LP
CD
I currently have the Mobile Fidelity version of AJA, and since I've already written about it I'll just use this space to make a few notes about how I found the sound of the CD when I compared it to the LP. Simply put, the CD sounds flat. It sounds flat all by itself, but it sounds especially flat when compared to the MoFi LP. My ears grew tired listening to the CD, which is a shame because these are such great songs. It's the kind of music where I always hear something new every time I play it, some little subtlety or detail I'm sure I missed last listen through - on the record, anyway. I didn't have that experience with the CD.
The LP also has an ambience and a very wide soundstage, whereas the CD is completely flat and dry as a dirt road in the summer sun. It sounds as though a blanket has been draped across my speakers. This music needs a punchy low end and it's just not there on the CD. It's on the record in spades, and you don't need subwoofers to hear it. It's just there and it sounds - and feels - great! The top end is clear and smooth on LP, while the drums deliver a quick, sharp attack when required. I don't hear any of this on the CD.
Some people don't like the MoFi version of this record - they claim it's too bright - but I disagree. I think it's very warm. I used to have several other copies of this record but, to my ears anyway, the MoFi bested all of them and is the one I ended up keeping.
This MoFi LP is a clean, analogue-sounding musical masterpiece. The experience of listening to this music in analogue is extremely rewarding. Steely Dan eventually grew to love recording things digitally, but that was after this album was recorded. Donald Fagen's solo LP, The Nightfly - released several years later - was the first all-digital recording ever made. Despite that, it sounds great.
There have been almost 300 different releases of AJA over the years. Among them, I am sure, are a few decent-sounding CDs. But this isn't one of them. There are subtle differences between LP and CD artwork, too, but they are minor colour variations compared to how the two recordings differ sonically. If I had to pick one word to describe the sound of this CD, it would be this: "Meh".
LP
CD
I currently have the Mobile Fidelity version of AJA, and since I've already written about it I'll just use this space to make a few notes about how I found the sound of the CD when I compared it to the LP. Simply put, the CD sounds flat. It sounds flat all by itself, but it sounds especially flat when compared to the MoFi LP. My ears grew tired listening to the CD, which is a shame because these are such great songs. It's the kind of music where I always hear something new every time I play it, some little subtlety or detail I'm sure I missed last listen through - on the record, anyway. I didn't have that experience with the CD.
The LP also has an ambience and a very wide soundstage, whereas the CD is completely flat and dry as a dirt road in the summer sun. It sounds as though a blanket has been draped across my speakers. This music needs a punchy low end and it's just not there on the CD. It's on the record in spades, and you don't need subwoofers to hear it. It's just there and it sounds - and feels - great! The top end is clear and smooth on LP, while the drums deliver a quick, sharp attack when required. I don't hear any of this on the CD.
Some people don't like the MoFi version of this record - they claim it's too bright - but I disagree. I think it's very warm. I used to have several other copies of this record but, to my ears anyway, the MoFi bested all of them and is the one I ended up keeping.
This MoFi LP is a clean, analogue-sounding musical masterpiece. The experience of listening to this music in analogue is extremely rewarding. Steely Dan eventually grew to love recording things digitally, but that was after this album was recorded. Donald Fagen's solo LP, The Nightfly - released several years later - was the first all-digital recording ever made. Despite that, it sounds great.
There have been almost 300 different releases of AJA over the years. Among them, I am sure, are a few decent-sounding CDs. But this isn't one of them. There are subtle differences between LP and CD artwork, too, but they are minor colour variations compared to how the two recordings differ sonically. If I had to pick one word to describe the sound of this CD, it would be this: "Meh".
