Recommendations for With the Beatles and HDN needle drops

czeskleba · Postby **czeskleba** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:03 pm

So what would you all recommend for needle drops of With the Beatles and HDN? I downloaded flacs of the Dr. Ebbetts "Blue Box" versions of these two, and they sound like they were EQ'ed by Bill Inglot and Ken Perry circa 1990. Bleh. My preference would be something flat from the LP, or at least with a decent bass sound. What should I be looking for? I could do them myself but I have a lousy turntable and not a lot of free time lately, so I'd prefer just to download if there's good versions out there.

the 801 · Postby **the 801** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:07 pm

Check your PM.

Postby **lukpac** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:17 pm

WTB - IMO the "forum approved" Beatlemania *is* that good. At the moment I've only got a good side 1, though. Let me know if you want to hear it.

AHDN - My fav is a re-EQ of the Capitol box, except for the few tracks that aren't on there. I took the rest from various UK and German vinyl.

czeskleba · Postby **czeskleba** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 10:56 pm

What is this "forum approved" Beatlemania of which you speak? I would like to hear it of course.

Andreas · Postby **Andreas** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:21 am

A technical question about needle drops...is a "flat transfer" possible? Or does the transfer/equipment always color the sound and some post-mastering is required?

What I am asking, is the eq on the blue box accurately reproduceable with a needle drop? I thought that was the whole point of the blue box transfers.

I don't think the previous MFSL-sourced Dr. Ebbetts WTB and AHDN were that bad, but they are clearly more than just raw transfers.

Postby **lukpac** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 7:35 am

czeskleba wrote:What is this "forum approved" Beatlemania of which you speak? I would like to hear it of course.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatlemani ... he_Beatles

Sometime in the '70s it was finally issued in stereo on the purple Capitol label. Only problem is there are two versions - one wide and one narrow. The copy I have has the wide side 1 and the narrow side 2.

Postby **lukpac** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 7:39 am

Andreas wrote:A technical question about needle drops...is a "flat transfer" possible? Or does the transfer/equipment always color the sound and some post-mastering is required?

I suppose if you have a good preamp and something like a Shure type V, yes, a "flat transfer" is possible.

That said, when I sent Ryan some records to record using his type V, I wasn't blown away. Perhaps my cart is "colored", but I think I like the sound a little better.

I don't think I've ever done EQ on a vinyl dub. Just things like declicking.

MK · Postby MK » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:09 pm

Is the Blue Box mono or stereo?

Rspaight · Postby **Rspaight** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:45 pm

Stereo. (They're normal late-70s stock copies, AFAIK.)

Ryan

Xenu · Postby **Xenu** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 12:56 pm

Stock copiesWITH FAIRY DUST.

I really dislike, BTW, that Beatles "bootlegs"--in the absense of any new material--have transmogrified into an endless series of home-made remixes (and, worse, digitally-extracted stereo) and Ebbetts-style transfers of increasingly obscure sources. You'd think that alternate versions of the released catalog represent the entirety of illicit Beatles material if you used the recent Yahogroups Beatlegs digest as your sole primary source.

I guess this is what happens when the bootleg scene is democratized with regard to a band that has precious few live concerts to endlessly pursue.

Rspaight · Postby **Rspaight** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 2:58 pm

Blue fairy dust.

Ryan

czeskleba · Postby **czeskleba** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:43 pm

lukpac wrote:Sometime in the '70s it was finally issued in stereo on the purple Capitol label. Only problem is there are two versions - one wide and one narrow. The copy I have has the wide side 1 and the narrow side 2.

So, wide and narrow relative to what? Which version corresponds to the Parlophone WTB in terms of stereo image? And, am I correct in understanding that you're saying this Canadian LP has sound superior to any British Parlophone pressing?

czeskleba · Postby **czeskleba** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:47 pm

Andreas wrote:What I am asking, is the eq on the blue box accurately reproduceable with a needle drop? I thought that was the whole point of the blue box transfers.

What makes no sense to me is the heavy EQ'ing people like Ebbetts are doing. From glancing at usnet, it seems Ebbetts has done a plethora of versions of each album. But if he's going to EQ them so heavily with his trademark sound, they are all going to sound the same regardless of his source.

Postby **lukpac** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 8:56 pm

czeskleba wrote:So, wide and narrow relative to what? Which version corresponds to the Parlophone WTB in terms of stereo image? And, am I correct in understanding that you're saying this Canadian LP has sound superior to any British Parlophone pressing?

Wide = not narrowed

I'm not aware of any Parlophone pressing being narrowed. As for sound, it's the best I've heard so far, yes. Doesn't have that big midrange like a lot of those Parlophone pressings.

You've got a PM...

jbohdan · Postby **jbohdan** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 9:56 pm

lukpac wrote:
czeskleba wrote:What is this "forum approved" Beatlemania of which you speak? I would like to hear it of course.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatlemani ... he_Beatles

Sometime in the '70s it was finally issued in stereo on the purple Capitol label. Only problem is there are two versions - one wide and one narrow. The copy I have has the wide side 1 and the narrow side 2.

The wide side 2's are pretty rare. In fact, I've only ever seen one (and bought it immediately!) All of the other purple Capitol ones I've seen have the narrow side 2.