The White Stripes – Elephant

Anyone know the story behind the sides being named A B 3 D?

This is another fantastic sounding UHQR, pleased to see Chad Kassem and crew giving some of these more contemporary and "less polished" sounding bands/ albums their due. Sure, the Steely Dan and Exodus UHQR are great- but this blows away any prior version I've heard of this Elephant recording.

I don’t usually post, but I have my set up in such a way that comparing SACD and UHQR is at a point where everything is identical apart from the source. SACD I run digital out into my Genelec Speakers, Turntable goes into Phono Stage and then into genelecs, which in this case, is running through ADC to provide the room correction genelecs are famous for (sacrilege I know).

Turntable is a Rega P10 and Aura Phono Stage.

The SACD sounds great, the UHQR has softer edges to every instrument, most noticeable on Megs drums, providing a more ‘lifelike’ sound, the reverb trails on vocals are way more noticeable and 3D like on the UHQR also.

I don’t really understand why they don’t sound identical as I have nothing against digital, but in this case, both sources are running through the same ADC/DAC and the only difference is truly the source.

I do love this release but the $40 Wes Garland cut from a few years ago still holds up. If this record sounds like an RL LZII, then the WG cut sounds like a Classic Records LZII. I’m most definitely happy to own this though, I absolutely love the White Stripes and to have them here in such a beautiful presentation is just surreal

One of the best releases I've bought in a very long time. This is an album that had hits, but when you listen to it you realise the whole thing is 🔥.
To me this is like listening to one of the best sounding Led Zeppelin albums in the best possible sound. This has everything. Tunes, clarity, bass, crunch, warmth, insane dynamics and silent vinyl. Ball and Biscuit loud is as good as any Zeppelin, Hendrix or Sabbath tune I've ever heard!
Also after a few ultrasonic cleans, this thing is finally black silent. Listen in headphones, close your eyes and you are in another dimension.
Get it while you can!

I know there are some “audiophiles” out there losing their minds over these “Clarity Vinyl” (which is in and of itself a bit gimmicky) UHQR pressings. Just finished spinning this and is there more sonic clarity? Yes. Is it worth the price tag? No. There’s quite a bit of surface noise (even after a proper cleaning) on my copy which, unfortunately, interferes with the sonic clarity. I’ve read of similar problems in other Discogs reviews for other releases in this series. I’m also not a fan of the wooden spine. If you ask me, they should’ve made it flush as any normal box set usually is, with proper storage in mind. The word “definitive” is thrown around the vinyl community entirely too much when reviewing higher end releases such as these. I wouldn’t call this release definitive. Furthermore, I’d always question overstated reviews of higher end pressings and look for more honest, realistic ones. It’s a nice package with a high quality jacket, but, especially for the money, there are just as good, if not better, pressings out there. And, for the record (pun intended), Chad Kassem isn’t some kind of a vinyl god. For all the supposed ion he has for vinyl, watching a video of his is comparable to watching paint dry. Maybe he should pour more of that deadpan ion into quality control at AP. Just saying. Bottom line: this release promises more than what it delivers.

I was a little apprehensive about what the UHQR treatment could do for a white stripes record given that they always tended to go for a more dirty lofi sound but my worries were erased as soon as seven nation army came on. Crystal clear hifi sound with incredible separation between all instruments and vocals. You’ll never need another pressing of this album. This UHQR is the definitive version.

Die neue UHQR-Pressung bringt die Musik, sehr überzeugend, auf ein neues Level. Dabei sorgt das 200g Clarity Vinyl für eine beeindruckende Klangqualität. Ich bin einfach nur begeistert, so hatte ich die White Stripes vorher nie gehört.

Die Mitten und die Höhen sind klar und präzise, sowohl in den leisen, als auch die lauten agen der Musik. Der Bass auf der UHQR-Pressung ist sehr, sehr kraftvoll und wirklich tief.

Diese Album-Version ist unglaublich in Dynamik und Detailreichtum und sollte in jedem Plattenregal eines White Stripes Fans stehen.

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The new UHQR pressing takes the music to a new level, in a very convincing way. The 200g Clarity Vinyl ensures impressive sound quality. I'm simply thrilled, I've never heard the White Stripes like this before.

The mids and highs are clear and precise, both in the quiet and loud ages of the music. The bass on the UHQR pressing is very, very powerful and really deep.

This album version is incredibly dynamic and detailed and should be in every record collection of a White Stripes fan.

Right from the get go you can tell this is the kind of record you play for people who don't know what records can be.

Couldn't be more pleased with the killer sound, but am I the only one with WAY too tight holes on both records?
It's bad enough that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get the first one off the table without breaking it, and it's not an issue with any other UHQR's I have.