David Sylvian – Brilliant Trees

just compared this to the original UK and german pressings (listened to 'the ink in the well' on all three copies). this japanese pressing is by FAR the best one to have.

UK original mastered at townhouse was cut through a digital delay line, as with everything townhouse cut starting sometime in 1982. good bass texture and articulation, but vocal sibilants are choppy and smeary and horns sound mechanical. midrange is pretty thin but there's an appeal to the transients. biggest issue is how stuffy it sounds--spatially it's boxed in with no firm sense of instrument placement. the german pressing is easily better in every way (especially with vocal emotion) but warmer and thicker than i'd prefer.

meanwhile, this japanese pressing is the most spatially coherent and dynamically expressive. it's brighter (as common with japanese pressings) but not egregiously so, everything's more natural and realistic. this is the one pressing where vocal sibilants cleanly resolve rather than becoming garbled and smeary. transients are sharp when necessary but grounded in full-bodied textures, and the JVC supervinyl provides a clean background that enhances sonic contrasts. i'm not big on old japanese pressings of western music, though in this case, the japanese pressing is like a painting whereas the UK pressing is merely a decent photographic replication. all iterations of this album are thoroughly listenable, but this stands out and thankfully isn't too expensive.

equipment: rega p6, ortofon mc cadenza bronze, stein music 'the perfect interface' turntable mat, liberty b2b-1 phono preamp, hegel h95 integrated amp, mofi sourcepoint 8 speakers, spiral groove and audioquest cabling.

Shhh! Don't listen to The Silver Gun. Never do that… :-)
https://www.discogs.sitioby.com/release/2205206-Shusha-Persian-Love-Songs-And-Mystic-Chants-Sung-By-Shusha

To my ears, I feel like this has some sort of pre-emphasis. , not all discs flagged for it. When I applied a filter and compared it to a later Japan issue VJD-104, they both sounded identical. Without it, this disc sounds quite harsh and treble-y in comparison.

Doesn't sound as clear or crisp as the first Japan CD ''VDP-38'', but having listened again, I really feel that it has pre-emphasis, as some CD's didn't flag for it, but had it. Not hugely different and not terrible, but this ''VJD-104'' is a good sounding CD. More bass and feels less cold. Also, when lined up together, this one is very slightly slower in speed, but only noticeable by looking at the waveform.

Found a near-perfect copy in a charity shop today for £2. Bass is mustard! The overall feel is warm and soothing. Had the CD years ago. This sounds much better

Some footage from the recording studio sessions https://youtu.be/v-X36Xi8i58 may be of interest :-)

Anyone else have issues with this version "bronzing" ? My copy plays fine, but has bronzed over the years ?

This Japanese pressing is sublime, plays/sounds far better than my previous UK version.

This digital release sounds awesome. The clarity, dynamics, and mix are perfect. This can be played very loud as there's no ear daggers or boomy bass to contend with. The soundstage is very wide, with the vocals and instruments located with laser precision.

UK original DMM pressing isn't great. cut at townhouse through a primitive digital delay line, and it certainly sounds like it: stuffy, dry, blunted transients, just generally unappealing. the original japanese pressing is much better. it sounds like it was cut on a fully analogue signal path from an analogue tape copy, and everything is much lusher, more pleasant, more natural. it's not that much more expensive and it's also pressed on the same JVC supervinyl that the old mofi stuff used.

listening setup: rega p6, ortofon mc cadenza bronze cartridge, stein music 'the perfect interface' carbon mat, liberty b2b-1 preamp, hegel h95 integrated amp, elac debut b5 speakers