Letters to the Editor

Bill Evans Box and Separates

Michael Fremer  |  Aug 1, 2012

Dear Michael:

A couple of years ago I started getting in to vinyl. I’m young enough that I fell in love with music when it was still being produced on vinyl.

As you know the process of determining equipment, good record pressings, cleaning and set up techniques can be daunting.

I just wanted to thank you for your DVDs and the information you have on your website because it has helped me out a great deal.

I also really appreciate your tone. That is, you are serious about music but you don’t treat it as a sort of religious obsession. (I probably doubly appreciate that since I’m a Catholic priest.)

I think you know what I mean though, as there are some people around who get so serious about things that it seems like it has sapped their joy.

Anyway, just thanks for all you do and thanks for being you.

If you get a chance I have a question for you. I’m looking at this box set of Bill Evans and trying to figure out if it is the same as the individuals that were mastered by Steve Hoffman http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/66242/Bill_Evans-Riverside_Recordings-Vinyl_Box_Sets

Thanks again,

John

That box set was mastered by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman and is the same mastering used for the individual releases of those albums, but there is one difference: the individual LPs were pressed at RTI while the box set was pressed at Pallas. They sound somewhat different. While both are superbly pressed and very quiet, some people prefer one to the other, while others think they are different but equally good.

What's the difference? Some people claim Pallas "de-horns" or polishes their metal parts, which makes for a quieter sound but also tends to smooth out high frequency transients. That's the charge. However when I visited and taped the Pallas plant, if you watch the plating part of the factory tour, I could find no evidence of metal part polishing and no part of the factory was off limits.

In any case, I have the box and its sounds great to me.

COMMENTS
Martin's picture
Submitted by Martin on Thu, 2012-08-02 02:36

Great picture.

The chair, that looks like an Ekornes Stressless, a Norwegian recliner.

I have one that looks almost identical, only darker leather.

Michael Fremer's picture
Submitted by Michael Fremer on Thu, 2012-08-02 17:01

Yes, it is an Ekornes "Stressless" chair but I assure you I am still stressed sitting in it when working! 

Jim Tavegia's picture
Submitted by Jim Tavegia on Thu, 2012-08-02 05:13

If there is anything that amazes me about lps it  is how much could go wrong with such a complicated process, why Chad Kassem did to set up his plant, and how amazing vinyl sounds in spite of the potential mfg problems. To me dsc mastering is so much more important that any of us would have imagined, especially early in my vinyl life. They ma all look the same, but they are surely not. Thanks for the guiding light. 

Jim Tavegia's picture
Submitted by Jim Tavegia on Thu, 2012-08-02 05:15

That Merrill ES-R1 looks interesting.     Hmmmm

roscoeiii's picture
Submitted by roscoeiii on Thu, 2012-08-02 08:15

Good to see Hot Rats and MoFi's Sea Change in the foreground there. 

planarhead's picture
Submitted by planarhead on Fri, 2012-08-03 09:40

Thanks for the info Mikey. I have "Interplay" from the original stand alone 45 rpm release and the box set. I am hard pressed to tell much difference sound wise between the two. IMO Pallas records have a distinctly different hand feeling when handling them. They have sharper edges than the RTI records. Both play silent and sound great!

What LP shelves do you have there?

Jody's picture
Submitted by Jody on Sat, 2012-08-04 11:11

I have that same bar stool.

ehb84's picture
Submitted by ehb84 on Sun, 2012-08-05 09:46

Looks like a tight squeeze. 

Arturo's picture
Submitted by Arturo on Wed, 2012-08-08 19:48

I can see back there "New York Tendaberry", my favorite Laura Nyro's album. I own the Pure Pleasure reissue. What your thoughts about that remastered? 

X