Search - Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy :: The Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Radio Show

Nice idea, but not worth it for loss of sound quality

N. Blake | Nottingham, UK | 06/24/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I love the radio series of Hitchhikers...REALLY love it, both series of it. I owned them for years on cassette tape and used to listen to them regularly. Then, recently, fueled by the news of the new Tertiary Phase (which will be broadcast in Sept. 2004), I decided to upgrade my cassettes of the Primary and Secondary Phases to CD.And I saw this wonderful sounding "all on one CD" mp3 release, going for a cheap price, and thought, "What a great idea!". Although slightly dubious about what the sound quality would be like, I ignored the other negative reviews here which criticised it and bought it anyway.Bad mistake. There is a constant barrage of crackle and popping going on in the background, which ruins the programme for me. The radio series is so reliant on its sound and sound effects that having a constant popping in your ear is not only irritating, but downright insulting, and I am shocked that the BBC actually allowed this to be released.The fact that SIX CDs are compressed onto ONE (with LOTS of room left over if you look at the burn markings on the CD) should be warning enough, but I did not heed it and paid the price.Quite a large price, actually, because I instantly went out (in quite an annoyed huff) and bought the original CD releases of the Primary and Secondary Phase. Which sound beautiful.Do yourself a favour and do NOT bother ordering this mp3 CD; spend the extra dough and get the decent original releases. Or perhaps wait for a DVD-Audio of it...really THAT is what the BBC should have done.You may end up spending double what you would if you got this mp3 CD, but believe me: the Hitchhiker's radio series IS worth it."

Original Audio CD Verison Still Available

The Great Oz | Atlanta, GA USA | 03/25/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"With regard to concerns about the audio quality of the this MP3 version, the original audio CD version ("The Collector's Edition"), an 8-CD set, is still available from Amazon UK. I paid a little more than twice the MP3 price. The ISBN number of the Audio CD version is 0-563-47702-4."

Wonderful Content, So-so Quality

Payola | Chicago, IL USA | 02/03/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I imagine that there are quite a few fans out there who, like me, adore the Hitchhiker's books but have never heard the orginal radio shows. To all of you out there: you won't be disappointed. The radio dramas have a very talented cast, and they're full of wonderful soundscapes and effects that bring the sometimes abstract plots of H2G2 into sharp focus. Other reviewers have put it better, so I'll leave it to them.



The added features give an interesting perspective -- there's a "making-of" feature with interviews of the cast and producers, and there's a wonderful extended interview with Douglas Adams which covers not only the making of Hitchhiker's but his views on, well, Life, the Universe, and Everything. I imagine that Mr. Adams must have been a wonderfully charming person in real life; he certainly comes across that way in the interview.



That said, the sound quality of the first and second series on MP3 is not so great. I was happy with mine until I heard a friend's copy -- she had the same "Collector's Edition" but in Audio CD format on 8 discs. (The packaging is basically the same, though obviously 8 discs take up slightly more room.) Compared with the CD format, my MP3's sounded a bit flat and fuzzy, and there are cracks and pops. It didn't bother me because I'm used to listening to old records, but it was disappointing to hear what was supposedly the "same edition" sound so much better. The flat sound of my MP3 edition might just be due to the fact that I don't have any fancy dedicated MP3 player, just my PC and Windows Media Player, but I thought it worth mentioning.



If you want to pay a bit more (not much more) to get better sound quality, the ISBN for the Audio CD format is 0-563-47702-4. I can't seem to find it on amazon.com, but it's on amazon.co.uk. (Amazon, please don't be mad at me for recommending something from your counterpart!) If you're not an audiophile, the MP3's are pretty good, a bit cheaper, and you can get them without overseas shipping. Either way, the Collector's edition is definitely worth picking up."