sparrow wrote:Poland always was a cold album. Esoterics remaster sounds OK to me and in no way sounds lifeless & dull. Personally I find all the Esoteric releases I have (and there are quite a few) very good.
Compared to the Relativity the Esoteric is Colder and Duller. I did spend over an hour doing a back and forth compares of Poland and the Relativity has more energy, impact and realism the Esoteric has none of that. Please bear in mind comparison is paramount as without it no reference point exists. On CD I feel the Relativity sets the gold standard for Poland
For the money I spent on the Esoterics I really wish I enjoyed the sound as you apparently do. I tried, believe me, but they have all been rendered dull and somewhat lifeless by the outdated and amateurism practice of Noise Reduction. Other CD issues including the 20bit versions, and later remasters are not dull it is only the Esoterics. IMO they seem to have beginners doing their remastering and not experienced professional as NR is for rookies.
The art and the new linear notes are great, superb even, but I buy CD's for how they sound which is why I am no longer a customer of Esoteric. I just can not afford to spend more money on CD's with inferior sound to what I already own.
P.S.
Mr Sparrow - My Apologies if I seem argumentative, but I just want those who already own these albums on CD to know they can save money unless they are interested in better art and liner notes. With the money saved they can buy an elusive Flashpoint CD