Search - Simon & Garfunkel :: Parsley Sage Rosemary & Thyme

Mastered from an old digital copy of a safety dub...

Jamie Tate | Franklin, TN | 05/18/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Hey everyone,



When I first got this CD I thought it sounded really similar to the old CD I bought 20 years ago so I loaded a couple songs into Pro Tools to do some comparison listening. That's when I saw they were essentially the same thing. They sync'd up perfectly, the bits all lined up without drift and I could get a significant amount of null between them. The AF CD has been EQ'd slightly to reduce the upper midrange and give more emphasis on the bottom and top end.



I'm not saying this CD is poorly mastered nor am I suggesting you shouldn't buy it, but... it should be known that this rather expensive CD was not sourced from the Original Master Tapes as advertised. It's not even sourced from analog tapes. They were given the old Columbia CD from the 1980s to use as their source. I made a discovery about its origins and thought it was important to share.



And not only is it from a 20+ year old digital transfer they didn't even use the master tapes back then. It's a dub of some sort. Sounds like it's an EQ'd and limited LP tape. The song 'Homeward Bound' fades in on this CD unlike the recent Sundazed LP made using the true original analog masters. The AF came out after the Sundazed LP reissue so why didn't AF use them instead of an old digital dub that's at the very minimum three generations removed?



There's nothing necessarily wrong with issuing CDs from older digital tapes. Every label has done it. But when you market to a specific audience like audiophiles there's going to be higher expectations. Add to that the statements found on Audio Fidelity's own website and the writing directly on the CD's slipcase that the $30 disc you just bought is "From The Original Master Tapes" and then discover it's untrue you can't help but feel deceived.



I suggest Audio Fidelity would do a lot better if they were more open about these things. I have plenty of amazing sounding CDs that were sourced from tape copies. Nothing shameful in using safety dubs as long as you're not trying to pass it off as something it isn't. I'm sure everyone here agrees with that."

NOT FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES!

Darren A. Kalix | 06/06/2010

(1 out of 5 stars)

"As has been proven elsewhere, Audio Fidelity DID NOT use the original master tapes when working on this release - even though all of their releases trumpet on the jackets that they ONLY use the original master tapes when working on these releases. What was used as the source then? A CD. A CD issue of this album from the 1980's, no less, which itself was made using a tape source that was a generation or two down from the master tape. Based on this, I wish I could give this release NO stars. But alas, Audio Fidelity, you get ONE star.



Steve Hoffman should be ashamed to be associated with a label such as this, but his wife and kids gotta eat!"

Great job!

E. Hilston | Merrimack, NH USA | 04/04/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Some of Audio Fidelity's work has been suspect lately. I was starting to wonder if I would continue to purchase their products. Fortunately they nailed "Pasley Sage Rosemary & Thyme. This has always been my favorite S&G release and though the latest Sony release does sound pretty good, the Audio Fidelity mastering sounds absolutely wonderful. I am now looking forward to their next number of releases. Sounds of Silence and Styx's The Grand Illusion are slated for April 20th 2010. Let's hope they keep up the good work and that the quality control issues are a thing of the past."