head are currently available at hefty retail prices of roughly $20-25 for a "limited time" -- other titles are out of print and available at ridiculously exorbitant prices on Amazon Marketplace and eBay.  They are collectors items.  Not always the best, though -- better to spend $12-15 on a brand new copy of the 30th Anniversary edition of Queen's A Night at the Opera, which includes remastered stereo and DTS 5.1 versions by Bob Ludwig taken from the original master tapes, than to spend $100 on a used Hoffman mastering from the early 1990s, IMO, though snobs on his forum might disagree.
 
cornfedhick said:
I have heard of Hoffman being criticized as a narcissistic blowhard and overrated, but I have never heard him described as a bad engineer who does bad work.  His remasters usually sound pretty good.  I'm not one of those snobs who has ten recordings of Dark Side of the Moon and charts the peak levels like the dweebs on his forum, nor do I have $30K invested in home audio like some people, but I will pay a little more for better equipment than what is stocked at Best Buy, and I do appreciate a master that doesn't have the clicking static whenever the music gets loud. Hoffman avoids that.  His goal is to make the CD sound like vinyl without the surface noise, which was what CDs promised when they were first released in the 1980s.  If that's not something that interests you, then don't spend the money on his audiophile masterings.  If it is, maybe check out what he's done.  

EDIT:  all that said, and in keeping with the name of this thread, I'm not aware of any Hoffman-mastered Iron Maiden CDs.  Of interest to some members of this forum may be his masterings of Deep Purple MkII albums, currently in print on the Audio Fidelity label.  In Rock, Fireball and Machine Head are currently available at hefty retail prices of roughly $20-25 for a "limited time" -- other titles are out of print and available at ridiculously exorbitant prices on Amazon Marketplace and eBay.  They are collectors items.  Not always the best, though -- better to spend $12-15 on a brand new copy of the 30th Anniversary edition of Queen's A Night at the Opera, which includes remastered stereo and DTS 5.1 versions by Bob Ludwig taken from the original master tapes, than to spend $100 on a used Hoffman mastering from the early 1990s, IMO, though snobs on his forum might disagree.
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I actually read some email responses on a blog from an individual named "Marshall Blonstein" who works for Audio Fidelity. He said they would love to release something from Maiden and perhaps more classic metal. It didn't say when though. I'm glad that they have Judas Priest's Hell Bent For Leather, but in my opinion, it didn't really need a remaster. The remaster Steve did doesn't sound too different than the original, but hey, I probably need to upgrade my system since I haven't been able to afford it ever since I went back to school lol.

I really think that if anyone here wants to see proper Maiden remasters, why not send emails to Audio Fidelity requesting it, or even to Sanctuary records. They seem to be releasing a lot of "Deluxe" editions from several albums that are properly remastered, and include bonus tracks etc. Infact, Helloween will be getting a proper remaster as well: http://www.bravewords.com/news/152294

Better yet, I think it's time to let Rod Smallwood know that there are people who care about quality in a CD release and that 1998 remasters do not show that.
 
Preach, brotha, preach.  If I ever have occasion to bump into him in an airport or something, that'll be the conversation I'll try to start.
 
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