Milt Jackson – Very Tall

COMPARISON TIME:
2005 Speakers Corner, KPG
vs
2024 Acoustic Sounds, Ryan K Smith

What you really want to know is which one sounds best. Comparing each press on two identical AT LP5X's with identical carts, cables and phono stages, well, they are quite different and there are track to track variances on side one which are baffling. Initially, the AS is MUCH louder and the SC seems cut rather low, but track one is supposed to start quietly. Curiously as side one gets to the end the levels are closer than at the beginning of side one and the SC has perhaps overtaken the AS. The Speakers Corner is simply more consistent and imo better sounding with it. Also the deepest bass has notably more depth and bloom. The uppers are silkier and more consistent. The soundstage is more natural. The AS is not just inconsistent, its abit too dry and a little flat. I had hoped for better.

Packaging wise...this is more clear cut, the AS has a much nicer glossy tip on gatefold. The SC has to make do with being above average here but not as good as the AS.

Pressing wise both Pallas and QRP tend to deliver. Pallas do well for managing to keep their wonderful presses from looking like theyve been mishandled by the grubby staff of QRP and RTI and yet its the AS that is nigh silent and the Pallas has some fleeting moments of tics inc a non fill tear or two. Both are quiet but the grubby looking AS is quieter even if it looks like it cant possibly be!

So... a bit of a pickle really. The AS is undoubtedly the superior packaged and pressed product but i dont care much for the mastering job. Its quite flat and dry and too inconsistent of level. The Speakers Corner is cut more sensibly and consistently and has a sweeter, juicier and bloomier mastering that suits my ears better. Its just a shame my copy isnt quieter.

YMMV as ever!

COMPARISON TIME:
2005 Speakers Corner, KPG
vs
2024 Acoustic Sounds, Ryan K Smith

What you really want to know is which one sounds best. Comparing each press on two identical AT LP5X's with identical carts, cables and phono stages, well, they are quite different and there are track to track variances on side one which are baffling. Initially, the AS is MUCH louder and the SC seems cut rather low, but track one is supposed to start quietly. Curiously as side one gets to the end the levels are closer than at the beginning of side one and the SC has perhaps overtaken the AS. The Speakers Corner is simply more consistent and imo better sounding with it. Also the deepest bass has notably more depth and bloom. The uppers are silkier and more consistent. The soundstage is more natural. The AS is not just inconsistent, its abit too dry and a little flat. I had hoped for better.

Packaging wise...this is more clear cut, the AS has a much nicer glossy tip on gatefold. The SC has to make do with being above average here but not as good as the AS.

Pressing wise both Pallas and QRP tend to deliver. Pallas do well for managing to keep their wonderful presses from looking like theyve been mishandled by the grubby staff of QRP and RTI and yet its the AS that is nigh silent and the Pallas has some fleeting moments of tics inc a non fill tear or two. Both are quiet but the grubby looking AS is quieter even if it looks like it cant possibly be!

So... a bit of a pickle really. The AS is undoubtedly the superior packaged and pressed product but i dont care much for the mastering job. Its quite flat and dry and too inconsistent of level. The Speakers Corner is cut more sensibly and consistently and has a sweeter, juicier and bloomier mastering that suits my ears better. Its just a shame my copy isnt quieter.

YMMV as ever!

It’s very nice but I have sadly a bit of hiss - noticeable on headphones

Sound amazing, strong reccommend
For your ears pleasure ) like more 70' jazz japan pressings too.

Basically this is the Acoustic Sounds/RKS mastering vinyl edition pressed onto vinyl with no noise floor resulting in a £3k SACD player reproducing the music better than a £100k turntable setup and all without the need to get up to change a side and subject a silly money needle to wear and tear. These AS Jap SACDs are IDENTICAL of mastering to their vinyl counterparts but with zero flaws. Listening to them side by side makes me wonder why SACD is all but dead and vinyl continues to revive and thrive. It can only be money because it sure isnt sound quality. Obviously trying to convince die hard vinylista that the medium is badly flawed is meaningless and that tactility and experience remains a strong pull but this SACD put next to its vinyl counterpart proves that the vinyl medium is markedly inferior even at silly money vs a sanely priced SACD setup

Flat record. Mostly quiet vinyl, which is good because the music is quite exposed and noisy surfaces would really ruin it.

This is old-timey stereo with piano and bass coming out of the left speaker and vibes and drums coming from the right. You do get a very realistic illusion of three-dimensionality, with the drums and bass really seeming to come from behind Peterson and Jackson. So you get a very realistic stage image from this rather artificial-sounding left and right split of the instruments. The sound itself is vivid. My only complaint is that the piano tone is a bit dull and brittle, not as full and deep as I'd like it to be. Everything else sounds great.

Peterson really plays delicately and quietly at times and at other times he is his usual boisterous self. But Jackson is the star of this show and this is essentially a Milt Jackson album. I enjoyed it.

The blurry low-res photos on the front album cover are an embarrassment, and the blurry photos inside the gatefold are not much better. This album art does not in any way compete with what they do at Blue Note.

Beyond Mr. Peterson sounding slightly remote, the sound is immaculate; Mr. Jackson is clear and enveloping. Beautiful.

Not sure if this or NIGHT TRAIN is my favorite Oscar Peterson album, but this one's got Milt Jackson, so that's bonus. Highlights include "Work Song", "John Brown's Body" and "Reunion Blues". This 1971 pressing sounds quite good, with a clear and full tone to the piano, resonant vibes, and plenty of depth for the rhythm section. The excellent stereo separation creates a warm, atmospheric soundstage. My copy looks rough on the surface, but both sides of the vinyl play skip-free, with light surface noise at times.

An excellent pressing of a VERY COOL album. The vinyl is flat, quiet, with minimal surface noise and the mastering is flatout excellent! These Acoustic Sounds Series releases are on par with the very excellent Blue Note Tone Poet series. Highly recommended.

My copy came warped but it sure sounds fantastic! Had the MFSL a few yrs ago but sold it, glad to have another copy.